Microsoft Licenses "Taste and Mood" Video Discovery Technology From Jinni

Jinni, whose "taste and mood" video discovery technology allows viewers to get personalized TV and movie recommendations, has announced a license deal with Microsoft. Though Microsoft didn't disclose how specifically it would use Jinni, the company has been broadening its Xbox gaming platform for video entertainment, so it would fit well there. Jinni could also be integrated across Microsoft's online and mobile properties and in different devices like the Zune.

Jinni operates the "Movie Genome" project, which maps various aspects of existing movies and TV shows. Jinni's staff uses a set of over 2,000 tags to describe the mood, plot and style of TV shows and movies. New movies and shows are indexed based on user reviews and metadata. With this in place, Jinni lets users browse or search through categories attuned to how they intuitively think about entertainment choices, based on their "entertainment personality." Recommendations are refined over time.

Video discovery promises to be a significant ongoing issue, as the range of entertainment choices and devices/platforms explodes. The days of channel surfing will begin to seem archaic as more content is available on an on-demand basis. But it's still very early days in terms of users learning how to sift through all the choices and settle on what to watch.

Categories: Technology, Video Search

Topics: Jinni, Microsoft