Stuff got a sneek peek at the first Skype televisions today as LG gave us an early look at their CES booth. The interface is as simple as you'd expect - on-screen icons showing which of your friends is online, with all the calling and search functions accessed from the remote*.
The test set-up used two 40-inch LCD screens placed almost side-by-side, although there was no sign of the fancy LG-branded webcam in the press shot above. In fact, the TVs were being tweaked by techs as we talked - sound faded in and out. We also noticed a considerable time-lag over the Skype connection, up to two seconds at one point.
LG promised that the final Skype widget - destined for 26 LCD, LED and plasma tellies this Spring - will work as smoothly as its PC equivalent.
*Sadly, the Skype LCDs we saw didn't use LG's neat new Wiimote-style Magic remote control, seen elsewhere on the LG booth. This RF controller uses motion sensitive tech to let you browse icons on screen instead of wading through menus.
It's simple, well made and feels extremely responsive although we couldn't get the promised gesture actions (flick to change channels or alter volume) to work.
