The Big Blog

See and Talk to Your Friends on Skype in Full-HD 1080p with the New Logitech HD Pro Webcam C920

Our friends at Logitech are showing off their latest webcam, the Logitech HD Pro Webcam C920. The new webcam delivers crystal clear Skype video calling experience with your friends and family that are smoother and faster than ever before.

The Logitech HD Pro Webcam C920 is the first webcam that offers full-HD 1080p video calling with Skype, and thanks to H.264 advanced compression technology you can upload full-HD 1080p video clips or 15MP photos quickly and with one click to Facebook, Twitter™ or YouTube™. In addition, Logitech Fluid Crystal™ Technology gives you smoother video motion without annoying choppiness, you get sharper pictures, richer colors and clearer sound - so your loved ones will literally see and hear more of you on your Skype video calls- even if you don't have the newest computer on the market.

The Logitech HD Pro Webcam C920 also features Carl Zeiss optics and a premium 20-step autofocus, the smoothest, most responsive autofocus offered by Logitech. Being heard on Skype is also just as important as being seen. The Logitech HD Pro Webcam makes Skype voice calls even clearer with two mics that have been positioned on either side of the webcam to capture natural stereo audio.

The Logitech HD Pro Webcam C920 is available now in the U.S. and Europe for $99.99. If you're at CES, swing by the Skype booth #CP13 (Central Plaza) LVCC and test drive the new Logitech HD Pro Webcam C920.

*Only Skype 5.7 Beta supports full HD calling.

Skype announces partnership with Comcast to bring Skype (HD) video calling to more living rooms

We're excited to announce a partnership with Comcast, the largest provider of internet and cable service in the U.S. We see a lot of synergies in teaming up with Comcast to enable their customers to communicate with family and friends through Skype HD video calling on their television.

Comcast customers will be able to use Skype video calling from the comfort of their living rooms heralding a whole new experience of Skype, making those moments shared with family and friends when they are apart even more magical. With a broadband connection, HD camera and Skype on the XFINITY service, we think customers will really enjoy a whole new way of using Skype on their television - making the experience much more like a visit than a call.

Read our press release for more details about this new offering coming soon from Comcast and Skype.

A Salute to Oprah from Skype

A New York Times post on Facebook today asked "Will you miss The Oprah Winfrey Show?"

As the Oprah Show comes to its grand finale this week, I reflect upon that question, and the answer is a plain and simple "ABSOLUTELY!"

For Skype, we've had the honor and privilege of participating in the Oprah Show for three wonderful years. I remember when the first call took place between Skype's team and Oprah's team talking about how to use Skype on air. We started our first project together setting up video calling for Oprah's webcast to discuss Eckhart Tolle's book. Who knew Skype video calling would become an integral part of her show connecting viewers and guests all over the world for three seasons?

The honor has been ours to not only become a powerful tool for The Oprah Winfrey Show, helping her share important life lessons and entertaining moments; the honor has been ours having Oprah call Skype, "The coolest thing ever." We will miss The Oprah Winfrey Show and we wish Oprah the best luck in her new endeavor at OWN (Oprah Winfrey Network).

As a salute to Oprah and to share one of our favorite Skype moments, here's a few video clips from a segment on her show called "Where The Skype Are You?"

And, there's no denying that going to the final taping of The Oprah Show last week was one of my favorite moments ever where it felt like I was part of TV history. So, tune in to Oprah's finale show tomorrow, May 25th.

Skype coming to the iPhone on Verizon Wireless + new version adds TV video calling support

For those of you in the US, you will soon be able to use Skype on even more mobile phones. Tomorrow marks the launch of the iPhone on the Verizon Wireless network – the most reliable in the US.

Download Skype to your new iPhone to make great value calls to regular phones, as well as free video calls to other people on Skype.

We’ve also taken a small, but significant step in terms of the technology our iPhone app uses: it now supports H.264. What does this mean in reality? That you can now use it to make video calls to the full range of Skype devices, including TVs from Panasonic and Samsung.

It’s significant because it’s another step towards our goal to bring video to as many devices and platforms as possible. For now, it’ll mean that you can make that video call to your grandmother from wherever you are.

Skype coming soon to Sony BRAVIA and VIZIO VIA TVs

Last year at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), we ushered in a new era of face-to-face communications with the introduction of Skype-enabled TVs. This year at CES, we’re making further strides in the living room by making it even easier to get Skype on your TV.

I’m pleased to let you know that Sony and Vizio plan on shipping Skype-enabled Sony BRAVIA and VIZIO VIA TVs later this year, joining the products from Panasonic and Samsung that are already available to buy.

We’ve also been working with Panasonic and Sony to make it easy for you to get Skype on your existing TV. Soon you’ll be able to buy a Skype-enabled Panasonic or Sony Blu-ray Player and webcam and enjoy rich, real-time video conversations with friends and family around the world from your living room.

Ubiquity, intimacy, accessibility: this is what Skype is all about. I’m proud to say that we’re keeping our promise of letting you make video calls wherever you choose, including from your TV. So here’s to looking at you – or to you looking at your wife, grandchild or best friend — for free, from the comfort of your couch.

Moore's Law and Skype Video Calling

Moore's law describes a long-term trend in the history of computing hardware.

The law is named after Intel co-founder Gordon E. Moore, who described the trend in a 1965 paper, whereby the "law" unfolds as a self-fulfilling prophecy – a predictable path for fully realized capability of computing hardware that leads to faster speeds, lower cost, smaller components and better performance over time.

