PodZinger adds text-based video podcast search

PodZinger, the podcasting search engine that launched late last year, is adding video search to its toolkit. The service allows people to do keyword searches on the audio in video podcasts and then to jump to certain points in the video. So a search on Barry Bonds would return excerpts from video podcasts that mention Bonds, as well as hyperlinks that take searchers directly to the point in the video where Bonds is mentioned.

This is another application of the same technology that allows PodZinger users to do full-text searches of audio-only podcasts.

PodZinger is an arm of decades-old defense contractor BBN Technologies that has innovated in a lot of technology related areas. Lately, it has become focused on audio-to-text conversion.

PodZinger’s business model is centered around search ads and offering a white-labeled version of its search technology to publishers and others.

This type of technology has always intrigued us. We’ve followed Blinkx’ efforts in this area. But it seems that this type of searching should be part of the regular search experience offered by the big search engines, instead of sequestered on separate vertical sites. To that end, PodZinger might make an appealing acquisition target for someone.

”My experience is you never plan for that,” company president Alex Laats told us. ”You always plan to build a business.”