ClearOne and AVer have a co-development initiative that certifies AVer’s Pro AV Cameras and PTZ Link software to be fully compatible with ClearOne’s CONVERGE Pro 2 DSP and BMA 360 Beamforming Microphone Array.
The collaboration leverages the powerful capabilities of ClearOne’s BMA 360 ceiling tile beamforming microphone arrays to direct the tracking features of the AVer cameras through their PTZ Link software.
“Through this collaboration, ClearOne and AVer have expanded the functionality of the AVer PTZ Link software to provide compatibility with ClearOne’s CONVERGE Pro 2 Series DSPs and award-winning BMA 360,” said Derek Graham, ClearOne’s interim CEO. “This allows our integrator partners to offer their customers real-time voice activated camera tracking while using Microsoft Teams, Zoom, WebEx and other popular PC based conferencing services.”
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The ClearOne BMA 360 beamforming microphone array incorporates over 100 high quality MEMS microphones and uses advanced digital signal processing algorithms to form a frequency-invariant beam pattern with extremely low sidelobes enabling it to pick up and track audio from the active talker. AVer’s PTZ Link software and Pro AV Cameras provide tracking functionality for the video side of the conferencing equation, so integrators can design and implement fully automated solutions that are simple to operate and provide class-leading quality and performance.
“We leveraged AVer’s PTZ Link software to provide seamless compatibility between our companies’ hardware and software. Now, whenever a BMA 360’s microphone zone is activated, an automatic command is sent to the PTZ functions of AVer’s Pro AV Cameras to pan and zoom to perfectly frame the desired subject,” Graham added. “ClearOne is always striving to provide end users with the best experiences. One of the unique features of the CONVERGE Pro 2 DSPs is the ability to manage up to three BMA 360 microphones with one DSP. With AVer’s cameras and PTZ Link software, a room as large as 100 ft can now be easily designed to incorporate voice tracking. This gives our integrator partners the ability to offer voice tracking capability with fully compatible camera and audio gear for small, medium, large and very large conference rooms, classrooms or other types of meeting spaces.”
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The key to the compatibility is AVer’s PTZ Link software, which can be hosted on a Windows or Mac OS X computer and provides data communication between signal processors and peripherals without requiring a separate controller unit.
“AVer is excited to help advance the state of video collaboration through partnerships that encourage broader use and break down barriers to adoption,” said AVer CEO Andy Hsi. “We look forward to working with ClearOne to continue pushing the industry forward and making it easier for integrators and their clients to achieve their dream installations and optimize meeting efforts.”
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The collaboration resulted from direct demand among distribution and integration partners, and ClearOne is now actively pursuing partnerships with leading hardware manufacturers to improve cross-platform performance and raise the standards of virtual collaboration industry-wide.
