Video search company blinkx today announced the availability of blinkx BBTV, a new online television service that leverages blinkx’s speech and visual recognition technology to deliver Internet television with contextually linked information.

blinkx BBTV enables users to instantly browse or interact with online sources related to what they are watching, whether it’s Google, Wikipedia, IMDB or other Web sites offering relevant information – from news and entertainment, to travel and sports.

“Broadband Internet connections are fast enough today that with the right technology, it’s possible to deliver an experience that’s equal in quality to television. Consumers are accustomed to Online Video: short-form, often amateur clips that play in a Web browser – blinkx BBTV delivers Online Television: full-length, professional TV programming, delivered in exceptional quality,” said Suranga Chandratillake, founder and CEO of blinkx. “The Web is the largest repository of connected information in the world – on any subject and from myriad sources. BBTV delivers television over the Internet, but it also fuses that TV with the wealth of information on the Web, rather than appearing as just another layer floating above it.”

blinkx BBTV is currently Windows-only, it relies on Microsoft DRM and an application install is required.

This is likely to limit adoption of the application. Tech bloggers are largely Mac-based, which means that BBTV isn’t going to get the coverage it could, if it had a Mac version. Also, it’s competing against browser-based offerings, like Hulu, that are available now cross-platform.

Here are the details on blinkx BBTV’s features:

Speech-based Navigation

Leveraging blinkx’s speech recognition technology, BBTV automatically creates a speech track of the video, allowing users to search through content, literally word-for-word, and jump to specific points in a program, simply by searching for a spoken word.

Full-Screen, TV Quality Experience

BBTV uses hybrid peer-to-peer streaming technology to allow fast, high-quality delivery of video content. All content appearing on BBTV is delivered over an encrypted network and protected by Microsoft DRM technologies.

Clickable Video

BBTV delivers online television that is truly interactive – users can “shift-click” on a word in the speech track for additional information on a person, location or object within the video.

Automatic Web Linking

Video that is delivered through BBTV is connected to the universe of online content, whether it’s Google, Wikipedia, IMDB or other news, entertainment travel or sports Web sites, adding a new dimension to viewers’ experience.