Microsoft opts for Jinni engine to enhance Xbox Video recommendations

Microsoft opts for Jinni engine to enhance Xbox Video recommendations

With more and more video content being consumed every day on things like the Apple TV, PS3 and Xbox 360, having an exceptional recommendations system is becoming an essential part of the viewing experience. Microsoft knows how important this is, and today it announced it’s reached a multi-year deal with Tel-Aviv-based firm Jinni to enhance entertainment discovery on the Xbox platform. The newly minted agreement will see Jenni’s own engine, dubbed Entertainment Genome, vastly improve Xbox recommendations by utilizing its “deep knowledge of every show and movie in the Xbox Video catalog.” It’s worth noting Jenni has plenty of experience in the insight field, having previously been pegged by Time Warner and Vudu to power their intelligent search efforts. For its part, Xbox General Manager, Dave Alles, says there’s excitement to combine Jenni’s taste-and-mood engine with Microsoft’s Conversational Understanding, which he hopes can make “finding something to watch on Xbox as fun as watching it.”

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Source: Jinni

Microsoft shows off new Xbox One dashboard, Trending tab for popular content

Microsoft shows off new Xbox One dashboard, Trending tab for popular content

So, we’ve just seen our first glimpse of the Xbox One, and after watching the console boot by voice command, we’ve had a peek at the new dashboard, too. It’s not a massive departure from the current one, but as you can see, the theme is a little bit plainer and cleaner than the Xbox 360 dash, while keeping the tile-like appearance also common to the Windows UI. You’ll recognize most of the tabs running along the top, but “Trending” is new — this tab shows what’s popular amongst your friends, as well as what’s hot within the entire Xbox Live community. Also, “My Pins” now gets its own dedicated tab, rather than being a tile on the Home screen. How you use and navigate the dash is where the real differences lie, like the next-gen Kinect voice control and Snap Mode multitasking.

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Microsoft ‘retiring’ Facebook and Twitter Xbox 360 Dashboard apps

Microsoft 'retiring' Facebook and Twitter Xbox 360 Dashboard apps

Eagle-eyed gamers may have already noticed that the Xbox 360’s dedicated Twitter and Facebook apps have gone missing after the latest Dashboard update, and now Redmond has confirmed it’s put the applications out to pasture. According to a Microsoft representative that spoke to IGN, the firm is “retiring the Facebook and Twitter apps” as it works to streamline functionality. When asked if the pair of apps will ever make a comeback, Ballmer and Co. didn’t comment. Still crave to update your friends on your latest gaming exploits through the console? Spreading the news on the digital grapevine is still possible, but you’ll have to access the social networks through the freshly added Internet Explorer app — an experience we hope Xbox SmartGlass will improve.

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Microsoft ‘retiring’ Facebook and Twitter Xbox 360 Dashboard apps originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 20 Oct 2012 08:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Xbox 360 Dashboard update hands-on (fall 2012)

DNP  Xbox 360 Dashboard update handson fall 2012

Is it Fall again already? Must be time for another Xbox 360 Dashboard update. Every year Microsoft Drops the console a little bit of code to match the descending leaves, delivering new features, interface tweaks and additional content to hide behind the Xbox Live Gold paywall. Redmond’s latest update isn’t quite the overhaul it gave the gaming rig last year, but minor changes can have big effects. Join us after the break to see the machine’s latest update, and what it means for you.

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Xbox 360 Dashboard update hands-on (fall 2012) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Oct 2012 00:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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