Find your favorite clips with these video search engines
If you're having trouble finding the right video online, video search engines are a great place to start your search. From professional content from major networks to user-generated clips, they will help you find just about anything you're looking for.
You won't find Google, Yahoo, or Bing in this roundup. The following list of services are designed specifically for those who want to find video. Since the aforementioned search engines will find anything on the Web, they don't fit into that category.
Find your videos
Blinkx: Blinkx is an extremely well-designed video search site that helps you find clips on topics ranging from tech to sports. According to the company, it currently has more than 35 million hours of videos cataloged. Judging by the outstanding selection, I'm inclined to believe that figure.
I liked Blinkx's search. Simply enter a keyword you're interested in and it will search sites like YouTube, Hulu, and major television networks to find what you're looking for. Unfortunately, the search results page is a little confusing. I also didn't like that the site automatically plays the top result when you get to the results page. It's an annoying feature that shouldn't be on by default. Other than those two issues, I liked Blinkx. It's one of the better video search engines on the Web.
Blinkx automatically starts the top video result.
(Credit: Screenshot by Don Reisinger/CNET)CastTV: CastTV finds television shows and cool videos on the Web. I was impressed by its selection. From new to old, you're likely to find at least one clip of your favorite show.
Unlike many of the other services in this roundup, CastTV relies heavily on popular video sites like Vimeo, blip.tv, and MegaVideo. Because of that, you might find some clips on CastTV that you won't find on "professional" sites like Hulu. For example, a full episode of "24" is currently listed in the site's search results. If you click that link, you'll be brought to MegaVideo to view it. Also, beware that some videos you click on might ask you to install a toolbar. It doesn't pop up often, but CastTV does require you to download its toolbar for some videos. In those cases, don't do it and move along.
CastTV has a bunch of television shows available.
(Credit: Screenshot by Don Reisinger/CNET)Pixsy: Pixsy is a video and image search engine. It sifts through the Web finding all the content related to your query.
Pixsy is designed well and for the most part, its search results are spot on. But even though it has content from a variety of service providers, I wasn't too impressed with the quantity of results. I was also displeased with the site's results pages. They had too much content in too small a space. Pixsy is worth checking out, but with a better design, it could be much better.
Pixsy has some jumbled search results.
(Credit: Screenshot by Don Reisinger/CNET)Truveo: Truveo is a fantastic video search engine. Regardless of what you're looking for, the site looks through videos on sites ranging from YouTube to CBSNews.com. I was really impressed by its selection.
Searching through Truveo is a treat. Simply input a keyword into its search box and the site will take care of the rest. You can browse by channels, television networks, or topic. You can also filter your results by rating, release date, or views. The search was fast. The number of results it listed was impressive. If you're looking for video, Truveo is definitely worth checking out.
Truveo shows off some great results for Harry Potter.
(Credit: Screenshot by Don Reisinger/CNET)Veoh: Veoh allows you to search for online videos, television shows, movies, and music. Regardless of what you're looking for, you can simply input a query into the site's search box and it will sort it out.
I was pleased with the number of results Veoh returned. The site provided better results than most of the sites in this roundup. In fact, a simple search for "The New York Yankees" returned the most relevant results of any of the sites I tested. Veoh will require you to sit through a commercial to watch a video, but it's a small price to pay given the sheer number of videos it has. I really liked Veoh. I think you will too.
Veoh delivers in a big way with a bunch of great videos.
(Credit: Screenshot by Don Reisinger/CNET)My top three
1. Veoh: Veoh will help you find anything you desire.
2. Truveo: With such a great selection of clips, Truveo is worth checking out.
3. Blinkx: 35 million hours mean Blinkx is ideal for video lovers.
Don Reisinger is a technology columnist who has written about everything from HDTVs to computers to Flowbee Haircut Systems. Don is a member of the CNET Blog Network, and posts at The Digital Home. He is not an employee of CNET. Disclosure.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NgeplxqtjA
that I uploaded a week ago.
Just use the search box on youtube, or just search google itself.
See more Video Search Engines in my blog: http://tr.im/oEnJ
- by Trendspotting August 12, 2009 5:52 AM PDT
- There's no better video search than LoomTV (http://www.loom.tv) as it works both as a search engine and a social media player. Beyond video search, LoomTV also finds keyword related user playlists, radio stations, live tv stations and news alerts. The slick design interface brings a more TV like viewing experience.
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