Buy a $599 device and it can be subject to obsoletism at the hands of mass-market options that sell for half, then a quarter, and eventually a tenth of the price. And, when unbeatable lower cost, high performance options are readily available, spending at the top-end can be like throwing money away, especially if you are buying a video calling system and there is no one else to call.

So with Skype video calling, you don't have to worry about that.

• It's free or low cost to call your friends
• It's great quality with up to HD 720p video and SILK super wideband audio
• It's accessible by millions of people around the world
• It's available across many different platforms like desktop computers, mobiles, TVs and more.

So with no significant privilege to participate – you too can enjoy Skype and know, more than likely, that there will be someone on the other end who you can call.

Can we still call it a TV?

As said in the Panasonic commercial, “Can we still call it a TV?” The answer is no.

The old broadcast TV has literally transformed into an interactive communication device, allowing you to make widescreen video calls from the comfort of your living room.

Panasonic and Samsung TVs with Skype have been shipping since early Spring this year, and I can’t be more pleased.

The feedback so far is very positive. We believe using Skype on a TV changes the video calling experience dramatically – it’s fun, accessible and more lifelike. Two-way video calls from a TV are not only free, but it also doesn’t matter if you are calling someone else who is using Skype on a PC, TV or mobile phone.

In 2009, we surveyed a sample of 2,450 Skype users, and 48% of them said they would be more likely to conduct video calls using a TV. So, we’re glad we’ve been able to address this, and would like to invite more of you to be able to experience it for yourself.

We’ve updated our web page to highlight all of the available Skype on your TV options and some new TV webcams too.

And, that’s not all. Thanks to the availability of SkypeKit, our SDK for developers and partners, the innovation on TVs doesn’t stop here. We continue talking to a variety of TV and set-top box manufacturers who also share our goal of bringing video calls to large screens. So stay tuned, we hope to have more exciting news on this front coming soon.

New webcams bring Skype to your TV

In January, we told you that we’d be bringing Skype to your living room – today, the final piece of the puzzle is in place for Panasonic and Samsung HDTVs.

Brand new cameras for Panasonic and Samsung HDTVs let you make great quality video (and voice) calls from the comfort of your sofa. They include specially designed microphones, and capture high quality video.

The Panasonic camera is available now in the US from your local retailer, or online from Panasonic. It’ll be available elsewhere in the world over the next month or so, and supports HD video at up to 1280x720 pixels at 22 frames per second.

The Samsung camera is made by FREETALK, who make our incredibly popular Everyman headset, and is available now, worldwide, in the Skype Shop. It sends high quality video at up to 640x480 pixels at 30 frames per second.

To get Skype on your TV, you’ll need an Internet-connected TV with Skype built in, one of these special webcams, and a broadband Internet connection. Supported Samsung HDTVs are all ready to go, and the Skype software is now available on Panasonic HDTVs in the US. It’ll be rolling out to supported Panasonic TVs in the rest of the world over the next month.

Any questions? Just drop us a line in the comments below, or on Twitter.

Skype will be available on Panasonic VT25, VT20, G25, and G20 Series HDTVs, and on Samsung C7000 and C8000 series HDTVs.

Get Skype on your TV: Samsung joins the team

At CES in January we announced partnerships with Panasonic and LG to bring Skype to some of their Internet-connected HDTVs.

Many of you asked if we were working with other manufacturers to do the same, and so today we’re very happy to announce a third member of the club. All Samsung LED 7000 and 8000 models will have Skype built in. Even better, they’re available in South Korea today, and will be coming to the rest of the world in the first half of this year.

If you buy a Samsung LED 7000 or 8000 TV and connect it to the Internet, all you’ll need to do is attach a FREETALK TV Camera for Samsung, which will be available soon in the Skype Shop.

Once you’ve done that, you’ll be able to make voice calls and High Quality Video calls. Voice calls will use Skype’s SILK audio codec for the best possible calling experience.

Get Skype on your TV

In just a few months’ time, you’ll be able to get Skype on your TV – and you can find out more in the video above.

We’re bringing Skype into the living room, so that you can share family moments – celebrating a birthday, organising a holiday or just having a chat with friends on a Sunday evening – all on the big screen.

How will it work?

Thanks to our TV manufacturing partner Panasonic, we’ve been able to embed Skype in the latest generation of internet-connected widescreen HDTVs.

They’ve been tested in our labs in Tallinn, Estonia by our team of engineers to make sure that everything works well together, and once you’ve bought yours, all you’ll need to do is get hold of a TV-ready webcam – developed specially to work with your TV and with Skype.

These webcams include specially-designed microphones which let you make calls from the comfort of your sofa, without having to move closer to the TV or shout*. And the TVs from Panasonic will even allow you to make HD video calls.

We also recommend that you have a 1Mbs symmetric broadband connection for the best possible video experience.

Why Skype-enabled TVs?

We’ve had numerous in-depth conversations with people all around the world about their communication needs – our team of user experience researchers, lead by David Dinka (who features in the video above), identified a desire among people to communicate away from their computers.

Many people we spoke to emphasised to us they want to speak to their friends and family from somewhere comfortable, and preferably make video calls on a big screen. Logically then, we needed to make Skype available on their TV.

When can I get one?

Skype-enabled TVs will be available in spring this year. For now, follow @skypeonyourtv on Twitter for updates, and as they say on TV – stay tuned

* You’ll need a webcam even if you just want to make voice calls (e.g. to landlines and mobiles) because they contain the extra-special microphones.