SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--At DEMOfall08 today, ffwd (pronounced “fast forward”) released the beta of ffwd.com, the web implementation of its revolutionary web-meets-TV service. ffwd’s vision encompasses a radically simple way to navigate the video web, an expansive digital television experience, and a media service that reflects your lifestream. ffwd can be found at Station #38 in the DEMOfall08 Pavilion and is currently available for sign-up at http://www.ffwd.com.

“Television and Internet technologies are converging and colliding, and so a close look at ffwd is absolutely in order. I invited the company to introduce this product at DEMOfall08 because it points to the future of television and to the rich social interactions this convergence will enable,” said Chris Shipley, executive director of the DEMO conference. “The ffwd solution fits squarely in two major themes of this year’s conference – ‘Television Meets the Web; Web Meets the Television’ and ‘Getting Embedded with Social Networks’ – and in doing so points to the innovative thinking of the ffwd team.”

ffwd aims to connect viewers to online video through personalized adaptive channels of videos from all over the web – replacing 500 channels and nothing on with custom channels for every viewer. Each channel combines the editorial wisdom of the entire Internet audience, the viewer’s social graph, and behavioral targeting, to sort through the limitless web video catalog with the click of a button.

“ffwd was inspired to create a way to navigate the video web as simple as channel surfing, yet more powerful than search,” said Patrick Koppula, CEO of ffwd. “By building an index of videos based on channels rather than individual videos, and constantly updating it with new discoveries made by the entire web video audience, ffwd will be the only channel you’ll ever need.”

ffwd builds standard channels based on topics or themes, favorite programs or a personality type. Early adopters will have over 500 standard channels available for creating their custom channel lineup – the raw material for creating a personalized adaptive channel. Then what a viewer skips and what a viewer watches will influence what they watch next and the overall makeup of their channel. Similarly, your social network profile or lifestream service can automatically program your ffwd channel, leveraging the information already provided by your online persona. Future viewers can save time and take advantage of the wisdom of crowds by simply subscribing to channels of viewers they’ve found to be similar to them.

As ffwd continues to implement its vision, you can expect:

• an API that will un-tether your ffwd channel from ffwd.com, allowing developers to create thin client applications that allow an even more ubiquitous, accurate, relevant and consistent web video viewing experience over multiple platforms, including living room and mobile hardware
• a social experiment where viewers create community around a shared interest and interactively decide what video content to watch in real time
• a subscription-based premium version of the service

About ffwd

For people who enjoy short-form digital entertainment and want unlimited choice and power over their experience, ffwd is your personal remote control for the interactive video web that makes navigating your options as simple as channel surfing and more powerful than search. Freeing you from the information overload of the web and “one-size-fits-all” approach of the cable companies, ffwd offers audiences a personalized adaptive lineup of channels organized by the entire web video audience and available from any web-enabled device.

ffwd was founded in 2007 and has headquarters in San Francisco, California.

This entry was posted by Patrick on Monday, September 8th, 2008 at 6:54 am and is filed under Press Releases. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.