As the concept of the office has changed from being a single, fixed location to being a combination of home offices, traditional offices, new workspaces and mobile working, videoconferencing needs to address the new, hybrid needs of workers. A critical requirement is that workers are able to participate in interactions on an equal level regardless of their physical location and a new breed of videoconferencing solutions is coming to market to enable this.
Poly has launched its Poly Studio X70 video bar and the Poly Studio E70 intelligent camera to enable workers with this new level of experience bringing broadcast-quality video to every meeting. Both products feature the Poly DirectorAI technology which includes the company’s Acoustic Fence capability and NoiseBlockAI, enabling users to create the perception of a live, broadcast quality production with their own in-room director. Poly DirectorAI utilises artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning technology to deliver real-time automatic transitions, framing and tracking so all participants feel like they are in the same room.
This creates a shared experience for everyone, providing meeting equality regardless of the location they’re working from. “One of the biggest changes is the shift to hybrid working,” says Sof Socratous, the Vice President for Northern Europe Sales at Poly. “The office is no longer one building – it can be anywhere, from a bedroom in London to a café on the other side of the world. However, this raises a major question: How can companies ensure meeting equality for all?”
“It’s vital that every team member feels like they are sitting together during virtual meetings,” he adds. “If not, businesses risk a lasting impact on morale, productivity and progression”
Socratous singles out four ways in which enterprises can create an equal collaboration experience for workers by enabling them to listen in without background noise, improving image focus so concentration is not lost, harmonising the physical and digital so connection and transitions are seamless, and matching technology to software so devices are optimised for the platforms that teams choose to work with.
To this end, the Poly Studio E70 intelligent camera is Zoom-certified and the Poly Studio X70 video bar is expected to be certified by December 2021. Both solutions will support Zoom Rooms Smart Gallery to bring meeting equality to medium and large rooms. Zoom Rooms Smart Gallery will utilise AI to create a gallery view, and send up to three unique video streams to frame-up in-room participants to remote attendees, to make sure everyone gets the face-to-face communication they crave.
The Poly Studio X70 video bar and Poly Studio E70 intelligent camera are suitable for conference rooms, offering high-quality audio and video meeting experiences for attendees in the room, and for those joining remotely, thereby enabling all types of workers to have rich hybrid experiences on an equal footing.
Poly will be at UC Expo in London, UK, discussing how to achieve meeting equality in more depth on Wednesday 6 October 09:30 – 17:30 and Thursday 7 October 09:30 – 16:30. Visit stand T56 to find out more about creating equal meeting experiences and receive demos on Poly’s range of headsets, desk and conference phones and video collaboration solutions.
