"Blinkx CEO on Google, set-top search and Project Canvas"
From TechRadar
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Comment: Very interesting interview with Chandratillake about the state of the online video sector in the US and UK, set-top boxes and the like.
However, I found this rather worrying:
"TR: How you going to market your video search concept to people?
SC: That's a great question and there is no answer to that yet. What will probably happen is that we will launch it as a free add-on to any sophisticated user that wants to try out the service.
If you are a person who is already savvy with their PVR, then you might suddenly find that you get an invite to try this brand-new thing out. It may be through a letter or electronically, I don't know. But it will almost be like a closed Beta to begin with.
TR: Will the service be free?
SC: Whatever you want to watch, there will be an option by pressing a button to delve further with searching. Sometimes this will be ad-funded searches on the web, other times it will be pay-for-view.
So you will sign up to a number of pay-for-view libraries and, to go back to the travel show example, you will have an historical archive of content you can access on any given subject for a pound or two."
Sounds to me - as I've been saying for some time - as if Blinkx have built fantastic technology but don't actually know how to market it. This chimes with my experience of SmartShopper - a great tool, but with no marketing or PR push behind it, how the hell is anyone going to know it's there to download the software to use it in the first place?
In their marketing material Blinxk refer to themselves a a 'sub' or a 'stealth bomber' - ie under the radar. How does that square with releasing mass-market consumer products like SmartShopper (and maybe one day, if they get their act together, Transaction Hijacking)? I know those aren't under the Blinkx brand name, but even so, this company seems completely inept at the whole marketing and PR side of things. Worrying...
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