Microsoft unveils the future of online video on your PC – is this Web 3.0?

Microsoft today announced plans to release a variety of new video services in an effort to knock YouTube off its perch. Rob Crossen, Portal Business Manager for Video at Microsoft UK, explained “Research has shown that user-generated websites are presenting people with video content they don’t necessarily want, so we want to direct the to video they're interested in.”

As a result, Microsoft is trying to entice the 21 million online video viewers in the UK to use its own video portal at http://video.msn.com, with a raft of content exclusive to the web.

Exclusive free video content

Following on from an existing partnership with ITV, where you can already watch TV shows such as Dancing on Ice and Deal Or No Deal, Microsoft has now partnered with Sony BMG and MTV Networks, so you’ll be able to watch clips of South Park, MTV Cribs, Punk’d, and more.

Microsoft is also looking to partner with the BBC iPlayer service in future, no doubt in the hope to be able to offer the same sort of popular on-demand shows that the BBC currently provides through its own service, such as Eastenders and Top Gear.

“The videos will be available to stream on-demand,” says Rob. “so you won’t be able to download them to your PC, but you’ll be able to watch them in full screen if you choose.” At the moment the quality of available video is good enough for the internet, but Microsoft is looking into offering higher quality video content in future when faster broadband becomes more widely available and the public want it.

This is only a snippet of the exciting news that Microsoft though. What's really going to knock your socks off is the revolutionary Messenger TV application. For those who like to chat to friends in Windows Live Messenger – a huge number in the UK and abroad then – this could change the way we view video forever.

Watch video while you chat to friends

Messenger TV will allow you to share video with friends, right within a Windows Live Messenger chat window. So, if you want to show a friend something funny or cool you found, you can show them without having to direct them to a website in Internet Explorer.

You’ll both be able to share video and control the same content within your chat window, and there’s even a search function integrated into it, so you can look for video content at http://video.msn.com without having to open a browser window. “We’re really trying to encourage the social aspect of video sharing,” says Rob.

Penned for an official release this summer, Messenger TV could be the Web 3.0 that 2008 is desperately crying out for.  Messenger TV is available in Beta format right now, although not yet in the UK, and there’s no word when, or even if it will be prior to its public release.

Search for videos anywhere on the internet

Microsoft isn’t just concentrating all its efforts on improving the MSN video portal though; it’s also adding a video clip search facility in its search engine at www.live.com. Ok, so Google already did it ages ago, but this has some nice touches, such as the preview feature which shows you a short sample clip of a video when you hover your mouse over it; and the Scratchpad which allows you to save your favourite searched video clips to, so that you have easy access to watch them again.

Exclusive Windows Sidebar Gadget for Windows Vista users

That’s not all though – Microsoft is even planning to produce a Windows Sidebar gadget available which will allow Windows Vista PC owners to quickly search for videos within the gadget, so you won’t have to leave your desktop to find the video you want.

Although we’ve not yet got a preview of Messenger TV or the Windows Sidebar gadget, we’re hoping to have more exclusive pictures and information as soon as it comes through, so keep an eye out – 2008 is shaping up to be an exciting year for both Windows Vista users and video lovers!