So I was looking for some random videos and I was about to type in the url for Google Video, but I decided to try out Microsoft’s Live Search Video on a whim. So I typed in, “video.live.com” and viola, there I was greeted by the slightly unsightly front page for their video search. After getting some search results, I opened some videos in new tabs to see if they were what I was looking for. And surprise, surprise, when I left my mouse cursor over a video for a bit of time, it began to preview the video for me automatically. I don’t know how late I am about this, but I definitely thought that this was a really useful feature. I’m just so used to Microsoft being behind the curve on innovative and useful features, that I was impressed by this one.

So overall, I’m pretty satisfied with their video search. My experience is that I don’t get as many search results in Live as I do with Google, but I think they’re doing a pretty solid job. But, I think the real issue is the design of the website. i hadn’t been to Live.com in a while, but it just doesn’t feel right. Maybe I’ve become too used to Google’s plain drabness, but I don’t feel that Live is doing any better. O well.

One thing I wonder is if the search bots for the various searches (i.e. Web, Images, Video, etc.) are separately dedicated or if there is just one main bot with different sub-bots… I don’t even know if I know what I’m talking about. Just pure conjecturing and speculation from an average internet user.