Skype and Logitech have teamed up to offer high quality videoconferencing. Skype 3.6 will be required and will increase the resolution from 320 x 240 to 640 x 480 (VGA). High Quality Video will also require Logitech QuickCam software, version 11.5. It will support up to 30 frames per second (fps) to people using a broadband connection. 384 kbps connection or higher is required and a PC with a dual-core processor to do the heavy processing of the video stream.High Quality Video on Skype is available with the following premium Logitech webcams: the Logitech QuickCam Pro 9000, the Logitech QuickCam Pro for Notebooks and the Logitech QuickCam® Orbit AF (Logitech® QuickCam® Sphere AF in Europe).
According to the release, all three High Quality Video-certified webcams offer a Carl Zeiss lens and a very cool autofocus. Logitech’s autofocus system refocuses images in less than three seconds and helps ensure that images remain crisp even in extreme close-ups (up to 4 inches/10 cm from the camera lens).
For the office and the home, the Logitech QuickCam Pro 9000 comes with a flexible universal base, which allows it to rest comfortably on nearly any monitor. For the on-the-go professional, the Logitech QuickCam Pro for Notebooks is sold with a protective travel case and an adjustable, spring-tension clip that accommodates even large laptops with panels up to 20 mm thick. The QuickCam Orbit AF webcam can cover 190 horizontal degrees and 100 vertical degrees of a room and offers a unique pan-and-tilt tracking technology.
So can Skype crack the high-end videoconferencing market? Should Microsoft Roundtable be worried or Polycom with their dedicated videoconferencing hardware? I'm not holding my breath. I still think hardware videoconferencing solutions are the way to go for businesses. Maybe SMBs that can't afford high-end video hardware might use Skype.
