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Polycom, Crestron expand Zoom room video conferencing partnerships
At InfoComm 2018, Polycom deepens its partnership with Zoom, Crestron debuts a whiteboard camera, and ViewSonic introduces interactive flat-panel displays.
Polycom has expanded its partnership with Zoom by adding support for Zoom Rooms video conferencing to its Polycom Trio conferencing phones and camera technology. Polycom announced the expanded partnership last week at InfoComm 2018, an audiovisual trade show in Las Vegas.
The Zoom Rooms partnership is available in three bundles to support different conference room deployments. The huddle room bundle includes the Trio 8500, EagleEye Mini camera and Dell OptiPlex PC. The midsize conference room bundle includes the Trio 8500, EagleEye IV MPTZ camera for HD video and Dell OptiPlex. The large conference room bundle includes the Trio 8800, EagleEye IV MPTZ, Dell OptiPlex and advanced speakers for higher-quality audio. The bundles will be available in July.
Polycom also announced new capabilities for the Polycom Trio to support the high-end room video conferencing capabilities required in large meeting rooms and auditoriums, such as facial tracking and dual-monitor support. The new capabilities will be available in a July software update to Polycom Trio and Group Series codecs.
In July, Polycom will support guest access in its Pano wireless content-sharing system to allow users to connect and share content through guest Wi-Fi systems.
Crestron expands interactive whiteboard collaboration
Also at InfoComm, Crestron debuted AirBoard, a network whiteboard-capture device that allows local and remote users to see whiteboard content on a main conference display and on personal devices. AirBoard is a camera with an arm that attaches to any electronic whiteboard with a mounting kit.
An Ethernet cable connected to the LAN is required for video, power and a secure connection to the network and Crestron ecosystem. Users can capture and share content via Crestron touchscreens and integrated devices.
Content shared through the AirBoard can be saved and sent to a central webpage or to invited meeting participants. Remote participants can access whiteboard sessions like they would with Crestron AirMedia, a wireless presentation service.
Crestron has also expanded its Zoom partnership to its TSW Touch Screen line for audiovisual (AV) presentation, conferencing and collaboration in larger, integrated meeting spaces. The partnership integrates Zoom with the entire Crestron ecosystem of control, such as its DM NVX video encoder/decoder and AV framework.
ViewSonic debuts interactive whiteboards
ViewSonic Corp. announced at InfoComm two new models in its ViewBoard interactive whiteboard IFP60 series. The new ViewBoard interactive whiteboards offer 4K video resolution and annotation software. The new models come pre-installed with ViewSonic vBoard collaboration software and ViewBoard Cast functions. ViewBoard Cast allows mobile devices to share content to the flat panels.
The interactive whiteboards include advanced annotation tools and enterprise-level security with AES-256 encryption. They also offer single sign-on and sign-off, as well as cloud-based portability to store and retrieve files.
The new IFP6560 is a 65-inch display that will retail for $4,999. The IFP7560 is a 75-inch display that will retail for $7,999. Both of the flat-panel displays will be available in July.
The ViewBoard also integrates with Zoom room video conferencing using Zoom's API platform. The integration with Zoom allows users to connect Zoom credentials to ViewBoard software, conference calls and document sharing with remote participants.
