Hardware

Product Spotlight: Maximize Collaboration Anywhere With the Poly Studio X50

This conferencing platform maintains the focus during busy or raucous meetings.

Carlos Soto is an award-winning reviewer and journalist with 20 years of experience covering technology and business within various sectors and industries.

I can’t tell you how often I hear, “My video doesn’t work, but continue with the meeting and I will troubleshoot the issue after this call.”

Being forced to rely on audio more than video in meetings is common today, especially as people work from home and must manage background distractions.

This underscores the importance of solutions such as the Poly Studio X50 video bar. The device is compatible with multiple video collaboration platforms — including Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Google Meet — ensuring that all employees can easily connect and collaborate using their preferred videoconferencing software.

Click the banner below to learn how to build a strong collaborative workspace.

xs_collaboration_animated_q424_click_desktop

xs_collaboration_animated_q424_click_mobile

How Organizations Can Enhance Hybrid Meetings

The Poly Studio X50 lets users share content over wired or wireless connections using dual monitors, and it does an excellent job of simplifying and enhancing the hybrid meeting experience in medium-sized rooms.

I tested this by taking meetings for two months using the device. The result was a seamless alignment of a hybrid, in-office and remote workforce of 15 people. The Poly Studio X50 achieved an unhindered and cohesive experience for all of us and enabled collaboration and productivity via existing tools and technology, without requiring a PC.

Block Distracting Noises With the Poly Studio X50

Poly’s NoiseBlockAI feature and DirectorAI smart camera technology can turn midsized conference rooms into immersive and inclusive collaboration spaces.

NoiseBlockAI uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to reduce distracting noises and reverberations during meetings and video calls. It automatically mutes the microphone when it detects background noise and unmutes it when it detects a voice.

I tested NoiseBlockAI by asking a group of people in a meeting room to type on their keyboards or make other annoying sounds, such as eating chips from a bag or opening sodas. Despite the best efforts of my noisy team, the presentation went off without a hitch. The NoiseBlockAI feature ensured that we could all hear the presenter over the crunching and popping sounds, and people on the other end of the presentation did not notice any background noises.

SPECIFICATIONS

PRODUCT TYPE: Conferencing system video bar
DATA LINK PROTOCOLS: Gigabit Ethernet
ADDITIONAL PORTS: USB
GRAPHICS MODES (CONTENT): 4K UHD
ADDED FEATURES: Kensington lock, noise reduction

The Right Technology Helps Teams Collaborate

DirectorAI is a smart camera technology that ensures all participants are seen clearly and everyone has a seat at the virtual table in each meeting.

DirectorAI is especially helpful during hybrid meetings to help remote and in-person teammates focus on those speaking, with nobody fading into the background. If presenters move to and from a whiteboard, DirectorAI keeps them in focus at all times.

Perhaps the most important feature of the Poly Studio X50 video bar is that it doesn’t require a PC for setup. Similar devices often require a long and onerous installation, which needs to be repeated each time they are brought into a new room or environment. With the Poly Studio X50, users can connect to any cloud video service and get meetings up and running with just a couple of clicks, regardless of location or what other equipment is available.

UP NEXT: How to create a better digital experience for hybrid workers.

The Top 3 Videoconferencing Features to Boost Collaboration

When your workforce is hybrid, it’s important to find ways to boost collaboration and ensure that everyone feels included and connected. The Poly Studio X50 makes this easy by letting users seamlessly join meetings with their in-office colleagues. But the X50 is more than just a high-quality camera and microphone. It’s packed with key features that are essential for productive meetings in a hybrid environment.

As important as it is to have a high-quality camera, microphone and speaker with advanced noise cancellation technology for crystal-clear audio and video, there are three other features that make the Poly Studio X50 such a force multiplier for hybrid office collaboration.

1. Keep the focus while sharing. The X50 does a fantastic job of screen sharing and zooming in on participants. It’s especially good when other activities, such as whiteboarding, are involved.

The device lets users easily share screens during meetings, making it simple for all team members to collaborate on documents, presentations and other materials. This is essential when trying to unite team members who are not in the same location. Additionally, the Poly Studio X50 fully supports whiteboard integration, allowing users to draw and annotate during meetings. I used this feature during my testing and noticed increased productivity; everyone was able to see everything on the screen, even from remote locations.

2. Simplify with plug and play. The X50 shines at keeping things simple, with no tech support or additional hardware needed. Not every office is blessed with an IT support team, and even if tech support is available, it’s not easy to get IT staff to a conference room in time to save a scheduled meeting that’s gone awry. The X50 requires almost no setup, no training and no other equipment, making it as plug-and-play as possible.

3. Maintain control on the go. While the X50 can do a lot of things automatically, it also offers much more control when needed. For example, those running a meeting can lock the camera on a single speaker and manually switch the focus to remote users when appropriate. For important meetings where the presentation is key, this gives total control over the environment. This level of control may not be needed for most meetings but is nice to have for formal presentations.