BLOGS
The Channel Wire
September 09, 2008
At the DEMOfall08 conference in San Diego Tuesday, a company called ffwd (pronounced fast forward) unleashed the beta version of its digital television experience. Using personalized and adaptive video channels, ffwd hopes to connect Web users to the entire breadth of Internet video -- and customize programming based on previous viewing habits.

New ffwd users and early adopters will initially be presented with 500 video channels that will create the basis of the social graph that the Web TV service will use to customize channel to individual tastes. By deciding to watch a video or skip a video, ffwd will create an adaptive channel to ensure only the types of content you are looking for will appear.

Social networking enthusiasts can tap into their preconceived video preferences by linking the ffwd service to their network or networks of choice, further providing customization depend on various likes and dislikes.

Eventually, users will be able to tap into the collective power of the Web video service by subscribing to pre-existing users. By subscribing to channels that other users with similar tastes have already highlighted as favorites, new users can ensure that only the type of content they are looking for will be delivered.

"Ffwd was inspired to create a way to navigate the video web as simple as channel surfing, yet more powerful than search," said Patrick Koppula, CEO of ffwd. "By building an index of videos based on channels rather than individual videos, and constantly updating it with new discoveries made by the entire web video audience, ffwd will be the only channel you'll ever need."

Developers interested in adding further customization can take advantage of ffwd's API. FFWD envisions allowing developers to create thin clients that can be untethered from ffwd.com, letting users pick and choose the most convenient way to watch video on the Web.

Eventually, ffwd.com plans to offer a subscription-based service for users interested in a premium version of the service.

Posted by Brian Kraemer at 3:24 PM
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