Getting Up Close and Personal with Polycom Immersive Studio Flex
By Bob Knauf
I recently had the opportunity to spend a few days with Polycom’s latest video innovation, RealPresence Immersive Studio Flex talking with my co-workers and customers from around the world who were in their own Immersive Studios. The experience was nothing short of amazing.
I’ll be the first to admit, I have often looked at immersive solutions from Polycom and others as a luxury for an organization. However, after getting to know Flex, my mind has changed. Seeing my colleagues in real-size on screen and talking to them for just a short amount of time, you lose the feeling that they aren’t in the same room with you. You have been transported to their location and you are able to talk, joke and conduct a meeting as if you are all together.
One meeting went on for just over two hours and I had papers spread around the table and my colleagues had a slightly messy table as well. At one point, I literally reached out and tried to grab something off their table and was reminded that we were doing this meeting over video.
So, what makes Flex unique? First let’s start with the price. A typical fully immersive video solution has historically cost between $250-500k per site. That does make immersive technology a luxury item. Immersive Studio Flex breaks the price barrier in this category with an entry price below $150k. Sure, that is not a $999 video system, but that is like comparing an orange to a piece of lumber. Secondly, the installation can be flexible, from a choice of three colors to deciding what pieces of the solution you need, you choose. Finally, real estate does not have to be a big concern for facility managers because Flex is designed to fit in a standard conference room, so no worries about an extra-large space with tall ceilings.
The technology behind the scenes is remarkable as well – 3D voice enables you to “hear” where people are sitting in the room, 1080p60 people and content gives users that in-room feeling and of course ease of use with any call or content control being done through the RealPresence Touch. Honestly, all anyone needs to do is just touch a button and they are connected.
If you are looking for a solution that will allow your users to be highly productive and give them that in-room experience with colleagues and customers, I encourage you to take a look at Immersive Studio Flex and all of Polycom Immersive solutions. Take a virtual tour of Flex or go ahead and schedule a time to visit one of our offices to experience Flex for yourself.