When you think “Plantronics ISE 2019,” you’ll also think of Polycom Studio. That’s because the long-time B2B audio communications provider chose Integrated Systems Europe, stand 11-B120, to effectively launch its entree into the huddle room video market.
[related]The solution is designed to improve audio and video quality for any customer that leans on PCs or Macs for video collaboration with services like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Skype for Business, Google Meet, Cisco Webex, or Amazon Chime.
Polycom Studio, which is packaged into a portable USB device, “is our first entree into this class of products that has really been taken off in the videoconferencing space,” says Chris Thorson, senior director, product marketing, Plantronics.
In a way, Polycom Studio is Plantronics’ answer to the rise of videoconferencing-as-a-service and the concept of solutions that are downloaded via software on a PC or Mac and lean on the computer’s cameras and devices to deliver the video.
“We have a long, rich history of providing great audio,” says Thorson.
“That makes a lot of sense for people that are at desktops or maybe their home-office,” Thorson says.
“But where it starts to fall apart is when you get into the room. We’ve all been on those calls were people are trying to huddle around a little laptop in a small huddle space. It’s not such a great experience.”
Plantronics wanted to deliver a USB-based, easy-to connect to a PC or Mac solution that delviers full video and audio with any conferencing application and, most importantly, is “optimized for the room,” Thorson says.
There are other USB-based conferencing solutions on the market, of course, but Thorson says that Plantronics’s Polycom Studio is different because instead of being “consumer-grade” it has been designed with Polycom’s knowledge of enterprise audio.
“We have a long, rich history of providing great audio,” he says.
Plantronics’ Polycom Studio
More on How Plantronics’s Polycom Studio Works (via press release):
With a simple USB connection, any PC or Mac can leverage the power of Polycom Studio to elevate audio and video meeting experiences. Its patented NoiseBlock and Acoustic Fence technologies reduce or eliminate distracting noise from office environments for professional-sounding communications.
Automatic speaker tracking focuses on whoever is speaking within an ultra-wide 120-degree field of view. With 4K resolution and 5x electronic zoom, Polycom Studio provides TV studio-like quality and experiences in a meeting …
… For IT managers, Polycom Studio is refreshingly easy to manage. Unlike most USB devices that give IT little or no visibility into what is being used or any means for management and updating, Polycom Studio wirelessly connects to a corporate network to allow IT professionals a “no touch” means to manage Polycom Studio units — across a few huddle rooms, a large campus, or offices around the world. Customers can easily manage their Polycom Studio video bars along with their other Polycom devices through the cloud with the Polycom Device Management Service for Enterprise or on premises with Polycom RealPresence Resource Manager.
Polycom Studio will be available in North America, Europe and select additional countries later this quarter, according to a Plantronics.
