In a constantly changing and globalized world, effective collaboration has become essential to the success of modern businesses. This involves transparent communication, sharing of ideas and knowledge, as well as decision-making in teams, which can boost innovation and productivity.

The post-pandemic situation brought new challenges and has radically changed the way companies operate. Remote work, which was widely adopted during the pandemic, has become an important component of the hybrid workplace, in which employees work both from home and from the office. This new context has further accentuated the need for efficient collaboration solutions that allow for effective communication between employees in different locations.

In recent years, Cisco has continued to innovate in the field of collaboration, launching new devices and solutions that integrate advanced technologies, such as artificial intelligence and data analytics.

Cisco’s current portfolio of collaboration devices is very large and varied, from devices and accessories for individual use (IP phones, headsets, complete video conferencing systems) to devices and accessories for large conference rooms (complete all-in-one video conferencing systems or video conferencing codecs that can form complete systems with displays of various sizes).

An overview with a part of the Cisco collaboration equipment portfolio:

Among the new features in the Cisco collaboration portfolio are equipment for conference rooms from the Cisco Board and Room series, as well as devices for individual use from the Cisco Desk and IP Phone series.

In today’s article, we will tell you about the latest news for conference room equipment, and in a future article, we will continue with the news for devices designed for individual use.

The latest equipment for conference rooms is represented by the “all-in-one” equipment from the Cisco Board Pro family (Board Pro 55 and Board Pro 75) as well as the new Cisco Room Kit EQ, Cisco Room Bar and Cisco Room Bar Pro codecs. These integrate the latest technologies and innovations in the field of collaboration.

 The new Cisco Board Pro series allows you to participate in video-based meetings, use a digital whiteboard (whiteboard), add notes to shared content, use common web applications, and present wirelessly (through Cisco Proximity, Miracast, and AirPlay). These intuitive devices include everything you need for effective teamwork in collaboration spaces of various sizes (boardrooms, conference rooms, training rooms, etc.).

Cisco Board Pro are complete video conferencing systems (“all-in-one”), including in the same system: video conferencing codec, display, cameras, microphones, speakers. Additionally, you can include: table or ceiling microphones and a Cisco Webex Room Navigator tablet (which can be mounted on a table or on a wall).

Main features of Cisco Board Pro devices:

• Models of 55-inch or 75-inch
• UltraHD interactive touchscreen
• Intelligent 4K video system with auto-framing, people focus, and speaker tracking features.
• Integrated speaker system
• Microphone array consisting of 12 elements
• Flexible mounting options (wall-mounted, floor stand, or stand with wheels)
• USB-C passthrough: allows computer devices (laptop/PC) to use Cisco Board Pro with any video conferencing client installed on the computer, while also benefiting from the camera intelligence and audio system provided by Cisco Board Pro
• Certified for Microsoft Teams Rooms: provides a native Microsoft Teams experience on Cisco Board Pro collaboration devices
• Products recognized at “Red Dot Design Awards 2022” as “Best of the Best” as a product design and at “UC Awards 2022” as “Best Meeting Room Product” of the year.

The new Cisco Room Kit EQ, Cisco Room Bar, and Cisco Room Bar Pro video conferencing codecs include the latest collaboration technologies and are designed for efficient teamwork, being designed for use in medium and large conference rooms (in the case of Cisco Room Kit EQ), for medium (in the case of Cisco Room Bar Pro) or for small conference rooms (in the case of Cisco Room Bar).

These devices are video conferencing systems consisting of codec, cameras, microphones, and speakers. You just need to connect them to a display (the size of which can be chosen depending on the size of the room) and you will have a complete video collaboration system.

Cisco Room Kit EQ is one of the latest Cisco video conferencing devices and is an AI-based codec that includes an intelligent 4-camera Cisco QuadCam system, an AI-based audio system, as well as various accessories for efficient collaboration. It can be integrated with up to three external displays, providing a complete experience for large conference rooms, boardrooms, training rooms, or performance venues.
 

