Learn How Microsoft Bing Vision Recognizes Books, Media with Demo

Table of Contents

• Introducing Microsoft Bing Vision Visual Search Technology
• Scanning Different Types of Media with Bing Vision
• Connecting Bing Vision to Apps like Amazon & Kindle
• Translating Text Instantly with Bing Vision
• Conclusion & Next Steps

Introducing Microsoft Bing Vision Visual Search Technology

Microsoft Bing Vision is an intelligent visual search engine that allows you to search for information about images. With Bing Vision, you can scan physical items like books, DVDs, CDs or movie posters and instantly retrieve useful information like product listings and reviews.

Bing Vision utilizes optical character recognition (OCR), image recognition algorithms and machine learning technology to accurately analyze visual content. The visual search capabilities are directly integrated into the Bing mobile app on iOS and Android devices, allowing for seamless and intuitive visual searches.

In this blog post, we will dive into Bing Vision's core features, demonstrate how to use it for different media types like books or movie posters, show how it connects with shopping apps to enable quick product lookups and purchases, and explore the translation capabilities that allow translating foreign text instantly using your phone's camera.

What is Bing Vision?

Bing Vision is Microsoft's powerful visual search technology that is embedded in the Bing mobile app on iOS and Android devices. With Bing Vision, you can take pictures of various physical objects and instantly retrieve useful information without needing to manually type in search queries. Some examples of using Bing Vision include:

• Scanning a book cover to surface book details like title, author, publisher, plot summary, genres, reviews and price comparisons at online stores
• Scanning a DVD or video game cover to see details like title, cast and crew, user reviews and ratings, rental or purchase options
• Scanning a movie poster to retrieve movie details like title, cast, trailers, user ratings as well as showtimes and ticketing options at nearby theaters
• Scanning a wine bottle label to identify detailed product information and tasting notes
• Scanning foreign language text and instantly translating it to English or over 60 other languages As you can see, Bing Vision enables you to visually search your physical environment to understand more about various products, media, text and more. It serves as a helpful daily assistant to quickly lookup information when you only have the physical item at hand but lack further context.

Bing Vision Features Overview

Bing Vision packs an impressive set of intelligent visual recognition capabilities. Let's examine some of the key features: Image Recognition Algorithms - Bing Vision uses advanced machine learning algorithms to accurately recognize millions of product categories based on visual attributes. This includes everyday items like books, wine bottles, toys and electronics as well as niche items like collectible trading cards or obscure movie posters. Optical Character Recognition - The integrated OCR technology extracts printed text from images and scans to identify key product names, artwork titles, authors etc. This enables retrieving accurate search information without needing any text input. Barcode Scanning - Identifying barcodes allows connecting scanned products to exact listings from online stores. This brings up price comparisons, user reviews and spec details. QR and Microsoft Tag Recognition - Bing Vision scans and resolves QR codes and newer Microsoft Tag barcodes embedded on product packaging or marketing materials. Text Translation - Recognizing text in over 60 languages with the ability to translate to English or other tongues. Helpful when examining foreign books, instructions manuals or signboards while travelling abroad. Enriched Actionable Results - Visual search results are displayed on interactive Bing info cards with relevant descriptions, images, reviews, ratings and contextual action buttons. Actions include the ability to purchase books or lookup movie showtimes. With this comprehensive set of features for visual recognition and analysis, Bing Vision provides an intuitive way to search and take action on physical world objects through your mobile device.

Scanning Different Types of Media with Bing Vision

Bing Vision excels at scanning physical media like books, music CDs, movie DVDs and posters to instantly retrieve related information. Let's see some real-life examples:

Scanning Books - Simply launch Bing Vision in your Bing app and point your phone's camera at a book cover. Bing will automatically scan key details like title, author, publisher, summary and genres. From there you can read reviews, checkout prices at various stores or even buy the book directly.

This makes easy to get key info for buying decisions when browsing books at the library or bookstore. No more jotting down titles & authors to manually lookup later.

Identifying DVDs & CDs - Scan a DVD, Blu-ray or music CD to pull up cast details for movies or album track listings for music. User reviews are shown too helping gauge quality before buying. Bing connects found media listings to major retailers so you can compare prices and purchase them directly.

Analyzing Movie Posters - Come across an interesting movie poster? Scan it to have Bing surface the movie title, cast, director, user ratings, trailers and plot summary automatically. No need to type anything by hand. You can even lookup nearby theaters showing it and book tickets too.

Books

Scanning physical books with Bing Vision provides an effortless way to uncover key details before deciding to make a purchase or borrow it from the library. Simply open your Bing mobile app and point it at a book cover for 3-5 seconds. Bing Vision will automatically scan the cover image plus any text or barcodes to accurately identify the exact book title and author. From there, you gain access to full book details like publisher, number of pages, genres, Amazon rating plus a short plot summary avoiding any spoilers. If you have time, you can dig deeper into full customer reviews from major retailers to gauge overall quality before committing to read the book. The interactive Bing cards also display competitive pricing from stores like Amazon, Kobo or Audible. This makes it easy to price shop based on your preferred retailer. Once you decide on purchasing, you can tap through from the Bing Vision card directly into the retailer's app or website to order the book with just a click or two - no need to manually search their catalog again.

DVDs & CDs

DVDs and music CDs discovered out in the real world can be quickly scanned by Bing Vision to uncover helpful information to determine if it's worthy of your time and money. For movie DVDs and Blu-rays, Bing will automatically surface the film title and core cast after scanning the case cover. For relatively well-known films, you also gain access to high-level plot summaries, user & critic reviews and ratings to gauge quality. This helps avoid blindly buying DVDs that turn out to be duds watched only once. The visual search results also display product listings from major movie and music retailers so you can check pricing and purchase them on the spot if desired. For audio CDs, you can scan the album artwork to pull up artist details, track listings plus streaming links to preview songs or read reviews from sites like Amazon or AllMusic.

