Comcast and Skype combine for TV video calls
by Steven Mostyn - Jun 15 2011, 05:51
Don't get up. Image: Skype/Sony.
Sick of leaping from your armchair and rushing to the computer every time someone puts through a Skype call? If so, the canny folk over at Comcast might have just the answer to meet your sedentary needs.
More pointedly, the U.S. telecommunications giant is today expected to unveil plans that will see it bringing Skype video calls into the living room via the conventional home television.
According to an Associated Press report, couch potato Skype calls will be made available to any and all Comcast subscribers willing to rent a special kit package that provides them with an HD webcam for video chats, a Skype television adapter, and a special remote equipped with a keyboard.
In terms of functionality, it would appear Comcast is looking to merely dip its toe in the water at this juncture.
Specifically, the Skype TV platform will be attached to the company’s $20 USD per month telephony service and will only offer Skype-to-Skype calls and instant messaging. Dispatching calls to landline and mobile phone numbers will not be possible. Similarly, receiving calls from landlines or mobiles will not be possible either.
Financial details related to the technology partnership have not yet been revealed, and Comcast has also not yet said how much it plans to charge customers for kit rental or whether Skype will receive a percentage cut of the deal.
The Skype TV package will apparently function in much the same way as Skype on a computer monitor, with incoming calls displayed in either full-screen video or in a smaller dedicated viewing panel that allows the recipient to multitask.
Comcast plans to begin formally testing the service by the end of summer.
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