HD video calling comes to Skype

Skype is my Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) client of choice. Relatively stable with cross platform support, solid audio calling options and a less garish take on Instant Messaging (IM) than MSN Messenger, I have used Skype almost daily for 3 years.

However one area that I have been looking for improvement in is Video calling. Whilst the Windows version offers “High Quality” calling options with a suitably powerful webcam such as the Logitech Pro9000, I’ve found the results to be merely satisfactory – calls sometimes lag, images can be pixellated and the feature as a whole lags behind iChat on the Mac.

However all that seems set to change with the recent announcement at CES that Skype were supporting HD webcams and Skype-enabled HDTVs. Skype are working with faceVsion and In Store Solutions on three Skype Certified webcams that will be optimised for HD video calling.

The new HD webcams come with a high performance optical lens and a 5 megapixel HD sensor allowing 24bit true colour. HD video can be encoded at up to 1280×720 (720p) at 30 frames per second in H.264 format. The also include Auto Exposure and White Balancing – which from personal experience can make a world of difference when chatting from a poorly lit bedroom. “The availability of these new webcams through the Skype Shop will make High Definition and High Quality Video calling accessible to Skype users around the globe,” said Manrique Brenes, Skype’s director of business development and product management for consumer electronics.

Also announced were Skype-enabled HDTVs. I have a MacMini hooked up to my HDTV in the living room and find using it combined with Skype and a High Quality Webcam a different and in many ways more rewarding experience. Chatting in groups from the sofa to distant relatives has a much more organic feel than being huddled around a TV. I’ve used the same setting to host meetings, and again, it has a far more open, collaborative feel.

LG and Panasonic are manufacturing a range of Internet connected plasma and LCD HDTVs. With a compatible 720p webcam you should be able to make living room to living room video calls. The webcams come with specially calibrated microphones which should reduce the need for shouting – I had to rig a boom mic across the living room to achieve similar results to this is a welcome development.

HD webcams should be in the Skype store “soon” and the HDTVs are slated for release in spring.