If you had previously been using Videosurf's Greasemonkey script to preview videos from search engine results, the company has released a new Firefox add-on that does a bit more--and without the need for Greasemonkey.
Once installed in your browser, the add-on still lets you see previews of videos from search results on Google and Yahoo. However it now throws in video previews on FriendFeed pages, and adds a neat timeline view in YouTube that lets you skip to later parts of a video just like DVD chapter markers.
I had the Greasemonkey script installed on my machine last November, but recently turned it off. It directs links that would normally go to where the video is hosted to a special page on Videosurf where it has been re-embedded. This can be useful for some videos, but if you like reading comments and leaving ratings on the original video page it's adding an extra step to get there. Worth noting is that the Firefox iteration of this tool no longer does that.
With the extension installed you can skip to various parts of a video--as long as it's been indexed.
(Credit: Videosurf)
Video search and identification tool VideoSurf has a new script for Greasemonkey users that lets you see VideoSurf-enhanced results on Google, Yahoo, and YouTube. If a result has been indexed by VideoSurf you'll see its timeline, along with links to each segment which skip you straight to that part of the video.
VideoSurf is advertising this as a way to see video results before you click on them, similar to some scripts and extensions that show you site thumbnails straight from search results or on-site links (like Snap). I found it to work particularly well on mainstream content, although videos that have not yet been processed by VideoSurf won't show up.
If you're a Greasemonkey user I'd say this is definitely worth a go. The same goes for any users who frequently click on videos in search results, only to be disappointed by what they end up being. VideoSurf's scene-by-scene analysis puts an end to any surprises.
Previously: VideoSurf demo nearly lives up to pre-show hype
VideoSurf's Greasemonkey extension puts scene-by-scene analysis in your search results--that is, as long as it's a mainstream piece of content.
(Credit: CNET Networks)
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