Microsoft is targeted at enhancing its Xbox Live video and content search capabilities for Xbox Live by acquiring VideoSurf.
Microsoft is targeted at enhancing its Xbox Live video and content search capabilities for Xbox Live by acquiring VideoSurf.
Microsoft has signed a contract to acquire video searching startup VideoSurf to enhance searching for entertainment content across its Xbox Live platform. By incorporating VideoSurf’s technology, consumers will be able to search for a term and pull up unified results across games, the Zune marketplace, TV and film entertainment, and even entertainment content from third-party providers like Netflix, Hulu, or Comcast.
According to Xbox Live’s interactive entertainment business Alex Garden, VideoSurf’s content analytics technology will develop the search and discovery of entertainment content across platform.
The financial term of the contract has not been revealed; industry sources put the value of the deal in the $75 million range.
Microsoft expects the technology will allow the company to supply a comprehensive, searchable overview of video content—a service that will become important when Microsoft lines up more and more large-scale and independent content providers for XBox Live.
