Video Collaboration

Look For: Enhanced Communication and Productivity
Avoid: Stressing the Network

Video applications are used across industries for everything from collaborating and problem solving with colleagues, to training sessions, to providing customer services like telehealth appointments. While the use of this technology grew exponentially with many working from home, these applications are so entrenched in business operations that they won’t disappear with return-to-office mandates. Employees will still reach for videoconferencing to connect them with others who aren’t in the same office building — whether that be with a colleague or client in the same state or in another country.

Networks — wired and WiFi — must be resilient enough to withstand the growing dependency of video collaboration. They must support the upload and download of real-time data; otherwise, meeting attendees will experience distorted video, speech delays and other issues.

To keep communication and productivity on track, IT professionals must have:

• End-to-end user experience metrics that measure how capable networks are of supporting video platforms. Metrics measured must include latency, jitter, dropped packets and the Mean Opinion Score.
• Real-time analytics for video collaboration software and all other network devices, applications, and infrastructure to identify and resolve issues with pinpoint accuracy.
• Complete visibility into the entire network ecosystem so there are no behavior and performance mysteries.
• Automatic, proactive alerts to issues as soon as they occur and before users are impacted, rather than reactive alerts from inconvenienced users.

The 6GHz Frequency Band and WiFi 6E Migration

Look For: Expanded Connectivity
Avoid: Interoperability Issues

WiFi 6E appeared on the market soon after the release of WiFi 6. While the two deliver similar benefits for enterprises, WiFi 6E devices are alone in their ability to use the new unlicensed 6GHz spectrum. This is the first time in over a decade that the amount of available unlicensed spectrum has changed so this is far from your run-of-the-mill migration.

Yes, the 6GHz spectrum will be less congested and offer less signal interference since it will only allow 6E devices, and adds 14 additional 80MHz channels and 7 additional 160MHz channels. Yes, the faster data throughput and lower latency are exciting, especially for technologies such as cloud computing, augmented and virtual reality, and instantaneously uploading / downloading extremely large files.

But, networks and network ecosystems are going to significantly change with the new frequency band. Migrations need to move slowly and steadily to avoid interoperability issues. Technology leaders must prep their teams to be ready to:

• Analyze end user metrics to predict which departments need the upgrade first. Migrations are expensive and time consuming; that time and money should be spent where the ROI will be the greatest.
• Redesign AP deployment to better provide 6GHz connectivity. The 6GHz spectrum uses shorter wavelengths than its 2.4GHz and 5GHz predecessors. Existing AP placement may not offer the best support for the new technology.
• Ensure redesigns don’t cause roaming issues for devices on any of the three frequency bands.
• Watch and analyze three frequency bands 24/7. Issues of any sort can occur at any time; if all three frequency bands aren’t analyzed 24/7, IT professionals will be missing data. There’s always the chance that the data that teams don’t have will be the data that is needed to identify a root cause and make it possible for IT to implement a resolution.
• Compare network performance before and after transitions both to identify issues and determine if the expected ROI is delivered.

AI-Powered Network Automation

Look For: Complete Wired and WiFi Assurance
Avoid: Manual, Reactive Operations

Enterprises need issue-free wired and WiFi networks. If networks aren’t issue free, organizations need solutions in place that will drastically:

1. Reduce the number of issues
2. Reduce resolution times

Fewer issues that are in turn resolved faster than ever result in networks that spend more time working optimally and less time causing delays in business continuity. When almost every single business process is dependent on the network, network assurance is a critical need.

Enterprises can try to achieve network assurance through purely manual means, but they will fail. Networks are too complex for this to be possible. Assurance depends on real-time analytics from every single connected device, all infrastructure, and even nearby networks. IT professionals cannot analyze thousands of data packets a second. They need AI-powered network automation.

