[mythtv-users] OT: Interesting use of automated search of CC text

[f-myth-users at media.mit.edu]

    > Date: Mon, 10 Dec 2007 20:59:40 -0600
    > From: George Mari <george_mythusers at mari1938.org>

    > I found this article on a commercial DVR product that automates search 
    > of CC text:

    > http://www.zatznotfunny.com/2007-12/snapstream-unleashes-godzilla-pc-dvr-for-big-business/

    > The article and/or video mentions how some organizations are using it to 
    > see how often their products are mentioned, or how you can search for 
    > mentions of certain people or issues, seemingly for commercial benefit, 
    > I was trying to think of any potential use of this type of ability that 
    > would benefit consumers?

    > I could see doing something like recording all your local news 
    > broadcasts, and searching for mention of some issue near and dear to 
    > your heart, for example.

I have in fact been doing exactly this since day 1 of using Myth
(not just news broadcasts, though---everything Myth is recording).

But the idea is hardly original---people (well, around here, anyway)
were talking about doing it from the moment that it looked likely that
closed-captioning information would become common in TV broadcasts.
I think people were speculating about this by the mid-80's at the
latest.

(The way organizations often did this in the past, of course, was to
do repeated automated searches of Lexis/Nexis data, where one can
often find transcripts.  But that's a pretty expensive institutional
subscription---not the sort of thing ordinary home viewers are likely
to be able to afford, and with a significant time delay due to
transcription and publication.)