Online video providers eye more relevant search functions
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CLICK on a search box at Netflix, and you can search for titles, people and genres. With Hulu, your choices are titles and people. With HBO Now, you can search for titles, and that's it. If you're looking for something more specific, such as scenes from The Sopranos that depict Tony eating dessert. You've got to try YouTube for that. At least for now.
"We think search is a critical component of any video service, and our programming in particular is rich in opportunities to offer many different kinds of search," said Diane Tryneski, HBO's executive vice-president for technology and chief digital officer. "When we're producing a programme, we create so much information even before a single frame is shot. Location, cast, crew, script, scenery, props. There's so much rich metadata, and you never know what one individual user is going to find interesting."
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