When teams have the support of these solutions, they have:

• Complete network visibility provided by a solution that never sleeps
• Real-time, automatic problem detection, notification, and identification (root cause analysis)
• Recommended resolutions
• Proactive network testing
• Automated remote troubleshooting

AI-powered network automation solutions deliver in-depth network analytics, down to the device level, so that technology leaders know the precise behavior and performance of their network, and what is needed to improve it. Generalities are not the answer. Enterprises want the best network for their users – and their users have specific needs and pain points. Understanding these, and designing a network that improves user experience, will also improve business performance, reputation and revenue.

AI-powered network automation solutions provide the needed capabilities in a cost-effective and scalable way. This is modern wired and WiFi assurance.

The Details Matter

A network that must be significantly updated or redesigned every year is one that is doing no one any favors. Networks need to meet the needs of enterprise users right now and be adaptable enough to continue providing optimal support for the next three to five years. Build your network to support the three trends of video collaboration, WiFi 6E and the 6GHz band, and network automation, and your network will be resilient, reliable, and give you a competitive edge that lasts beyond 2024.

Roger Sands is the co-founder and CEO of Wyebot, Inc. He has 20+ years of executive management experience under his belt, gained from working with both successful networking startups and Fortune 500 companies, such as the following: Hewlett-Packard’s WW WLAN business, Colubris Networks, Accton Technology, 3com, USRobotics, and Bytex Corporation.

The post Top Three Network Concerns for Technology Decision Makers appeared first on My TechDecisions.

Research by Frost & Sullivan reports there is greater adoption of meeting insights and analytics tools to gain a better understanding of space utilization, performance, and engagement, with 76% of the decision-makers indicating this is a key capability. Companies are looking into implementing emerging technologies that provide insights on the workspace and meeting room utilization.

Today’s workforce has become accustomed to the Bring Your Own Meeting (BYOM) or Bring your own Device (BYOD) concept in meeting rooms. The Barco ClickShare solution enables users to host calls from their own laptop with their preferred videoconferencing platform, using the audio and video equipment in the meeting room. According to Barco, ClickShare has been leading the market with its wireless BYOM approach, as market research company Futuresource Consulting has previously estimated that ClickShare’s portfolio makes up over 50% of the global wireless conferencing market.

Clickshare & Microsoft Integration

With more than 240,000 ClickShare Conference devices in the field, ClickShare will be a significant data source for Microsoft Teams Rooms management capabilities and will feed into future initiatives. This first step provides valuable insights for IT decision makers without changing the user experience. When initiating a Teams call, the user’s Teams desktop client identifies the connected microphone, speaker, and camera via the ClickShare Base Unit and Button, passing the data into the Teams Pro Portal. Once multiple users have connected to the same ClickShare Base Unit, the information is populated for IT managers as a potential shared space within the Pro Management portal, enabling registration and management of the meeting space.

“ClickShare has always put the user at the heart of the experience, while guaranteeing IT managers have the necessary insights to equip meeting rooms in the most optimal way,” says Jan van Houtte, head of product at Barco. “Through this integration, Microsoft and Barco will work together to build easy management systems at scale for their customers. The joint forces in the Shared Spaces initiative are a first yet crucial step to explore market opportunities and establish a future portfolio.”

“Barco shares a clear focus with Microsoft on creating the best meeting experience. This focus drives our decision making, strategy, and partnerships, which has led us to take this step,” says Dan Root, head of global strategic alliances at Barco. “We are very pleased to be a part of the Microsoft Teams Devices ecosystem, and to bring Microsoft into our partnership program. Through this collaboration we will work together to build industry-leading solutions that take collaboration to the next level.”

Another version of this article originally appeared on our sister-site Commercial Integrator on February 22, 2024. It has since been updated for My TechDecisions’ audience.

The post Barco Streamlines IT Management with Microsoft Integration appeared first on My TechDecisions.

