With the right gear, you’ll soon be able to make Skype video calls in 720p HD. The latest beta version of Skype for Windows now supports HD-quality video (1280 x 720 resolution at up to 30 frames per second), giving you an even smoother and richer video calling experience than ever before.

To make an HD video call using Skype, you’ll need to have:

• a high-speed broadband connection (we recommend sustained 1 Mbps symmetrical bandwidth or higher)
• a new HD webcam
• a PC with a 1.8 GHz processor

Skype 4.2 Beta for Windows

For those who aren’t that technical, it means that the quality of video on a Skype video call will soon be just one notch below the best video one can see on a state of the art high-definition TV  (1080p), and on a par with most broadcast HDTV.

Given that you can see the pores on someone’s face on any decent HDTV, it doesn’t seem like there will be much difference between the next generation Skype and face-to-face psychiatry, at least when it comes to video quality.

The blog post also references another post on Skype-enabled TVs–regular TVs with Skype built right in–which will start to be available in this Spring.

Telepsychiatry on a 48 inch screen anyone? Faces will be much bigger than life-size.

I also note that a company called FaceVsion has just announced the first Skype certified HD webcam at a price of $129. I have to get one of these when they come out next month. I wonder what they’ll sell for on Amazon?