http://youtu.be/_LAJrmtpVGc
We got a big new addition to the Geek House! Our friends from Polycom came by and installed the RealPresence Group 500 system – an awesome enterprise level video conferencing system.
We have a pair of 50-inch screens mounted at one end of the room, and a Polycom phone conference unit on the table, and it’s all tied together by the RealPresence system. It’s also got a camera that can pan, tilt and zoom its way around the room, and that can be controlled from either end of the connection. And you can set presets for the cameras to lock onto different people around the room. The video on the system can go up to 1080p60 and the sound is extremely clear.
One of the best things about the RealPresence Group 500 system is the ease with which a normal user can run the system. Older video conferencing systems needed a knowledgeable operator, but the Polycom system is much easier to pick up. There are definitely still things you need to learn, but the curve is easier.
We’ve got some cool stuff planned for this system, so stay tuned and prepare to be amazed!
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The university where I got my master’s had conference rooms equipped with these things. When I defended my thesis last month, one of my committee members was unable to be there. We booked a conference room and he attended via this teleconference system. It was actually really cool. His video was on one screen, my PowerPoint was on the other. Everything went smoothly. Awesome experience.
(It was also pretty great that they accepted my thesis!)