The announcements come as Microsoft remains laser focused on integrating AI models from OpenAI across its product portfolio and new AI assistant Copilot. Microsoft bills Mesh as essentially a new way for organizations to collaborate that is designed to make virtual meetings more interactive and less dreadful.

To help cut down on meeting fatigue, Microsoft is launching the general availability of Avatars for Teams. In a blog, Microsoft says the new customizable avatars give users a “much-needed camera break” while still showing that they are actively engaged in the meeting.

Avatars for Teams is generally available on the desktop Teams client for PC and Mac and is rolling out to tenants now, Microsoft says.

Microsoft is also introducing immersive spaces for Microsoft Teams, which the company calls a new way for people to connect using the collaboration platform by adding an immersive experience to any Teams meeting. This is designed to give meetings a sense of “natural co-presence and togetherness” regardless of participant location.

“Engage with others in a space that mimics many elements of an in-person interaction – like the ability to walk over to someone you want to catch up with, or to be in a space with multiple concurrent conversations without talking over one another,” Microsoft in a Tech Community blog.

Immersive spaces features spatial audio so users experience sound as they would in an in-person setting, and it can be accessed through a PC or VR headset. It is currently available for Teams Technology Adoption Program (TAP) customers in private preview.

Customers and partners can learn more about Mesh or register interest in the Mesh private preview here.

The post Avatars, Immersive Spaces Coming to Microsoft Teams via Mesh appeared first on My TechDecisions.

The company first announced Slack canvas as part of its Dreamforce event in September 2022; the tool is now finally rolling out, with canvas expected to be available to all Slack users in the coming months.

According to Slack, customers on paid plans will have access to both standalone canvases and canvases that exist as part of channels and DMs. Free teams can also enjoy use canvases in channels and DMs.

What is Slack Canvas?

Slack calls canvas a place where “knowledge is created and shared across teams,” helping to enhance real time collaboration in channels by offering an evergreen place to organize and share any kind of information, such as text, files, apps and other media.

“They can include link unfurls, previewing your systems of record, like Salesforce Customer 360,” the company says in a blog post. “No matter what your canvases contain, it’s all captured in a single view. And like channel content in Slack, canvases are searchable, enabling knowledge management across your organization.”

When paired with Slack’s recently released-out-of-beta next-generation platform for automating and integrating everything with Slack, organizations can embed no-code workflows inside a canvas to increase discoverability of those automations while providing more context around how it can be used.

Use Cases for Slack Canvases

Slack gives an example of embedding a button to request a corporate phone or create an IT request within the canvas containing the organization’s corporate policy.

Another example for marketing teams is the ability to create a canvas for a new product launch with its agency partner. A canvas can be paired to a Slack Connect project channel, enabling teams to create one source of truth that tracks content, files and data across internal teams and agency partners.

According to Slack, canvases can also be paired with any channel or conversation to centralize information and drive alignment. Teams can store relevant, evergreen content about the topic that can be referenced or updated at any time, the company says.

In a given example, sales teams can create a customer channel equipped with a canvas that the entire account team can use to stay aligned. This could include links to files and other canvases, such as account plans and executive briefing notes. A canvas could also include a curated list of relevant channels the team needs to reference their account, the company says.

“Even opportunity data and usage and spend data from Salesforce Sales Cloud can automatically be incorporated into a canvas,” the company says in the blog. “With canvas, sales teams can keep everyone up to speed, so reps can focus on closing deals faster.”

Additional Features

Slack canvases also feature the platform’s native collaboration features built in, allowing teams to bring a canvas right into a huddle to discuss and make edits in real time. Users can also comment, react, and see revision history right in canvas. Teams can choose who has view and edit access, and can also decide which channels and people the canvas can be sent to.

Read the company’s blog for more information.

The post Slack Begins Rolling Out Canvases, New Surface of Work appeared first on My TechDecisions.

