Skype confirms plans to launch 3D video calls

It looks like teleportation will soon be a reality just like what we've seen in sci-fi movies. Well, that's exaggerating things a bit, but Skype, the popular voice and video chat service is looking at introducing 3D or 3-dimensional calls.

Celebrating Skype's 10th anniversary, Microsoft's Corporate VP for Skype, Mark Gillett gave a candid interview to the BBC in which he mentioned that the company was working on 3D-screens and 3D-capture technology.

"We've done work in the labs looking at the capability of 3D-screens and 3D-capture," said Gillett.

"We've seen a lot of progress in screens and a lot of people now buy TVs and computer monitors that are capable of delivering a 3D image.

However, Gillett who joined Skype in 2010 before it was acquired by Microsoft, said that developing the technology and taking it to the masses would take more time.

"But the capture devices are not yet there. As we work with that kind of technology you have to add multiple cameras to your computer, precisely calibrate them and point them at the right angle."

"We have it in the lab, we know how to make it work and we're looking at the ecosystem of devices and their capability to support it in order to make a decision when we might think about bringing something like that to market," he said.

Live 3D video calls would need multiple cameras to capture all angles, and there aren't any good 3D viewing devices that render 3D without the user needing to wear special glasses. So Skype's work would not be easy.

"We're in the first year of your TV at home potentially having a camera attached to it, but we're several years away from the cameras capturing 3D in that context. You'll see much more penetration of 3D on TVs, on computers and ultimately in smartphones, probably, ahead of seeing it for sending a video call," elaborated Gillet.

3D technology has not really taken off at the mainstream level with problems such as the lack of good content, or the lack of glass-less 3D devices plaguing the entertainment industry. Broadcasters like ESPN and Disney are scrapping their 3D television channels and 3D home entertainment devices are not selling as much as device makers expected them to sell.