Skype and Logitech announce High Quality Video

Free video calls have been a feature on Skype since late 2005 and have helped millions of people keep in touch. It’s become so popular that one in four Skype-to-Skype calls today involves video. Like they say in Hollywood – show, don’t tell.

Things are about to get a whole lot bigger, sharper and smoother. Today, Skype and Logitech announced a collaboration to give Skype users the kind of video quality that used to be the privilege of big businesses.

Enter High Quality Video, due in November. (Although, if you’re adventurous enough to play with beta software, you’re welcome to try it out now.) Explaining what it does is a bit like dancing about architecture, because you really need to see it in action. But the video window on Skype has grown to 640x480 pixels, delivering up to 30 frames per second. This produces a level of clarity, detail and fluid motion that is pretty astounding. It’s been immensely satisfying to watch the reactions of people who’ve seen it for the first time. Them jaws, they tend to drop.

To experience free High Quality Video, this is what both sides of the conversation will need:

Skype 3.6 for Windows (expected to be available in November)
a Logitech webcam that has been optimized and certified for High Quality Video (the Logitech QuickCam Pro 9000, the Logitech QuickCam Pro for Notebooks or the Logitech QuickCam Sphere AF (Logitech QuickCam Orbit AF in the U.S.)
Logitech QuickCam software, version 11.5 (expected to be available in November at www.logitech.com/downloads)
a dual-core PC
a broadband connection (384 kbps and above).

For more, please see the High Quality Video page on the Skype website.

The three webcams are already available worldwide, in retail as well as the Skype web store. In Europe, the Skype shop has a special offer for the webcams. The Logitech QuickCam Pro 9000 or the Logitech QuickCam Pro for Notebooks will normally cost €99.99, but if you head for the Skype webstore, you’ll also get a free headset, free shipping, and SkypeOut credit worth up to three hours of calls to landlines and mobiles. In the US, Skype offers a $20 rebate on either of these products ($99.99 before the rebate).

Comments

Hey guys.

Great, but what about Mac? When will you support this platform with HQV?

/Tim

What happened to the nice config.xml hack? Can we still use it on not-so-approved webcams?

How about even some basic video support, on Linux? It seems like the Linux client, while getting a recent update, is facing so much neglect. As a Linux user, I'm disappointed.

OH NOESS !!!!!

hello

nice, but i was try to install it on an vista system with MSO 2007 and it always came an info box that some part ofthe mso2007 must de-installed

i have accidently deleted myskype history.is there any way i can retrieve it?

hi you all how do i make a call after i been sign in please let me known

I also tried to install a QuickCam Pro for notebooks (haven't seen the above offer prior to the today's purchase, rrrr) on Vista and the image sent is just frozen or black, after a seconds. Then the sound and image from the other side becomes metallic and the video never starts.

As soon as I unplug my cam from the USB port, everything goes back to normal, from the other side to me...

Any idea?

Skype works great. The problem I have now is that I have a new laptop dual core. It is using Vista Home Premium for an operating system. When I go to my internet explorer it changes to skype help and keeps putting the same window up over and over. Is this an operating system problem. Never had problem with xp pro. Thanks Jay

I have a Philips SPC 1300NC webcam (far superior compared to any of the Logitech products) and Linux. Will I be able to use this high quality stuff somewhere this century ? Stop pushing vendors down your users' throath for some of Skype´s more advanced features, just as you did with the "Intel dual core only" twist on 10+ conference calls. That was a load of BS as well, AMD processors are equally fit to do it. Now the same thing happens with this HQ video.
It's terribly frustrating when you have hardware that can easily do the job, but just has not got the right brand name to it.

I hope that when high quality video is brought to Mac that it supports the (built-in) iSight since that already supports 640x480. iChat already works at that resolution. The only reason I don't use it over Skype is that sound quality is poor. I would absolutely love to see high quality video through Skype. That kind of thing really helps when talking to your fiancée who is oceans away. Looks promising!

i have home version of windows vista with logitech 9000 camera. i cannot see myself in the skype box and i cannot see the person i am calling. the other party can see me fine. i have installed and reinstalled skype and the logitech software, but no luck. the camera works perfectly outside of skype. can someone help? my email is howards@comcast.net thanks.

Please add HQV for Mac OSX users!

Well I am a newbie to Skype and I don't run a dual core system. I do however run an Athlon 64 3400 with 2Gig of ram and Win XP, as luck might have it I also run a Logitech Pro 9000 web cam. I am afraid I don't like the sound quality coming from the web cam, so I added a headset and mic and it configured perfectly.
The video is not quite as crystal clear as MSN Messenger but the voice quality is excellent! I use video pimarily with family so I am quite happy to give up a MINOR amount of video quality for voice clarity. Logitech's web cam software will allow any configuration of sound from my Creative Xtreame 7.1 surround sound to mic and headset to onboard sound You can also change from MSN Messenger, Yahoo to Skype in settings and voila your good to go. I have excellent voice both in video calls and in landline calls.
Did I say Good Ole Windows XP wink:)
That's my two cents worth of experience
Barb

I have recently changed my laptop and have deleted my entire history is there any way that I can retrieve it? Please help I have important client information there and need it badly. Thanks

Real video conferencing involves more than just 2 participants. That's why the alternative, ooVoo, is becoming popular and you can record the session.

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Skype and Logitech announce High Quality Video

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