The Tech Problem

“As schools across the country searched for ways to deliver educational instruction to remote students, we had a strong sense that classroom technology had shifted from being a special feature to a basic requirement,” says David Kollar, MCC tech support specialist for Tech Services Media. “Our team in the Media Department recognized that temporary school closures presented an opportunity to transform classrooms with new systems that deliver superior quality audio and video for remote learning. Based on colleagues’ prior positive experiences with ClearOne audio and video products, we tested and eventually selected multiple ClearOne audio solutions to provide reliable, cost-effective audio capture and guarantee every remote learner can hear each word spoken in the classroom with outstanding clarity.

ClearOne Audio Solutions

The school began evaluating its existing classroom solutions in the spring of 2020, and before long acquired a demo system from ClearOne using the company’s COLLABORATE Versa Pro CT beamforming in-ceiling microphone and CONVERGE Huddle DSP mixer. After testing the solution and inviting staff to comment on its performance, the school purchased 28 Huddle mixers to improve the quality and simplicity of some existing room systems. By May 2023, approximately 200 rooms will offer educators the power and reliability of the Versa Pro CT solution, while eight larger rooms are upgraded with the enterprise-grade ClearOne Converge Pro 2 DSP.

“As a forward-thinking institution that happens to be one of the nation’s largest community colleges, we strive to provide maximum value to our students, no matter how they attend courses or where they are physically located,” adds Jeff Foster, MCC senior tech support specialist for Tech Services Media. He continues, “remote learning provides an excellent option for any students who can’t attend a class while also greatly increasing opportunity for parents or working professionals who rely on our courses and programs to advance their education and careers. Combined with the upcoming launch of our very first four-year degree programs, we are once again proving our commitment to innovation in education and providing options that allow more prospective students to pursue learning where, when and to what degree they choose. Innovative technologies such as ClearOne’s powerful audio products are crucial to our continued success and ability to attract students in a highly competitive market.”

When the installations are completed, approximately two-thirds of existing classrooms will house ClearOne audio capture solutions, with some existing tech infrastructure being retained and integrated through analog connections on the ClearOne DSP mixers. Like many colleges, the campus designates some classrooms for open booking, while others are assigned to specific professors. Standardizing these easy-to-use systems across the entire campus allows for much greater reliability and ensures educators can quickly utilize remote tools without requiring IT assistance or encountering obstructions.

To help the school get up to speed and optimize use of the new solutions, ClearOne provided in-depth training to the technical staff and helped ensure teaching staff could be quickly trained to use advanced features such as Auto Echo Cancellation (AEC). A combination of new and existing PTZ cameras provide video capture, while a select number of legacy microphones were integrated into the Converge Pro 2 systems in larger lecture halls.

“Students of all disciplines can now enjoy crystal clear lectures and lessons wherever they choose, eliminating barriers for non-traditional students and enabling greater access to life-changing education,” says ClearOne rep Jason Wiley.

The post Mesa Community College Boosts Online Learning Experience with ClearOne’s Audio Capture Technology appeared first on My TechDecisions.

According to Cisco, the solution aligns with the U.S. government’s approach to security for cloud products, including air-gapped cloud deployments that are isolated from public networks and operated on U.S. soil by local staff with specific security clearances to handle sensitive data.

The Webex solution for air-gapped deployments will provide an extra layer of security and still allow teams to collaborate through the company’s modern meeting, chat, and calling experiences via the Webex App.

Customers leveraging the air-gapped solution will have interoperability with existing Cisco Unified Communication Management (CUCM) to capitalize on previous investments in Cisco technologies.

According to Cisco, the company already offers Webex for Government, which is currently used by some U.S. security and defense agencies. That includes on-prem solutions for secure collaboration, including calling, messaging, meetings and file sharing. In addition, Cisco says Webex operates a FedRAMP authorized U.S. Trusted Cloud in-country, adhering to FedRAMP requirements.

