By now, I’m sure you’ll be aware that Google yesterday introduced Google TV, a platform with the potential of moving us closer to real integration between television and the Internet.
In the blog post announcing the new platform, Google mentioned that it has already started building strategic alliances with a number of TV technology companies, specifically naming Jinni and Rovi in the process.
The former is a small Israeli startup that we’ve been tracking for a while now, and with whom I’m acquainted because they were one of the 3 finalists at my Plugg startup competition event back in March 2009.
The startup, dubbed the ‘Pandora for movies’ by observers, bills its service as an intelligent ‘taste engine’ for movies and TV shows.
Its guide helps users choose what to watch next amid the abundance of available content (live TV channels, VOD, DVR, and Internet services like Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu). Based on semantic technology, Jinni essentially aims to filter the universe of content through the lens of the user’s personal moods and tastes. It operates a fairly popular destination website in addition to API-based solutions for Internet content providers and TV operators.
The company, which has raised just over $3 million in venture capital to date, is now working with the Mountain View Internet giant to provide semantic search, personalized recommendations and social features for Google TV across all sources of premium content that will be available to the user.
Perhaps if Jinni plays its cards right, Google might be interested in buying them out somewhere down the line, provided the startup can prove its technology’s worth and wow Google TV users with its search features and personalized recommendations.
Either way, here are some preliminary screenshots of the service we’ve scored, although we should warn that the application is still very much under development at this point.
Jinni is a search-and-recommendation engine for movies, TV shows and semiprofessional video to help viewers find what fits their personal moods and tastes. The service is powered by the Movie Genome, created by analyzing metadata and reviews to catalog video across thousands of parameters. Jinni offers a website for users and APIs for Internet and TV content providers.
Google TV is a new experience made for television that combines the TV you know and love with the freedom and power of the Internet. Watch an overview video below, sign up for updates, and learn more about how to develop for Google TV.
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