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Be a TV Star With Your Video Phone Calls
Tiny screens don't do your video calls justice. For higher-quality video conversations, you've got to turn on the TV
Houzz Contributor. I'm a Silicon Valley-based writer, columnist and blogger, covering technology and culture. http://elgan.com
Houzz Contributor. I'm a Silicon Valley-based writer, columnist and blogger,... More »
The future sure isn’t what it used to be. By the year 2000, according to futurists of the first half of the 20th century, everybody was supposed to be driving a nuclear-powered flying car, eating food in pill form and running errands around town with a personal jet pack.
What happened to the future?
Most of the predicted technologies never happened because they turned out to be undesirable, dangerous or way too expensive. But some of them actually came true. One uncontroversial prediction was the video phone, which showed up as a standard element of daily life in things like 2001: A Space Odyssey, popular science magazines and The Jetsons.
Futurists predicted that in their future — our present — telephone calls would involve a TV screen, and we would have natural, face-to-face conversations rather than holding a gadget up to our faces for audio-only communication. And the futurists got it right — sort of. In fact, millions of video calls now happen every day. And the surprising fact is that the quality and experience of these video calls can be massively better than futurists ever imagined.
Even more surprising is that people often don’t take advantage of what’s possible. The best video phone experience is afforded through a big-screen TV, for an obvious reason: The screen is very large and probably faces some comfortable couches or chairs. TV-based video calls most closely simulate the experience of having the caller visiting in your home.
Here are some ways to bring video calling to your TV.
What happened to the future?
Most of the predicted technologies never happened because they turned out to be undesirable, dangerous or way too expensive. But some of them actually came true. One uncontroversial prediction was the video phone, which showed up as a standard element of daily life in things like 2001: A Space Odyssey, popular science magazines and The Jetsons.
Futurists predicted that in their future — our present — telephone calls would involve a TV screen, and we would have natural, face-to-face conversations rather than holding a gadget up to our faces for audio-only communication. And the futurists got it right — sort of. In fact, millions of video calls now happen every day. And the surprising fact is that the quality and experience of these video calls can be massively better than futurists ever imagined.
Even more surprising is that people often don’t take advantage of what’s possible. The best video phone experience is afforded through a big-screen TV, for an obvious reason: The screen is very large and probably faces some comfortable couches or chairs. TV-based video calls most closely simulate the experience of having the caller visiting in your home.
Here are some ways to bring video calling to your TV.
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| There are three fundamental ways to achieve TV-based video call nirvana. One is via a computer connected to a TV, another is via a smart TV and the third uses a special-purpose gadget connected to a TV. The simplest is the first: connecting a laptop or PC to your TV via a cable, such as HDMI, then clicking over to that as your video source. From there you can use your computer’s camera and video conferencing software, and display it all on the TV. This is an inelegant solution, but one you can probably implement now without additional purchases. One small improvement to this general approach can be made using a product called the Warpia ConnectHD. It uses video conferencing software running on your PC or laptop. But instead of using your PC’s camera, it comes with its own, which you can place on top of the TV. And instead of using a big, sloppy HDMI cable, it uses wireless via a USB device that plugs into the computer. Having the camera on top of or just below the TV is important with video calls, because it creates the illusion of eye contact. |
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Samsung’s 51-inch plasma TV is a great all-around smart TV, with 3-D, apps, innovative motion gestures, voice command and face recognition. It also has something I think many TVs are going to have in the future: a built-in camera. And the TV comes with Skype built in too, so you can easily make living room video phone calls.
Future smart TVs from Samsung and other major TV giants will increasingly come with Google TV designs, which will enable Google+ Hangouts as the video-conferencing system, and also other apps for doing video phone calls in new ways.
Future smart TVs from Samsung and other major TV giants will increasingly come with Google TV designs, which will enable Google+ Hangouts as the video-conferencing system, and also other apps for doing video phone calls in new ways.
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| Logitech and Skype offer a product called the Logitech TV Cam HD. The camera connects to the Internet over either Wi-Fi or ethernet, and connects to TVs using HDMI. Logitech claims that any TV that supports HDMI will work with the product. The camera itself is high definition and wide angle, so it will show the entire living room. But you can zoom in if you want using the included remote control unit. Four noise-canceling microphones cut down on any echo from a large room. And you’ll hear the phone ring even when the TV is off. |
Comments
JAN MOYER I am certain this is great for many. I just question whether I really want to "chat" from my cuddled up sofa perch complete with pillow and "bankie" wearing the rather consistent and moth eaten outfit I don when I come home: The gigantic mens cashmere atop the slightly shredded J Crew tee, and bleach speckled yoga pants tucked into mens ragg wool socks....seems a private affair. Plus, during dvr SVU reruns even the phone is an annoyance, and no it doesn't matter if I have seen that episode 15 times, or can pause it whenever I want. mmmmm definitely not.
7 months ago · Like
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Fine Art & Portraits by Laurel Yes, Jan, less is more!
7 months ago · Like
Ideabook published on Oct. 30, 2012.
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