Panasonic Australia has announced the availability of its first Viera Skype Camera, which will give consumers the ability to make video and voice calls from their living room.
Glenn Zanoni, product marketing manager, TV, Panasonic Australia, said that the implementation of a Skype camera for its Viera TVs is a major milestone for the company.
“With Skype now available to access via Viera TVs, the future of communication has well and truly arrived. Gone are the days where we have to get close to a computer screen to video call someone on the other side of the world. Skype access on Viera allows users to easily make video calls to other Skype users, from the comfort of their living rooms on their big screen Viera TV,” he said.
“The introduction of Skype to our online Viera Cast entertainment portal and the new Viera Skype Camera allows our customers to continue to take advantage of the outstanding range of new technologies available on Viera TVs. The ability to make high quality video calls evolves Viera from being the entertainment hub of the home, to now being the entertainment and communications hub of the home.”
The Skype camera is very easy to install, simply attach the unit to a Panasonic 2010 Viera Cast enabled Viera TV with a broadband connection. It connects to the TV via USB and can capture video from a distance of 5 metres away.
Customers existing Skype accounts can be used with the new attachment, including contact lists.
The Skype service is available on the Viera D25 Series LED LCD TVs, S25 Series LCD TVs, and Viera VT20 and V20 Series Neo Plasma TVs.
The Viera Skype camera is sold separately and is available from all major retailers for a RRP of $199.