The online video-calling service Skype will soon appear on Panasonic and LG TVs according to an announcement just before this year’s CES trade fair in Las Vegas.

January 5, 2010 — Skype has clearly been busy. Not only does the latest beta version of the Skype software support webcam video in the high-definition 720p format; now, the company has announced plans to integrate its software into flat-panel TVs. Manufacturers LG and Panasonic are on board, and the announcement suggests that the new sets will go on sale within 2010.

The in-built software will offer many familiar Skype features — conference calling, free video calls, voicemail, and cheap incoming and outgoing calls to landlines and mobiles. LG and Panasonic will manufacture 720p-enabled webcams and sell them as optional accessories with their new 2010 range of TVs. The webcams will even be optimised for use at normal sofa distances.

Those hoping to use the service will require a broadband internet connection, and Skype recommends users have at least one megabit per second of bandwidth if they want to use 720p. This bandwidth should also be symmetrical — that is, the connection should be able to upload and download at 1 Mbps simultaneously, since the video signal is two-way.

The current beta version (4.2.0.141) is currently available for download from Skype’s homepage; LG and Panasonic both expect to release Skype-enabled TVs in mid 2010. Visitors to the CES trade fair, which begins on January 7, can see the technology in action at the Panasonic (Central 9405) and LG (Central 8205) booths.