At the cheapest, Tellybean lets you start video calling on your TV for free if you have a compatible TV and a regular webcam at home. To many people who purchased a new SmartTV it came as a surprise that you also needed to buy a "Skype camera" for around 100$, give or take, making Skype not quite as free as the word implies. We also have some new ideas of how Tellybean intends to further broaden the definition of video calls on the TV, but more about them in another post. This allows Tellybean to work on a much longer list of devices, while bringing down the cost of the "camera" to almost free. Recently we released the Tellybean Camera app that turns a mobile device into a "wireless webcam" for a video call on the TV. We set out to innovate video calling on the TV from day one. Tellybean focused on nothing else than video calling on the TV. Skype made a version of an app also work on SmartTVs, but never focused on it. The disappointment expressed all over the internet by Skype users with Samsung TVs also showed that a lot users care about video calling on the TV.Īlthough Tellybean obviously lacks the brand recognition of Skype, there are a few fundamental differences between Skype and Tellybean which work in Tellybean's favour.įirstly: innovation. However, Skype has proven that for a focused start-up like Tellybean there is a sizable market available. Working with 300 million active monthly users, Skype understandably could not support a small minority who require a lot of extra technical effort. users have changed the way they use Skype, with the majority accessing it from a mobile device – including when in the living room." This decision is consistent with Skype discontinuing its SDK and terminating cooperation with all TV manufacturers, except Samsung, a few years ago.ĭoes this mean that Tellybean is on a road to nowhere with its focus on video calling on the TV? As the only video calling service for the TV in the world, can Tellybean succeed? In a blog post, Skype gave the following reason: ". Owners of Samsung SmartTVs recently got a surprising notice that the Skype for TV application will no longer be supported starting in June 2016.
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