TelyHD: TV-add on device turns Skype chat into a room-sized experience

Published by Kelly Levinsohn on Jan 26th, 2012, No Comments

Skype is currently a video chat experience commonly used between two people across devices, be it a mobile phone or PC, that are low resolution encounters. The telyHD, a new device developed by a mall Silicon Valley startup called Tely Labs is about to change the Skype experience as we know it.

The telyHD, a black, horizontal bar less than a foot long and under 3 inches high with a wide-angle lens and multiple built-in microphones is mounted on top of the TV screen using a built-in clamp and allows for a group of friends or family in one room to chat in high definition. The device, displayed at CES 2012, is easily installed and comes with a remote control that is used to answer and terminate calls, zoom in and pan you screen image. It can connect to any other Skype-enabled device including PCs, Macs, smartphones and tablets however, some of its more advanced features require a telyHD on both sides of the conversation for the device to be fully optimised.

TelyHD isn’t just a webcam but a small computing device, powered by Google’s Android operating system. It contains software and Internet capabilities that most TVs lack, some of which go beyond simple video calls including the ability to send and receive video voice mails, retrieve pictures from a flash memory card and share with and copy pictures from another telyHD user.

Currently available in the U.S. for $250, the telyHD is free to use like current Skype calls and Tely Labs requires no monthly fee for its use. Users can also make free Skype-to-Skype audio calls, and audio calls to regular phones can be made at Skype’s normal rates.

The All Things D review of the device stated that the telyHD is ”part of the race to reinvent the television—to make it a smarter, more versatile digital device. So-called smart TVs, Internet-enabled sets that connect to the Web and run apps, are offered by most major manufacturers. The telyHD device brings added functionality and connectivity to existing “dumb” HDTVs that lack built-in online features.”

Tely Labs plans more versions of telyHD as well as more features. A more expensive model for small businesses is currently being developed which will allow live file sharing with an improved camera and a keyboard. A second software version that will allow the unit to send videos to a TV screen from Apple’s iPad and will also support photo sharing from online services is also on its way.

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