We knew it was coming, but Panasonic has just announced that Skype functionality is now active in certain 2010 TV models. But you’ll need to pick up their camera to use it…
The Skype camera is worth $199, which seems mightily expensive for a webcam. Sure, it attaches to the TV nicely and has four inbuilt microsphones to help capture audio from up to five metres away – which important while Skyping through a TV – but you should still have the option of using your own webcam for this seeing as how it just plugs in via USB.
Camera cost aside, if you own a D25 Series or S25 Series LCD TV or a VT20 or V20 Series plasma from Panasonic, you can now Skype friends all over the world without having to even stand up, and that’s pretty cool.