Skype Inks Deals With Panasonic, LG, For Video Chat On The Big Screen

50s Family Watching TV

Newly-independent Skype is kicking off the Consumer Electronics Show with details about its newest attempt to become an everyday communication utility — not just a tool the techies use. It has brokered deals with Panasonic and LG (SEO: 066570) that will bring Skype video-chats to the big-screen TV.

Skype’s software will be embedded into Panasonic and LG’s web-enabled HDTV’s; the models will be available in mid-2010. For the electronics brands, the goal is to make buying a web-enabled TV even more of a draw, as there’s been some consumer resistance to paying extra for them, per the NYT. Still, video chats on the Skype TVs won’t just magically happen, shoppers will also have to buy special web cams (priced in the $100 – $200 range) from the Skype store.

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