“There is not a one size fits all solution for collaboration, which is why Webex’s approach to developing fully compliant collaboration solutions for Government takes into account local regulations, compliance requirements and security controls for individual Government communities,” the company says in a blog.

The air-gapped, cloud-based collaboration experience for National security and Defense will be available in 2024, the company says.

While specific to National Security and Defense, Cisco says it will continue to develop compliant and customized Webex solutions across all facets of government.

The post Cisco Announces Air-Gapped Webex Solution for National Security, Defense appeared first on My TechDecisions.

The company calls Loop a new app that “combines a powerful and flexible canvas with portable components that move freely and stay in sync across apps,” helping teams to collaborate together in the flow of work.

This article breaks down Microsoft Loop, how it can be used to improve collaboration, and how IT can deploy it to their end users.

What is Microsoft Loop?

Essentially, Microsoft Loop is a single workspace with AI capabilities designed to bring everything a user needs into one app, eliminating the need to switch between different apps.

According to Microsoft, users can simply add a workspace title and other relevant keywords, and Microsoft Loop will suggest the most relevant pieces to add to the workspace. Users can then choose which resources to add, and content will be organized into pages.

Creating workspace pages is designed to be simple, with templates and drag-and-drop functionality to help user structure the workspace to their liking, Microsoft says in a blog.

Everything you need is at your fingertips with the insert menu. Just type “/” to add a label, live date, images, emojis, tables, checklists, and more—all without disturbing the flow of your work. Or simply type “@” and choose from suggested files and people based on the context of your writing. These simple commands allow you to comment and react to each other’s work; building on ideas, resolving issues, and making decisions quickly.

What Microsoft Loop can do

In addition, Microsoft Loop allows users to share pieces of information with different groups of people, including those not on the same teams. Users can share relevant information with the right people, and they can turn any content on a Loop page into a component, then copy and paste across Microsoft 365 apps such as Teams, Outlook, Whiteboard and eventually, Word for the web.

According to Microsoft, Loop components are “atomic units of productivity” designed to help users collaborate in their productivity apps such as chat, email, meetings, documents or Loop pages.

Loop components can be as simple as lists, tables, notes, tasks, or as sophisticated as a customer sales opportunity from Microsoft Dynamics 365, and because components stay in sync, no matter how many places they live in, you and your team always work with the latest information.

Users can also share whole pages, either as a link or a live page, allowing users to respond to one another in the flow of their work. For example, a user who prefers email can add their input to the Loop component or page from their email, and changes will update across all the places where the component or page was shared, the company says.

Microsoft Loop also features progress trackers and custom labels designed to help teams stay aligned on projects, and tasks assigned in the Loop app and in the task list component will sync across Microsoft Planner and To Do so users will see what they need to focus on.

The tool also includes notifications to help manage users’ time and attention in the flow of work, including from a desktop or mobile. In the Loop app, a notification feed will keep track of a user’s mentions, assigned tasks and replies, and users can reply to notifications.

When a user creates Loop components, security and permissions settings apply just like they do for Word, Excel, PowerPoint and other Office documents. Users can see who has access to the page or component and all the places it’s been shared, Microsoft says.

A search function and in-depth integration with Microsoft 365 will also help users find what they’re looking for.

Microsoft Loop and Copilot

The launch of the Microsoft Loop preview comes shortly after the company announced Microsoft 365 Copilot, a generative AI assistant that will work alongside users in Microsoft productivity apps and help with content creation, writing emails and create meeting summaries.

Microsoft is also bringing Copilot to Loop, giving users AI-powered suggestions to help transform how they create and collaborate, the company says.

It guides you with prompts like create, brainstorm, blueprint, and describe. Or simply type in a prompt, like “help me create a mission statement.”

Copilot in Loop also allows users and their teammates to go back to earlier prompts, add language to refine the output, and edit the generated responses to get better results. Users can then share their work as a Loop component with their teammates across Teams, Outlook, Whiteboard or Word for the web.

