Barco : How to get good quality audio & video in your hybrid video meetings and conference calls

Since we're spending significant amounts of time in hybrid meetings, video calls and conferences, many businesses are on the lookout to invest in high-quality audio & video solutions to create more engagement in their hybrid meeting rooms. How can you make sure the AV devices in your meeting room ecosystem work seamlessly and in sync?

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Sure, you've had your share of issues with bad video and audio quality during video conferences. You miss out on important pieces of the conversation, are distracted by annoying clicks or sounds, can't see facial expressions in a high-rise discussion.

Hello, can you hear me? Everything is blurry, can you check the room camera? What's that rattle? Can you please share your screen in the call as well? Everyone, please mute...

These are living examples of the undeniable necessity of good audio and video in hybrid communication. Making sure all meeting participants are seen, heard and understood flawlessly in any hybrid meeting, seems vital for higher engagement and productivity nowadays. With perfectly synced, qualitative audio and video solutions, meeting users can connect and collaborate seamlessly, even if they are not all present in the same room.

1. Match your audio devices to your room size

Step one to connect all meeting participants is investing in premium quality audio for your video calls and hybrid meetings. You want crystal clear sound and no interruptions so you can fully focus on the conversation. Choose speakers, microphones or speakerphones that capture full intelligible, natural audio and voice clarity in and from every corner of the room.

Consider these features for an optimal audio experience in your hybrid room:

• Directional audio or automatic speaker tracking: the mic or speakerphone focuses on the participant who has the floor.
• Noise cancelling: master acoustics, reduce background noises and have the microphone focus solely on the voice of the speaker.
• Volume capacity: make sure everyone is heard and can hear, even if they're in the back of the meeting room.
• Scalability: match your solution to your room size. Can you easily add extra speakers or mics for larger rooms? Should your speakers be installed in the room ceiling? Do you need multiple mics? Can you cover larger numbers of participants or moving presenters?

2. Go for the right video solutions

Today, human interaction takes place both online and face-to-face, so you have to be sure everyone, no matter where they are, can see your messages at their best. A video conferencing camera in the meeting room is essential to connect and engage both the remote and in-office members of hybrid teams. Impeccable video quality in a room ensures everyone sees each other perfectly, so they can start collaborating without fuss.

Do you know these camera features for your smart conference room?

• PTZ cameras: Pan-Tilt-Zoom cameras allow for camera movement during the meeting. They shift the focus on whoever is presenting.
• Wide-angle view: cameras with a wide range make sure everyone in the meeting room is captured on screen (sometimes even in a 360° view) and in the remote view.
• Lighting features: some cameras can adjust brightness levels to show meeting participants in flattering light, even in dim lighting conditions.
• Artificial Intelligence: with AI features like auto-framing and speaker tracking, the camera automatically focuses on who is speaking.

3. Combine audio and video in one, if you prefer

If you are looking for a fast, budget-friendly way to make your conference room hybrid-proof, an all-in-one AV solution where video and audio are combined may be the way to go. An ideal match to enable video meetings in huddle spaces or smaller meeting rooms, the all-in-one devices save space. Moreover you need less cables to connect the device, so you keep meeting rooms cleaner and manageable.

4. Complete the audio & video experience in a perfectly synced ecosystem

Meeting rooms solutions have evolved from including audio only to including audio, video, cameras and a control system to manage all of these. You design a complete ecosystem of technologies to ensure your AV installation will meet the user's expectations. However, connecting speakers, microphones, and cameras often involves untangling cables and adjusting system settings, leaving meeting participants puzzled and frustrated. To save time and money, as an IT-manager, you need the advantage of products that are certified to work together, or that come as an out-of-the-box solution. You want trusted brands, no customization projects or experiments for hybrid collaboration.

With ClickShare at the heart of your hybrid meeting ecosystem, you are sure all solutions in your room work together seamlessly and wirelessly. As ClickShare is agnostic, it works with any device (laptop, tablet, smartphone), any UC&C platform (Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Webex by Cisco …) and has the widest compatibility with different AV peripherals in the market.

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