Movie Posters

Scattered movie posters at bus stops or cinema hallways often catch our eye with attention-grabbing artwork but provide limited information. Bing Vision solves this by acting as your personal movie guide. Simply launch the visual search feature on Bing mobile and scan any poster for 3 seconds. Automated recognition will identify the movie title and display key details like director, top billed cast, MPAA rating, genres and a high-level plot description avoiding spoilers. User and critic reviews are shown too so you can check general reception as you decide whether to watch it. If the movie seems appealing, take action right from the Bing Vision results card by watching trailers or checking nearby theaters where it's playing including showtimes and ability to select seats.

Connecting Bing Vision to Apps like Amazon & Kindle

Discovering interesting media items out in the real world is great but taking action on them for purchases or consumption provides added convenience. Fortunately, Bing Vision makes this easy by integrating directly with popular shopping and entertainment apps.

Once a product is recognized via visual search, interactive info cards display contextual options to take action. This includes one-click links to open or install related apps, automatically search the retailer's catalog, or directly add items to your cart or wish list.

Let's see some examples:

Searching Products

Bing Vision reduces friction when trying to lookup product listings across various apps and websites. For example, you can scan a book cover at the store and then jump directly to that exact book title within apps like Amazon, Audible or Goodreads without needing any manual retyping or searching. Behind the scenes, Bing Vision passes key product properties like UPC, ISBN number or other unique identifiers to instantly pull up the exact matching item. This creates an effortless way to transition from the physical world to relevant mobile apps and websites.

One-Click Purchasing

Beyond just looking up product info, Bing Vision enables one-click ordering for physical goods like books, movies or games by leveraging deep linking into shopping apps. When you scan a product barcode or cover art, action buttons appear allowing you to instantly add it to your Amazon cart or wishlist for example. This makes impulse buying easier whether you come across an interesting board game at a friend's place or flip through music albums at the record store.

Translating Text Instantly with Bing Vision

Bing Vision offers text translation superpowers by harnessing optical character recognition and machine translation technology. This allows you to instantly translate documents, signboards, ingredients labels and more into over 60 languages.

Some real-life examples:

Scanning Foreign Language Text

While travelling abroad, you will inevitably come across restaurant menus, event signs or ingredient labels written in foreign text. Instead of struggling through confusing translations, let Bing Vision help. Simply scan any printed text for a few seconds using your phone???s camera. The integrated OCR engine will automatically extract embedded text and detect the language. From there you can translate it into English or your preferred tongue and breakdown communication barriers. Beyond travel scenarios, this helps translate foreign books, technical manuals or product instructions at home too. Best part - no data connection required so it works offline or abroad with just your mobile device handy.

Automatic Translation to English & Other Languages

Bing Vision goes beyond text extraction to provide dynamic translations powered by Microsoft Translator. Recognized text gets translated to English by default allowing you to digest the core meaning easily. From there, you can toggle between over 60 other languages if desired. Handy toggles also let you listen to the translated text pronounced aloud or display it with phonetics alongside. The smart camera translation makes communicating in foreign languages a breeze while globe trotting.

Conclusion & Next Steps

Bing Vision provides an intuitive way to unlock information about physical world objects through visual search recognition. Whether you come across an interesting book at the library, obscurity movie poster or foreign language signboard abroad, Bing Vision acts as your personal guide to surface relevant information.

Key takeaways include:

• Identify media items like books, DVDs or posters by scanning covers

• Read reviews & ratings before deciding to purchase or consume

• Compare prices across retailers

• Take action by buying items or booking movie tickets directly

• Translate documents or text in over 60 languages

• Works offline using just your phone???s camera

The next time you stumble on an intriguing item, whip out your phone and scan it with Bing Vision. You may discover surprising facts or handy actions that inform, educate or entertain you about the wider world.

Visual search eliminates friction by blending the digital and physical worlds for effortless discovery and convenience. Bing Vision places this power directly in your pocket whenever inspiration strikes.

FAQ

Q: What types of physical media can Bing Vision recognize?
A: Bing Vision can recognize books, DVDs, CDs, movie posters, product packaging, and more. It works for most media that contains readable text or barcodes.

Q: Does Bing Vision require an internet connection?
A: Yes, Bing Vision leverages Microsoft's cloud servers to analyze images and provide information, so an internet connection is required.

Q: Is Bing Vision free to use?
A: Yes, Bing Vision is a free service included in Microsoft products like Windows Phone.

Q: What apps can Bing Vision connect to?
A: Bing Vision can connect to various shopping, media, and reading apps like Amazon, Amazon Kindle, and more.

Q: What languages can Bing Vision translate into?
A: Bing Vision can translate scanned text into many major languages like English, Spanish, French, German and more.

Q: Does Bing Vision work on all cameras?
A: Bing Vision is optimized for smartphone cameras, but can work on other digital cameras. Image quality impacts accuracy.

Q: Is Bing Vision accurate at identifying media?
A: Yes, Bing Vision leverages AI and machine learning for highly accurate media recognition and analysis.

Q: Can Bing Vision read handwritten text?
A: No, Bing Vision works best on printed or digital text in common fonts. Handwriting recognition is not currently supported.

Q: Is there a mobile app for Bing Vision?
A: There is no standalone Bing Vision app. The technology is integrated into Microsoft products like Windows Phone.

Q: Does Bing Vision have size limitations on scanned objects?
A: Bing Vision works on most commonly sized objects. Very small text or media may be difficult for the camera and AI to process.