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Dec 09 2024
Hardware

Review: Maximize Collaboration Regardless of Location with the Poly Studio X50

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

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 as common today as the sound of dogs barking in the background.

These realities underscore the importance of solutions like the Poly Studio X50 video bar. Regardless of what video collaboration software you use — Zoom, Microsoft Teams or Google Meet — the device is compatible with multiple platforms. This ensures that all employees can easily connect and collaborate using their preferred platforms.

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Poly Studio Enhances Hybrid Meeting Experiences

The Poly Studio X50 lets you share content over wired or wireless connections using dual monitors, and the solution also does an excellent job of simplifying and enhancing the hybrid meeting experience in medium-sized rooms, which I tested by taking meetings for two months with the unit.

The result of those two months of tests was a seamless alignment of hybrid, in-office and remote workforces for a staff of 15 people. The Poly Studio X50 achieved an unhindered and congruous experience for all of us and allowed us to use our existing tools and technology to enable seamless collaboration and productivity without requiring a PC.

It’s a game changer for state and local agencies, where midsize conference rooms are common, and features such as the NoiseBlockAI technology and Poly DirectorAI smart camera technology are necessary for creating an immersive and inclusive collaboration space.

READ: The right conferencing tools promote meeting equity.

Block Distracting Noises with the AI Filter

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

During my review, I tested NoiseBlockAI by hosting people in a meeting room and asking them to type on their keyboards or make other annoying and loud noises, such as eating chips from a bag or opening sodas. Despite the best efforts of the noisy team, the presentation went off without a hitch, and the NoiseBlockAI feature ensured that we could all hear the presenter over the audible crunching of our audience. People on the other end of the presentation did not even notice those loud background noises.

Poly recommends using NoiseBlockAI in rooms with reflective surfaces such as glass walls or tables because those surfaces tend to amplify sound. It should be noted that in my tests, I used it in rooms with various surfaces and didn’t notice a difference at all with respect to meeting quality.

LEARN: Agencies can modernize with hybrid work solutions.

Smart Camera Gives Everyone a Seat the Virtual Table

Another key feature of the device that shined during my testing is Poly DirectorAI, which is a smart camera technology that helps ensure everyone is seen clearly and has a seat at the virtual table in each meeting.

This feature is especially helpful during hybrid meetings to help remote and in-person teammates all focus on the person speaking, with nobody fading into the background. This feature is also very useful when a presenter is moving to and from a whiteboard because it keeps them in focus at all times.

Perhaps the most important feature of the Poly Studio X50 video bar is the fact that no PC is needed. Similar devices often require a long and onerous installation, which needs to be repeated each time they are brought to a new room or environment. With the Poly Studio, anyone can connect to any cloud video service with a couple clicks and get meetings up and running, regardless of where they are or what other equipment they have available.

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 Top 3 Videoconferencing Features to Boost Collaboration

In agencies with hybrid workforces, it’s important to find ways to boost collaboration and ensure that everyone feels included and connected. The Poly Studio X50 makes it easy for agencies with remote users to carry out this goal by seamlessly letting them join meetings with their in-office colleagues. However, it’s more than just a high-quality camera and microphone. It’s packed with key features that are absolutely necessary for seamless meetings in a hybrid environment.

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

  1. Keep the focus while sharing. The Poly Studio X50 does a fantastic job at screen sharing and zooming in on participants, and it is especially good when other activities such as whiteboarding are involved.

The Poly Studio X50 lets agency users easily share screens during meetings, making it simple for all team members to collaborate on documents, presentations and other materials. This is an essential element when trying to unite team members who are not in the same locations. With the X50, nobody is left behind.

Additionally, the Poly Studio X50 fully supports whiteboard integration, allowing users to draw and annotate on a digital whiteboard during meetings. I used this feature during my meetings and noticed increased productivity, with everyone fully able to see everything on the screen, even from remote locations.

  1. Simplify with plug and play. The Poly Studio X50 does a fantastic job 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 one exists, getting members to a conference room in time to save a scheduled meeting gone awry is not easy. The X50 requires almost no setup and no other equipment, making it as plug-and-play as possible, with no training or additional help needed.

  1. Maintain control on the go. While the Poly Studio 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 onto a single speaker and manually switch the focus to remote users when necessary. For important meetings where the presentation is just as important as the message, this gives total control over the environment. This level of control is not needed for normal meetings but is nice to have for official presentations.

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