Video conferencing at home

At the Consumer Electronics Show, Cisco Systems showed its videoconferencing system for the home. It’s similar to Cisco’s TelePresence, a high-end videoconferencing system for businesses.
The home version lets consumers do the same on high-definition TVs. The system is not available yet, but home trials are beginning.
Internet-enabled TVs are a big trend. An estimated 45 million will be enabled by 2014, according to ABI Research. This year, there are 32 million U.S. households with broadband connects that can support videoconferencing.
In the meantime, TV makers Panasonic and LG are adding Skype, the free online telephone service, to internet-connected high-definition televisions. Users with a Web camera and microphone can create live video chats and phone calls.