Skype 3.6 leaves beta, now available for all (on Windows)

Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Friday, 16 November 2007 03:11

Opinion and Analysis

If you’ve been itching to try Skype’s much improved ‘high quality’ video in conjunction with one of three 2 megapixel Logitech webcams, Skype 3.6 has left beta and is now available for all Windows users.
Want the highest quality video quality possible on your video conferencing sessions through Skype? You’ll need Skype 3.6, which today is out of beta, a broadband connection with at least 384Kbps upload speeds and one of three Logitech 2 megapixel webcams (certified for high quality Skype video), along with a PC recommended to have a dual core processor.

With this combination – at both ends of each video call – video quality is boosted from 320x240 to the ‘standard definition TV quality’ of 640x480 resolution at a smooth 30 frames per second, even in ‘full screen’ mode.

This extra detail chews up 8 times the data usage of the lower quality 320x240 video calls that have been the norm up until now, and with so much extra data being transferred over the network and captured via the 2 megapixel sensor delivers users significantly sharper video quality, whether for personal or business video conferencing needs.

The original announcement came two weeks ago, with Skype and Logitech working hard and fast to take Skype 3.6 from beta to a full release version, available for all.

Skype’s general manager of mobile and hardware devices, Gareth O’Loughlin, said that: “Our recent announcement made many people realise that sharp, smooth and life-like video calls on the internet should be available to everyone, not just big companies with expensive video-conferencing equipment. Those who’ve previewed High Quality Video have been blown away by its realism. Today, with Skype 3.6 for Windows, the Genie is out of the bottle for good.”

Logitech had to redesign their QuickCam video drivers, which they say are “optimised to work together in a way never achieved before on Skype”, as they are “specially tuned to recognise callers who have this latest version of Skype software”.

The three Logitech webcams in question are the Logitech QuickCam Pro 9000 (AUD $149), the Logitech QuickCam Pro for Notebooks (AUD $149) and the Logitech QuickCam Orbit AF, also known as the Logitech® QuickCam® Sphere AF in Europe (AUD $199).

Skype 3.6 for Windows supports 28 languages and is available as a free download at Skype’s website , while Logitech’s QuickCam® software version 11.5 is available for free download for those who already own one of the Logitech webcams in question.

How long can it be before Skype and Logitech release true high definition video conferencing? Probably at least a couple of years yet, as that will require even more upload bandwidth (or even better compression) along with even higher megapixel webcams, but Skype and Logitech have made ‘standard definition’ video conferencing on PCs a reality, with Mac and Linux versions no doubt on the way, although probably not until sometime in 2008.

So if you use video conferencing on a regular basis, a significantly better picture is now available to anyone that wants it and has fast enough broadband. The perfect and pristine video call quality seen in just about any modern sci-fi movie has finally moved one step closer to reality – if only the 3G videophones many of us have today had video quality as good!