When will Microsoft Loop be available and how can admins enable it?

The public preview of the Loop app is currently available for the web and mobile, and general availability will come once Microsoft receives feedback and improves the tool.

IT admins can review the settings management for Loop app in a Microsoft Learn document to enable Loop for their or read this Tech Community blog on how to enable Microsoft Loop.

The company gives these four key steps:

1. Create a security group that will contain all the users in your organization who you want to grant access to the Loop app during Public Preview.
2. Create a Cloud Policy, scoped to the security group you created above, to enable the Loop app.
3. Wait an hour or so for the setting to propagate and log in to Loop!
4. Ensure your firewall rules allow all the appropriate services.

The post What You Need to Know About Microsoft Loop appeared first on My TechDecisions.

The ScreenBeam Spring K-12 Grant Program thus provides solutions to achieve equitable hybrid and distance learning across campus. ScreenBeam says it will move teachers into the classroom with standardized wireless display and wireless connections to the in-room peripherals. By doing so, it will make it easier for teachers to connect and collaborate with their in-room and remote students.

The ScreenBeam 1100 Plus (SBWD1100P) with ScreenBeam Conference Software provides wireless display from teacher and student devices without the need for dongles or cables. ScreenBeam Conference software also enables connectivity to in-room peripherals such as cameras, microphones, and speakers. The ScreenBeam 1100 Plus is designed with a multi-network architecture providing three physical network interfaces to connect both teacher and student devices. It does so without compromising security, digital signage, instant alerts and notifications to classroom displays, HDMI input and centralized management. The solution also includes a three-year warranty without any subscription fees.

Spring K-12 Grant Details

• ScreenBeam will grant 1.06 units of SBWD1100P for every one (1) unit of SBWD1100P purchased. For example, 200 units purchased will receive 212 additional units under the grant
• Customers must purchase and take delivery of a minimum of 200 SBWD1100P units between February 1, 2023 and March 31, 2023 to receive the grant
• Maximum grant per customer is 500 units
• Product may be purchased through ScreenBeam Authorized Resellers
• Granted units will ship upon proof of purchase

How to Qualify

1. Complete and submit the grant submission form.
2. ScreenBeam will respond to legitimate requests within one business day
3. Grant offer is available until March 31, 2023 or while supply lasts
4. All grants approved will receive grant units upon completion of minimum purchase by March 31, 2023

Another version of this article originally appeared on our sister-site Commercial Integrator on February 3, 2023. It has since been updated for My TechDecisions’ audience.

The post ScreenBeam Invites K-12 Institutions to Apply for Wireless Display Grant appeared first on My TechDecisions.

This integration comes as businesses continue to navigate demand for hybrid and remote operations. According to a report from Gallup, there are an estimated 70+ million U.S. workers who can do their job remotely, with about 75% of remote-capable workers projected to be hybrid or fully remote in the long-term.

“At GoTo, what matters to us most is meeting the needs of our customers,” says Damon Covey, head of product at GoTo. “As hybrid and remote work remain a staple in our workforce, we need to ensure that effective collaboration can occur with the same ease as in the office, regardless of where employees choose to get work done. With our new Miro integration, GoTo enables businesses to maintain a high level of productivity through visual whiteboard collaboration from anywhere.”

The integration of Miro into GoTo’s application will allow businesses to:

• Collaborate on a Miro board from within the GoTo app: Miro is integrated directly into GoTo’s communications products, users can access their boards without leaving their meetings or training session.
• Perfect for any team, for any use case, from anywhere: GoTo users can now drive better engagement across all teams by unlocking more efficient brainstorming, diagramming, journey mapping, and more.
• Top tools to support visual collaboration: Access sticky notes, mind maps, timeline builders, code blocks, charts, tables, and other creative tools to drive real-time collaboration with colleagues and customers.
• Create a whiteboard without a Miro account: GoTo users who don’t have a Miro account can simply create a new blank board within GoTo, accessible for 24 hours. For those who want to save their whiteboard, sign-up for Miro is always free.

