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Search tools: hardware, an add-on and a service

04.03.2009
This issue of Gearhead is about searching. First up is specialized search hardware that I've had queued up in the for some time: This is the television search appliance which, in its top end configuration, can record up to 10 TV shows simultaneously and store more than 9,000 hours of video on its built-in fault-tolerant storage.

Think of the SnapStream Enterprise as TiVo on steroids with an enterprise attitude. This rack-mountable device allows you to search within the closed captioning of television broadcasts, create clips from content, burn selected content to DVD, or download it to archive, send via e-mail, or use in other applications.

The problem with testing the SnapStream Enterprise is that I really need multiple television feeds for a real test. When I first received the unit I thought I'd have time to pull coax to the Secret Underground Bunker from the satellite dish located over in the Administrative Building, but I just haven't had the chance. Above and beyond my guilt at the delay in testing, I wanted to give you a preview of this system because it's a really cool idea.

You can configure a SnapStream Enterprise to send e-mail when it detects keywords, watch content saved on a SnapStream Enterprise from anywhere on your internal network or out on the Internet, transcode to other formats including Windows Media Video and H.264, and download recorded content to iPhones and iPods through an RSS feed. The SnapStream Enterprise also supports granular multi-user access control and Active Directory integration.

There's even more to the SnapStream Enterprise that I'll cover when I get around to pulling cable, but for now check it out; as a tool for your corporate marketing and branding people or for tracking news relevant to the markets your company deals with, the SnapStream Enterprise has huge potential. Pricing starts at US$8,000.

Also on my list when it comes to search is a cool browser add-on/plug-in that I now can't live without: browser search assistant. The latest release, Version 2.0.1, works with Internet Explorer 6+ and Firefox 2+.