Main features of the Cisco Room Kit EQ device:

• Modular codec that can be combined with the Cisco QuadCam 4-camera system or the Cisco PTZ 4K camera, or both.
• The intelligent 4-camera video system with 80 MP offers a single 1080p video stream based on simultaneous frames from the sensors of the 4 cameras
• The 4K PTZ video camera is an AI-powered video camera with pan, tilt, and zoom functions. It offers a 4K resolution with a total zoom of 240x (20x optical + 12x digital)
• Integrated speaker system
• Microphone array consisting of 8 elements
• The Kit EQ codec offers multiple I/O options for external microphones and speakers; It also supports connecting up to 8 digital microphones using audio over IP technology.
• Flexible mounting options: The codec can be mounted on the wall, in a rack, or placed on any flat surface; The Cisco QuadCam camera can be mounted on the wall, on the display, or under the display; The Cisco PTZ4K camera can be mounted on the wall or on the ceiling).
• Offers speaker tracking, automatic group framing, and intelligent people framing
• Supports 4K content sharing via cable or wirelessly via Apple AirPlay, Miracast, Webex, or via USB-C and HDMI Passthrough
• Can be configured to run natively on the Webex operating system – RoomOS or can be configured to run natively on the Microsoft Teams Rooms system.
• Video interoperability in Webex RoomOS mode with Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Meet

Cisco Room Bar is one of the most compact Cisco video conferencing systems and is dedicated to small conference rooms. It is an all-in-one video conferencing terminal that includes a video conferencing codec with an Nvidia chipset, a video camera, stereo speakers, and a microphone array. It also includes Webex Room Navigator.

It can be integrated with up to two external displays, providing a complete experience for meeting participants.

Main features of the Cisco Room Bar equipment:

• 12 MP video camera with 5x zoom and 120-degree horizontal field of view
• Microphone array with four elements with AI-powered noise cancellation
• Offers the option to connect an external desktop microphone or an external speaker via USB-A
• Flexible mounting options: wall-mounted, display-mounted, or under-display
• Offers speaker tracking, automatic group framing, and intelligent people framing features
• Supports 4K content sharing via cable or wirelessly via Apple AirPlay, Miracast, Webex, or via USB-C and HDMI Passthrough
• Can be configured to run natively on the Webex operating system – RoomOS or can be configured to run natively on the Microsoft Teams Rooms system.
• Video interoperability in Webex RoomOS mode with Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Meet

Cisco Room Bar Pro is the latest Cisco video conferencing terminal and is dedicated to medium-sized conference rooms. It is an all-in-one video conferencing terminal that includes a video conferencing codec, video camera, stereo speakers, and a microphone array. It also includes Webex Room Navigator.

It can be integrated with up to three external displays, providing a complete experience for meeting participants.

Main features of the Cisco Room Bar Pro equipment:

• Intelligent video codec based on Nvidia chipset based on AI
• Intelligent system of 2 96 MP video cameras with 5x zoom, 112-degree horizontal field of view and motorized tilt function between -2 and 20 degrees
• Microphone array consisting of 16 elements with AI-powered noise cancellation
• Offers the option to connect two analog microphones or 3 digital microphones using audio over IP technology or multiple 3rd party microphones using the AES67 standard
• Includes 3-channel stereo speaker system with spatial audio function
• Flexible mounting options: wall-mounted, display-mounted, or under-display
• Offers speaker tracking, automatic group-framing, and intelligent people framing features
• Supports 4K content sharing via cable or wirelessly via Apple AirPlay, Miracast, Webex, or via USB-C and HDMI Passthrough
• Can be configured to run natively on the Webex operating system – RoomOS or can be configured to run natively on the Microsoft Teams Rooms system
• Video interoperability in Webex RoomOS mode with Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Meet

Common smart features of Cisco Board Pro/Room Kit EQ/Room Bar/Room Bar Pro equipment:

• Webex Assistant: Users can join meetings using voice commands taken by an AI-powered virtual assistant.
• AI-Powered Noise Removal: Noise cancellation using AI.
• People Focus: Provides an intelligent video framing option that removes excess space from the floor and ceiling.
• People Count: The system can count the people in the room, allowing for analysis for better resource planning.
• Sensors: Temperature, humidity, noise, and light can be measured in rooms when the terminals are associated with a control tablet – Cisco Room Navigator.
• Digital signage: Allows you to display personalized content for the purpose of providing important information for employees and/or guests.
• Peripherals of the camera can be controlled, such as lights, room dividers, and curtains, using the control tablet – Cisco Room Navigator (requires integration with an external 3rd party module through customizable APIs).

These features are designed to improve the quality and productivity of meetings.