Sunday dinner lives! Skype adds free group video chat to 2014 Samsung smart TVs

By Keith Nelson Jr. January 16, 2015

skype samsung smart tv group video chat free 1 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Today, Skype released an update to its Samsung Smart TV app to offer 2014 models free group video chat capabilities for the first time ever.

The blog post announcing the Skype 4.0 update explicitly states the new feature will be available for 2014 Samsung Smart TV’s with built-in cameras, with no mention of older model support. The update supports video calling in 1080p resolution as long as every member of the party has a 2014 Samsung TV, compatible HD displays, webcams, and a steady internet connection with 1Mbps bandwidth.

Until April of 2014, group video chats were only available to Skype Premium customers paying the $9 monthly subscription fee. In April, Skype announced free video calling support for Mac and Windows desktops, as well as the Microsoft Xbox One, leading up to today’s update. There is currently no group video chat capability for the mobile app, however Skype promises it will be available soon.

Samsung Smart TV Skypers will be limited to three people per video chat, as opposed to the 10-person limit for desktops and game consoles.

Skype’s deeper integration into the smart TV market comes at a time when many companies are developing their own competing video chatting platforms. Days before the release of Skype 4.0, Mozilla released Firefox 35 and included a more practical version of its Hello web-based video calling platform. Firefox Hello should not currently be a big concern for Skype, however, as the platform only offers video calling through its browser via desktops.

Skype’s Samsung-exclusive update is understandable given Samsung’s dominance in the Smart TV market, but some formidable competition could mean Samsung could lose this exclusivity. In 2013, Vizio held a 24.6 percent market share of Smart TV shipments in the United States, only 5.2 percent lower than Samsung’s leading 29.6 percent market share, according to Strategy Analytics. While Samsung’s share essentially held solid over last year’s 29.5 percent share, Vizio’s share jumped up almost 2 points from 22.8 percent. Vizio currently does not have built-in webcams offering Skype video calling, but did release the VIZIO Internet Apps TV Video Camera in March 2012 with Skype support, which works even while watching TV.

Topics

Microsoft

Keith Nelson Jr.

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Keith Nelson Jr is a music/tech journalist making big pictures by connecting dots. Born and raised in Brooklyn, NY he…

Audio / Video

You have until June 9 to save $500 off an 85-inch Samsung The Frame TV

A painting being displayed on a Samsung The Frame QLED.

Looking for great TV deals? You still have time to save $500 on the Samsung 85-inch The Frame QLED TV when you head over to Samsung. It usually costs $4,300, but right now the popular and stylish TV is down to $3,800, making it more affordable than before. If you’re keen to invest in a large TV but love to save money too, this is a good opportunity. Here’s what you need to know about the TV before you decide to buy.

Why you should buy the Samsung 85-inch The Frame QLED TV
One of the best QLED TVs around, the Samsung 85-inch The Frame QLED TV is a delight in so many ways. At its core, it’s a fantastic QLED TV with 100% Color Volume with Quantum Dot technology saturating the screen with a billion colors. QLED adds a layer of quantum dots to a TV’s LED backlight with these dots, once exposed to light, emitting their own light with a high level of efficiency to provide great picture quality.

Audio / Video

It’s your last chance to get up to $1,900 off a Samsung OLED TV

The Samsung S90C in a living room environment.

There’s still a little time left to snap up one of the best TV deals available today, with Samsung still selling the 83-inch S90C OLED TV for $3,500 instead of $5,400. The $1,900 discount is a pretty vast one and one that you certainly don’t want to skip. If you’re looking for a great new TV for your large living space, you’re going to love this deal. Let’s take a look at how great the Samsung S90C OLED TV is.

Why you should buy the Samsung 83-inch S90C OLED TV
Samsung makes some of the best TVs around and we’re huge fans of the Samsung 83-inch S90C OLED TV. It has an OLED panel so you get self-lit pixels which can light up independently of each other. That means that you can enjoy the deepest blacks and the brightest colors all on the same scene, ensuring you never miss a detail. The Samsung 83-inch S90C OLED TV uses a Neural Quantum Processor with 4K upscaling so its AI-powered processor can transform whatever you’re watching. There’s also HDR OLED which uses AI deep learning to analyze each scene, detecting areas that need to brighter, darker, or simply richer in color.

Audio / Video

This Sonos Bluetooth speaker has a discount in time for beach weather

Sonos Roam SL in black on a rainy rock outdoors.

A day out at the beach. Cooking outside using a discounted grill or smoker. Pool party madness. What do they all three have in common? A lot of fun, but also a great chance to get any sound equipment ruined by a sudden downpour or a splash of inevitable water. That's why there are models of waterproof Bluetooth speakers, of which the Sonos Roam SL is one. And the good news is that you can get yours at a discounted rate before summer officially gets here. Right now, the Sonos Roam SL is just $127, which is $33 down from its typical price of $160. To get yours, all you need to do is tap the button below. Consider also reading below, as we examine the speaker and see why it is considered an easy pick up.

Why you should buy the Sonos Roam SL
The Sonos Roam SL is an easy-to-use, compact speaker for wherever you roam. Connect to it easily over Wi-Fi at home or Bluetooth on the go, giving you easy options to control the sound in a way that makes sense for you and your location. If you're at home and connected to your Wi-Fi system and have other Sonos speakers, you can even get the Sonos multi-room experience, which syncs everything in a nice way. So, you can keep the Sonos Roam SL out on the patio (where it might get rained upon) and keep the best Sonos speakers indoors and have a really cool, worry-free party experience that not many others will be able to replicate.