I am really concerned that the blame is consistently being pushed to the TV manufacturers by M/Soft Skype by stating it is up to the manufacturers if they want to keep the 'working app available' on their products.  (Suggested Alternatives for Skype)

Yes I was a little harsh in my response there -and I do apologise for it as it is uncalled for; however - when talking about this it is quite clear from all the posts across this forum that SKYPE (no longer being technically supported) is starting to fail.   As manufacturers upgrade their software, SKYPE becomes less compatible/stable and thus fails to operate as expected - and becomes useless.  In real terms - discontinued, unsupported both therefor have the same meaning. 

Samsung have done the right thing in informing their customer base, and HAVE informed their outlets - they removed the stand alone camera for this reason.  They are giving refunds for the camera.  Give them credit for this.  Other manufacturers seem to be just ignoring this in an apparent desire to 'make it go away'.  Some retailers are failing to pass on the information (claiming ignorance) likely to 'shift their current stock' (it's all about profits y'all).  Samsung are looking into alternatives to SKYPE but this will be a long drawn out process...  and likely the market will just move away as it is forced to abandon the failing SKYPE app before another solution is reached.

MICROSOFT have cleverly shifted the blame by saying the app is still available, despite it no longer being supported and that it is up to the TV Manufacturers as to whether or not they utilise it by the way they carefully worded their press release.   Despite that no manufacturer in their right mind would supply software that will fail, lose compatibility with their upgrades and possibly leave it open to HACKING...  so their hands are forced, yet they get the blame.  *Hence why I say that Samsung are doing the right thing early on.

I have no qualms in saying Microsoft are morally wrong - but business wise they are being quite astute and moving the market towards their other products and software which they want to build on (UWP), and at the same time corner whatever they can in the market.

The surveys and petitions so far have been so small in their take up that they are 'insignificant' in the bigger picture for Microsoft who will thus suffer little by ignoring them. (don't shout at me - DO THE PETITION(S) etc. if you want to make a difference).  The press and news forums are not really interested in the story - as there are far bigger things going on - elections of the president of USA, European votes on whether UK is in or out... Wars (which are all saddening no matter the reasons), terror attacks from people who have misguided methods of brutality to gain control over people and lands (not something I want to debate over really)... so this 'story' is going under their radar.  Microsoft like to blame Samsung for withdrawing it as they say it is still available (albeit not supported) and the press gobble up the Microsoft media machines carefully worded press releases without question...  Hence my thoughts on it being quite astute of Microsoft in their methodology (Whether or not you agree with them morally).

Want to change all this - DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT - don't just grumble on this forum about how much you spent (wasted) on equipment, or how it will affect you communication abilities with family who live far away - SIGN THE PETITIONS, get it talked about on all your media outlets that you use... keep doing this - it is a case of PUT UP or SHUT UP.

FILL IN THE Microsoft Accessibility Survey (IT'S QUICK) ... https://survey2.securestudies.com/wix/p283998968.a​spx

SIGN THE PETITION ... https://www.change.org/p/skype-keep-supporting-sky​pe-tv?recruiter=44221813&utm_source=share_petitio...

I hope that all people who are commenting here are also taking the opprtunity to sign the petition at

https://www.change.org/p/skype-keep-supporting-skype-tv. 

Another suggestion: 

Fill out Microsoft's Accessibility Feedback Survey at https://survey2.securestudies.com/wix/p283998968.aspx (it's only one page) and tell them about the effect abandoning Skype for TV would have on the technologically handicapped people of the world. 

Please head on over to our Skype for Linux Alpha release announcement to learn everything you need to know about this new chapter in Skype for Linux:

https://community.skype.com/t5/Linux/Skype-for-Linux-Alpha-and-calling-on-Chrome-amp-Chromebooks/td-...

NOTE: that is only a temporary solution.  We have found that users come back with the same issues again.  I found that another thread was started on Technet and shows the removal of KB3114831 resolves the issue.  At this point in time, we have done this for about 5 computers and so far it has not come back.   https://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/04614c98-6f7f-4ed6-bd4c-15cc25d5dbd4/cant-schedule...

You can create a new Skype account with a Skype Name of your choice using this Registration Form:

https://login.skype.com/registration

Skype desktop application does not work  for past hours!. checked downdetector site ->skype outage map, seems to be a worldwide problem

skype in the web works

https://web.skype.com/ru/

desktop versions don't

http://downdetector.com/status/skype

Skype for business was Lync/is an update to Lync which is part of Microsoft Office.  Due to this the naming conventions of the software install/uninstall may say "Skype for Business" or "Lync".  I can only assume in future versions of Office like Office 2016, the naming conventions will be more "Skype for Business" and the "Lync" name will no doubt be dropped.

To stop Skype for Business or Lync from starting automatically:

Click the "gear" icon or "down arrow" - "Tools" - "Options" (the gear is faster):

Under "Personal", uncheck "Automatically start the app when I log on to Windows", then click "OK":

If this does not work here are alternate options:

Disable it via the Registry:

Save and open the attached "Skype_Bus_Lync_Autostart_Disable.zip" (found at the bottom of this post).  Double click on the "Skype_Bus_Lync_Autostart_Disable.reg" file to disable the automatic startup.  This is equivalent to unchecking the box in the software.

Rename or delete the Lync.exe file (not recommended, but it is an extreme option):

You will notice that Skype for Business replaces any previous version of Lync.exe since it is an update to Lync.  Renaming or deleting Lync.exe will effectively break Lync and its automatic startup.  You will also notice that Skype for Business is part of Office.  In this instance it is part of Office 2013 (Office 15).  Office 2016 should be located in an Office 16 folder.  Even if Lync.exe gets renamed to something else in newer versions of Office, you should be able to tell which are Skype for Business executables by their icons and if needed, you could rename them.

How to uninstall Skype for Business:

Since Skype for Business/Lync is part of Office, you will need to remove it from your Office installation by executing a "Change":

From there you would uninstall Skype for Business by making "Microsoft Lync" or "Skype for Business", "Not Available" depending on your version of Office:

Different versions of Office may still have various different removal or uninstall methods but the concept is the same.  You have to remove the "Skype for Business" / "Lync" component or in the worst-case scenario, uninstall Microsoft Office.  I can see this being possibly necessary in trial/preview editions.