One of the advantages of teaching students in the offline world is that you can teach them in their preferred environment. Over the years I have visited a lot of living rooms and I have to say there is something to it that makes the teaching more natural than sitting in front of a computer screen.
And I still remember that one of the major slogans of online teaching platforms back in 2008/2009 was “learn from the comfort of your own home”.
Well, it seems as if technology is getting once more closer to reality. Logitech and Skype announced the new Logitech TV Cam HD today. The device works with most modern HD TVs and enables anyone to send and receive Skype calls without a computer.
The Logitech TV Cam HD connects to the TV via HDMI and features WiFi or Ethernet connection for Internet access. The Skype app is built into the camera and you can control the different functions with a remote control that is bundled with the Logitech TV Cam HD.
Even if your TV is turned off you will be able to receive calls. The camera will play the Skype ringtone and light up a LED to show you when a call is incoming. You can store up to 20 different Skype accounts on the camera.
Other features of the Logitech TV Cam HD include four noise cancelling microphones, a Carl Zeiss lens for 720p and great quality even in low light.
As an interesting side note Skype shared that already about 40% of all Skype calls take place in the living room and I think this trend hasn’t stopped yet as TVs are getting more and more connected to the Internet, as well. Hence having your private language tutor on the TV screen makes a lot of sense.
The Logitech TV Cam HD is also a great device for schools. Through the wide angle lens the entire classroom can be seen and a HD TV plus the camera are far cheaper than sophisticated teleconferencing systems.
Which brings us to the price of the camera. The Logitech TV Cam HD will be available for $199.99 starting in August and September for the US and Europe.
