Biscotti

Front-facing cameras have made video chats possible on smartphones and tablets, just like they've been possible on webcams for over a decade. But HDTVs have been devoid of the technology, with a few minor exceptions. Now, you can get HDTV webcams that let you chat with friends or family from your couch. The Biscotti is an integrated webcam and chat device you can get for $199 direct from the company. It connects to your Wi-Fi network and makes Google Talk or Biscotti-to-Biscotti calls, and it has an HDMI passthrough so you can take calls while you watch TV. Its video quality doesn't live up to its price, though, and its lack of Skype makes video chats with other HDTV users who don't have Biscottis awkward. For much easier Skype video chats, the Tely Labs TelyHD ($249.99, 4 stars) offers a better experience (in a bulkier camera) for just a bit more.

Design and Interface
The Biscotti is the same size and shape as the baked good after which it's named, with a gently curving top surface and decidedly cookie-like dimensions of 0.8 by 6.2 by 1 inches (HWD). It weighs just 1.6 ounces and is completely black, with only a Biscotti logo and a red light on the front. The back of the device holds an HDMI input, an HDMI output, and a power port.

Because it's so small and light, the Biscotti is tough to properly place on or under an HDTV. It comes with some adhesive squares and zip-tie fasteners to keep it stable, but you'll need at least two so the cables don't torque the Biscotti sideways or pull it away. When the device weighs less than some of the cables you'd use to connect it to an HDTV or cable box, it's a small problem. The base is also just wide enough to keep it from resting on top of a thin HDTV. Since it's a single piece of plastic with no swivel or tilt function, getting it aligned just right for comfortable video chatting from a couch is nearly impossible. A digital pan and zoom function lets you center the picture on you by cropping the frame, but it's not as useful as a physical pan that can physically point the camera directly at you.

The Biscotti comes with a small, business card-sized remote control that's just under 0.4 inches thick. It has a direction pad and a back button, which are all you need to control the device. The buttons are flat, and while the direction buttons are large, the back button sits just under them, meaning you can accidentally press it when you want to press the down button and undo any text input you entered with the on-screen keyboard.

The interface and feature set of the Biscotti are both simple. The main menu is a set of three buttons that let you browse your friends list, go over recent calls, or change settings. The menu expands out from the buttons, turning into a three-layered menu of lists and options. The interface serves as an overlay for whatever you're watching over HDMI, thanks to the pass-through connection on the Biscotti. If you plug your cable box into it, you can watch TV while keeping Biscotti active, letting you view calls while your shows or movies play behind them, and letting you know whenever you receive a call.

You can only make calls to other Biscotti users or people on Google Plus, Google Talk, or Gmail who have video chat enabled. The lack of Skype support is a major issue, since Skype is one of the biggest names in video chatting, and many other HDTV webcams use it, like the Tely Labs TelyHD ($249.99, 4 stars). The Google support means you can still talk to most of your friends, if they have a webcam. It also supports voice calls over either service, if your friends don't have a webcam but have a microphone or headset.

Performance and Conclusions
Video quality is lacking with the Biscotti. While its camera is capable of high definition video, it can quickly drop to lower quality if the wireless connection isn't excellent. In the PCMag Labs, where the Wi-Fi signals are thick and cloudy, video looked blocky and was prone to hiccups. In a Google Talk video chat, the picture seemed pixelated and jagged, even when seen through a notebook screen. This isn't the high resolution and fluid picture of a Facetime call, or even an average webcam call with Skype. Video chat works well enough, but it doesn't look very smooth or sharp. Compared to the Logitech TV Cam (which requires a Logitech Revue) or the Microsoft Kinect (which requires an Xbox 360), the video quality falls short. The TelyHD, on the same Wi-Fi network, had a much more stable and higher quality video stream. The Biscotti doesn't have an Ethernet port like the TelyHD does, either, so if you don't have a good Wi-Fi network around your HDTV, you'll find yourself with unstable, disappointing video calls.

Google Talk connections were more erratic than direct Biscotti connections; even adding friends to the contact list took a few attempts to "invite" them before they registered. The video chat appears reliably in Google Talk or a Google Plus/Gmail screen with the chat support enabled, but if your friend uses a third party app with Google Talk, chat requests might not even appear at all.

Biscotti has some great ideas about HDTV video chats, but unfortunately its execution is lacking. The small, light camera is too small and light and isn't reliable in less than ideal Wi-Fi conditions. The HDMI pass-through is a great concept for taking video calls while you watch TV, but it can't make up for the disappointing call quality and lack of Skype. If you really want to make video calls with your HDTV, consider paying $50 more for the TelyHD, which looks better, can accept a wired network connection, and uses Skype to make video calls.

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