Skype video-conferencing has never been so life-like before

Jan 19, 2012 16:02 GMT  ·  By

Logitech has just announced that it has joined forces with Skype to deliver the world’s first webcam for businesses that can transmit Full HD 180p video at 30fps using on-board H.264 compression for optimizing the data packets sent out.

In order to activate the H.264 hardware encoding in the camera, users have to pair Logitech’s creation with a compatible H.264 videoconferencing client.

The first Logitech webcam to feature support for this new technology is the HD Pro Webcam C920, which should be available later this month and it includes 20-step autofocus and a wide 78-degree field of view.

For better audio quality, Logitech has paired the C920 with dual microphones, which accompany the Carl Zeiss glass lens and the RightLight 2 technology added for improving the quality of the video captured.

Another interesting feature is the support for the UVC standard developed by USB-IF, which enables the webcam to be installed without requiring any drivers to be setup.

"We believe the combination of 1080p, H.264 compression and UVC driver-less install will help accelerate adoption of videoconferencing and UC in enterprises of all sizes," said Eric Kintz, vice president and general manager of Logitech for Business.

"It's never been easier for video communications and collaboration to become part of everyone's work life, whether connecting with colleagues down the hall or partners on the other side of the world," concluded the company’s rep.

Logitech’s HD Pro Webcam C920 is expected to be available later this month worldwide priced at $99.99, or roughly 77 EUR.

To enable Full HD 1080p videoconferencing with the Logitech C920, users will need to install the latest version of Skype (5.7 beta), which is available from download by following this link.