Conference room cameras and webcams in general have grown rapidly over the last few years. It’s not just a pandemic need. This was before the growing need to hold meetings in multiple rooms at once. However, not everyone should be looking into a laptop’s camera. With more participants in the same space, creative alternatives are needed.
The solution is a smart huddle camera that can be positioned to get a 360-degree view and use AI to keep the person speaking in focus. This means meetings can be held without the need for a conference camera operator.
Can Dao is not alone in recognizing this need, so the question is: you Do you have it (and where does it stand in terms of value, of course)?” By the way, this 360-degree approach is a technique that Kandao has found other uses for. See our 8K QooCam EGO action camera review).
specification
Output resolution: 1080P
Field of view: 360°
Connectivity: USB-C, USB-A, HDMI, RJ45, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi 802.11ac (2.4 & 5 GHz)
remote: yes, bluetooth
size: Body outer diameter: 78.2mm Height: 282.6mm
weight: 1350g (3 lbs)
Main function
360 Meeting Pro is an AI-based conference camera with HDMI socket and built-in Android-based OS, which can be operated without a computer. A dual fisheye lens provides a full room view and delivers a cropped video feed of active meeting participants. It has wired and wireless internet and can even act as a webcam by connecting directly to your computer.
build & handling
The Kandao Meeting Pro is certainly not light, but it shouldn’t be. It’s designed to sit in the middle of a conference table, so you don’t fall over when your boss slams the table to demand a deadline (or just put your coffee down). There is also a tripod mount if needed. You’ll need to provide a display, power supply, and internet connection (a nice touch is his PoE, so his last two only need one cable). Alternatively, the device is connected to your computer and acts as a webcam. This means you can have meetings on the go with just this and your laptop.
When you first use it, it’s a good idea to set aside some time to familiarize yourself with the speaker, check the firmware, and set it up if you’re using the built-in Android software. conference app. 12 were offered, including Skype, Zoom and Teams. Entering the password is done by waving the remote control like a wand to move the pointer over the on-screen keyboard. In the top right there is a “mouse” button ( many It’s easy if you have a USB mouse handy!).
performance
At 1080P maximum output (which can contain up to 5 small video windows) imaging is fine, but could be sharper.
Kandao says the device has an omnidirectional voice range of 5.5 meters and facial recognition capabilities, but when tested alone, it doesn’t always track at a distance of about 3 meters, and it’s easy to hear when you’re talking. It turns out that you can’t track it unless you. Technically there are no blind spots, but if you’re in the middle of the lens, especially up close, the AI will have a bit of trouble joining the two video feeds together.
A little cumbersome at times, but a good user experience. Even if you use it with a computer, we recommend using the display first before setting up the device. This will give you an opportunity to update the firmware. We highly recommend using a spare mouse to handle Android 10’s on-screen keyboard. Gyro Remote is nothing new and frustrating if you have a long account password. Otherwise the controller is solidly built and easy to use. It’s handy for switching between modes, even when you’re using it on a computer.
verdict
We tested a few rooms with different lighting and overall the image quality was fine, although it was clearly better during the day. The dual lens means that rooms on the bright side and dark side are a problem.The blending of the coupling between the cameras isn’t perfect, but it works well.
The provided AI mode handles everything well. Discussion mode (highlighting her latest four speakers) is better for meetings, while presentation mode lets you follow who’s speaking faster.
It’s a nice looking device overall, but I wish it had a better lens cover than the easy-to-lost piece of foam. It wasn’t, but overall it still looks pretty chic.
The video quality was so-so, not because the camera wasn’t working, but because of the amount of visual information packed into 1080P. It’s also definitely useful for those with features like an SD card recording option.
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