The material was prepared by the editors of the site "Video+Conference".
We tested the famous 180-degree Jabra Panacast camera, the results turned out to be a small video. In a past life, it was developed by Altia Systems. The Danish manufacturer of audio solutions for offices and call centers GN Audio, part-time owner of the Jabra brand, became interested in the technology. In 2019, they bought the project to enter the hot market of huddle rooms - small meeting rooms. Now the camera is available in Russia.
Just in such a small meeting room, visiting partners, everything happened. The video is 7 minutes long, but if you don't like the video at all, the main technical information and impressions are below.
Brief technical data Jabra Panacast:
Three built-in 13 MP cameras
Intelligent Zoom, Vivid HDR
Viewing angle 180Β° (90β120β140β180Β°)
2 built-in microphones
Resolution:
- Panoramic 4K (3840 x 1080 @ 30 fps)
- 1080 Full HD (1920 x 1080 @ 30 fps)
- 720p HD (1280 x 720 @ 30 fps)
Connection: USB-C
Dimensions: 102 x 67 x 20mm
Weight: 100 g
The camera really looks tiny, a little bigger than a credit card. You feel like Harry Potter catching the Golden Snitch. The body feels solid. Can be mounted on a tripod anywhere in the room, mounted on a wall, attached to a monitor or laptop. But formally it is positioned precisely as a stationary chamber for negotiation rooms. Too chic for a laptop.
Top photo Unitsolutions, bottom photo - Jabra
The USB cable out of the box is only one meter long, and this is very short if everything is done according to the rules. And the rules suggest that the ideal image transmission is achieved in the range of 0,5-3,5 m from the camera. In this case, it is better to place the camera at eye level of people sitting around the table. Therefore, for various occasions, you may need a Jabra Hub or an additional USB-A to USB-C cable that is longer.
The default viewing angle is 180Β°. Through the Jabra Direct app, you can change it to 90β120β140Β° and back to 180Β°. It seems that there are no blind spots in the room at all. You look at the screen and you understand that you are in complete control of the situation. Buy transparent tables. Of course, it depends on the zoom and framing, but still a very pleasant feeling.
Resolution:
- Panoramic 4K (3840 x 1080 @ 30fps)
- 1080 Full HD (1920 x 1080 @ 30fps)
- 720p HD (1280 x 720 @ 30 fps)
In fact, these are 3 cameras of 13 megapixels, located in a semicircle. The image from them is stitched together by software in real time using the built-in PanaCast Vision processor. The manufacturer says that bonding occurs with a delay of only 5 ms. It's really invisible to the naked eye. True, the camera is noticeably heated, but this does not affect performance. There are some explanations for this:
Q&A screenshot from Jabra
The picture around the edges is not deformed, as in a room of crooked mirrors, people look natural. Jabra explains this by using "flat" lenses, we asked for details, if there is something interesting, we will share. Here in the next screenshot there is no special processing, living people in their usual habitat, normal proportions at the edges of the frame.
About "intelligent zoom". The camera reacts to changes in the frame and optimizes the view, taking into account the newly arrived participants. And it does it independently and continuously (there is a speaker on the video). She also knows how to count those present, and then distribute meeting attendance data through the API for analysis. That is, analysts can evaluate and regulate the workload of the premises if you have a lot of such meeting rooms.
In addition, conventional electronic pan/tilt/zoom (ePTZ) is supported, which can be controlled manually through the video calling application interface.
The camera also automatically optimizes video quality under different lighting conditions, adjusts brightness, contrast, saturation, sharpness, white balance.
2 built-in multidirectional microphones. We did not connect any external microphones, the sound quality is quite up to par. The manufacturer recommends using speakerphones.
Jabra Photos
According to statistics from Jabra, technical problems and equipment setup take up to 10% of the time of a 45-minute meeting on average. There are other figures, but the fact remains that sometimes it is really difficult for non-specialists.
Panacast developers have made everything extremely simple. The plug-and-play device works out of the box, no drivers or software required. Compatible with all popular video conferencing services - Microsoft Teams, Skype, Zoom, Cisco Webex, Google Hangouts, GoToMeeting and more. We tested the camera in the TrueConf app, and we also managed to catch it without any problems the first time.
General impressionsβ¦
The Jabra Panacast pairs well with modern communications software that is getting smarter by leaps and bounds. For devices of its class and cost - about $ 1300 - it produces a high-quality natural picture and at the same time provides a unique viewing angle. There is nowhere to hide, so the involvement of participants is close to the maximum (we do not consider individual cases of severe apathy, and personal presence will not help there).
In fact, the camera itself looks around, finds people, focuses on them, keeps track of attendance. Plus, it's very compact, like a miniature phone, and can be easily installed anywhere. No need to try to rebuild the conference room from the assembly hall or fit right in front of the camera, with a 180-degree view of everyone sitting around the table will be visible. Therefore, any conditionally tight corner is suitable for video communication - a useful option in order to save on rent or to make two from one meeting room.
Source: habr.com