Audio and videoconferencing applications have reshaped the face of communication and collaboration, bridging time and distance for remote teams to come together in new ways. However, conferencing traditionally has required a dedicated room designed for pristine acoustics or a huddle space free of any background noise. In addition, conference rooms have required reservations, often in advance, or alternatively, participants must take the call at a personal desk and struggle to hear over the everyday din. In this day in age, meeting participants need the flexibility to meet anywhere but only with clear audio will productivity and success be possible.
[Shure Announces Results of Conferencing Survey]
At Peepers, a national eyewear company, pristine audio is what helps the company achieve its mission for one-of-kind design and caring customer service. Peepers’ directors rely on Zoom to formulate new ideas and share progress, but computer audio was inadequate for the company’s needs. The volume and clarity were poor, and they couldn’t hear all parties talking. Peepers represents a common conferencing environment and audio struggles.
Another conferencing application that is becoming more prevalent is spontaneous meetings in open environments. At Oral Roberts University (ORU), demand for open, collaborative spaces is increasing, along with a desire to create a hybrid environment where remote online students can participate in multiple, simultaneous breakout sessions with students in the local classroom. Called the Collaborative Learning Lab, it contains six separate tables in a shared space. Participants online and at each table work together via Zoom. For audio, the school first tried the computer’s built-in microphone and speaker and when that failed, they bought in traditional desk speakerphones that are commonly used in offices. However, the speakerphone required manually dialing into the conference number and was inadequate in isolating the audio of simultaneous videoconferencing sessions being conducted in the room.
These two examples illustrate the variety of places where meetings are being held and the audio obstacles that stand in the way of productivity. Last year, Yamaha UC broadened its leading family of conferencing solutions to address evolving meeting environments. The YVC-330 USB and Bluetooth speakerphone isn’t a typical speakerphone. Yamaha UC’s SoundCap technology is designed to convert the audio of open workspaces into a clear and natural signal that is almost as good as being in a quiet meeting room. It eliminates the problem of finding available conference rooms by making it possible for organizations to hold meetings even where there is background noise present. With no noise distractions, participants at the other end of the call can focus on the conversation. In addition, the small unit was built with portability in mind, so it can go anywhere.
Both Peepers and ORU tested the YVC-330. They found that YVC-330 effectively limited background noise for conferencing sessions.
“We could hear all parties talking,” said Alec Sammann, president of Peepers. “The volume and clarity were better than what we were able to achieve previously.”
ORU tested the unit not only in a conference room but also in a high-traffic coffeehouse with a significant level of background noise. During the test, there were students seated at all of the surrounding tables and music was being played in the background.
“With the SoundCap feature engaged, it provided a noticeable decrease in background noise while delivering quality sound at the remote end of the connection,” said Ron Lee, ORU’s information security manager. “SoundCap filters out background noise and improves the listening experience for the remote users. Most remote users initially comment on the quality and intelligibility of the conversations. This is one of the best sounding solutions we have used. We are looking forward to using YVC-330s in our Collaborative Learning Lab to facilitate multiple, simultaneous Zoom video conference sessions at adjacent tables.”
A meeting room isn’t just a conference room anymore. It’s an airport, a coffeeshop, a classroom, and anywhere else teams need to meet. The YVC-330 delivers the flexibility and clarity that turns any space into a conference room.
