Sling Media Will Launch "Clip" Site this Summer

Sling Media says it'll launch an Internet video "destination" of its own this summer.

Sling, remember, makes that odd-shaped little box (the Slingbox) that streams your cable, satellite or DVD video out over the Internet to your laptop or wireless device.

Sling's forthcoming site--unnamed as yet--will specialize in "clips" that users cut from programming running through their Slingboxes.

The clips are made with a new software extension called "Clip+Sling," which Sling announced in January at CES. The software sets a start point and an end point in a video stream, cuts that section from the cached video, then sends the clip to a central server for hosting. That central server provides the "back end" of the new site.

Consistent with the current trend among Internet video sites, Sling's clip site will be free and ad-based, the company says.

The site will differ from YouTube and its ilk because all the clips will come from professionally made video, not home movies. The clips will also be short--not more than 10 minutes in length, Sling says.

Sling expects Slingbox users to post must-see stuff like Daily Show bits, Survivor "vote-offs," and news and sports highlights. Anything on TV that's funny, gross, violent or sexy will probably be clipped and shared at Sling's new site. "It's almost like the new water cooler," says Sling spokesman Brian Jaquet.

"Why don't you just call the site that: watercooler.com?" I said. "That name's probably taken," Brian said. "Yeah," I said.

The idea of a site dedicated to sharing clips of major media-owned programming raises some obvious concerns over copyright and "fair use" rules. Sling says that because the clips will stream to only one viewer at a time, and because no copies can be made, there should be no possibility of infringement. Moreover, Sling says it's working closely with content partners like CBS on the issue.

Comments

Post a comment Post a comment

0 / 1000 max characters