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The next step is how do people start to upload comments about TV, but in the early days it’s not going to be so much around user generated content, but more around what we call “user endorsed content”. [To do user generated content] you’d need a Slingbox, video player, your video camera… there’s all sorts of different ways. We don’t want to stop that behavior from happening, but first thing’s first.

This is a big step for the television industry and their getting behind this. We think focusing our efforts around television, and not just about uploading stuff, but contexting it and creating playlists so that the users program the site… not just using technology. Were going to have editors, and they’re going to say, “Here are the best car chase scenes,” and, “Here’s the big news you need to see today.” Of course, you’ll be able to search and browse for all this stuff, too. So we’ll be easing into all those other ways of integrating user generated content and commentary over time, but in the short term, no… in the long term, yes.

MW: So you’ve covered how people are going to interact with the clips…

JH: And that really is the basis of this. No matter if we’re going about it according to media companies, don’t mistake it as anything different than what we’ve been doing in the past. The users are the only thing we care about at the end of the day, and the usability of the application has to be built with that in mind first. So, you go to a big media company, and they want to throw a whole bunch or rules around it, but Blake or I will sit back and say to them, “Would you use that?” I mean, you’re competing with free and piracy. You have to make the product good, even if you’re turning around your business model.

MW: Beyond Clip+Sling, is there any glimpse into what the Sling Entertainment Group has in store for us in 2007?

JH: Well, a couple things. We’re obviously working to get the portal ready and making it a great digital experience around television is our main concern, and working with the Entertainment Group to making Slinging better, like Accounts, which makes it easier to find your Slingbox, and adding some cool functionality to the player.

On top of that, you’ve heard about the SlingCatcher, and imagine if there were to be content deals where we can bring movies your television screen. We can even bring cool broadband content to your television screen… you obviously don’t need that if you’re using the SlingProjector feature, you just put your PC up on the television screen, but we’ll do some cool integrated content deals with traditional and non-traditional content providers... putting them back on the television screen.

That’s as much as we want to tell right now, but look for the video portal and Clip+Sling to be very cool and obvious, yet addictive and revolutionary technology.

MW: Is there anything extra that you’d like to say to the folks at SlingCommunity?

JH: Only that we look to the SlingCommunity and the whole user base as the reason we exist. They are the reason we product develop, and we’re just listening to them. So, what started with the software will lend itself to the portal, and they’ll have huge influence over it.

Clip+Sling represents a dramatic departure from the traditional methods of television content distribution long upheld by major players in the television industry. Sling Media has really put themselves in a David versus Goliath position, considering how the Internet has completely shaken the music industry.

Two years ago, there would have been no way to convince big media that hundreds of thousands of television clips on the Internet could possibly be a good thing. Thankfully, Sling Media and Jason are showing big media that empowering consumers, not restricting them, will be good for their business... and their pocketbooks.

With any luck, Clip+Sling will only be the beginning of what they have in store for the Slingbox users of the world.

A big thanks goes out to Jason Hirschhorn for generous amount of time he donated from his busy schedule to share his insight with the SlingCommunity. Best of luck Jason, we hope you speak with us again soon.

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