“Miro is deeply invested in creating new ways for teams to collaborate effectively in distributed, hybrid work environments. Our new integration with GoTo creates another method of seamless collaboration and makes it easier for teams to truly connect, learn, and grow together – all in one place,” said Kev Chung, head of partnerships and business development at Miro.

The post GoTo Announces New Miro Integration appeared first on My TechDecisions.

Digital avatars and holographic humans fill the “interaction void” between humans and the digital and physical worlds. The variety of virtual states creates the so-called mixed-reality spectrum, which includes the following:

• Near-digital experiences
• Near-physical experiences
• Mixed-reality experiences

As a part of mixed reality, holographic display technology can be used in all sorts of areas. Fundamentally, virtual and augmented realities are substantially similar, although brands often use them quite differently and, in some cases, you cannot replace one with the other. Let’s explore both.

Virtual Reality vs. Augmented Reality

Virtual reality is indispensable for complex simulations when there is no other way to reproduce specific reality conditions. Meanwhile, augmented reality is increasingly used for product modeling and extending reality with extra data.

A good example of when virtual reality might be used would be someone checking into a hotel or making a deposit at a bank. There are some parts of the interaction, such as name and details, that are easy to script. However, there are other parts that require a genuine human interaction. When the second part is essential, this can now be done via a call center or central location using a livestream and green screen. Thus, organizations can be far more efficient while still providing that personal service.

Many brands are looking for more control over the way that their products are created and sold. Establishing strong communications between those brands and their end users adds even more value to the brands and their product offerings.

Retailers are also keen to develop their customers’ in-store experience so as to provide a reason to come back to brick-and-mortar stores. Interactive advertising or interactive promotions have the power to create extraordinary consumer experiences, thereby giving retailers the ability to connect with consumers on a completely different level.

Interactive advertising — from traditional quizzes to virtual and augmented reality — is actively used by some of the biggest brands in the world, including IKEA, Lego, Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, Volkswagen and many others.

Demand for Digital Humans

So, what does this mean in terms of the future and which specific technologies we should watch out for? Leading brands in holographic technology are seeing more and more demand for digital humans. Some initial iterations were based on pre-recorded 3D holographic green-screen videos of real people, but they were not fully interactive. You might have seen demonstrations of this involving executives from Integrated Systems Europe or AVI-SPL.

With holography’s value having been well established, prospective clients soon began asking providers if it was possible to further develop this technology to create the possibility of a 3D holographic livestream. And, indeed, these capabilities are now starting to blossom. This aligns with brands and events increasingly looking to bring a higher level of personalization and interactivity while retaining the human look and feel.

But digital humans are just one piece of the interactivity puzzle. The options are endless. The key is to look at what you already have and build atop that. At this point, we are all in the Zoom and Teams era; they are so deeply integrated into our lives that we can’t live without them. At the same time, flatscreen images are just not the same as a 3D image or person in front of us.

Live 3D Holographic VC

This is why leading brands came up with the livestreaming feature for their technology. Therefore, I ask a simple question: Can live 3D holographic VC be that far away?

It all seems pretty simple, but transmitting the image is just one part of a complex solution. It’s necessary to enhance the holographic image with added layers and visual effects to ensure the hologram appears realistic. This is done to convince the human brain that the digitally streamed person is physically in front of them. The addition of these layers provides the magic moment…the moment when digital technology blends with reality and brings forth a digital and emotional connection. This simply wasn’t possible previously.

A similar thought process lies behind 3D-modeler solutions. Traditional forms of brand advertising aren’t delivering the look and feel that high-end brands are now looking for. A good example is car brands, which, for a long time, used 2D videos or static images. Now, however, these techniques are being replaced, regardless of how amazing the photography might be. Instead, leading brands are exploring the 3D-modeling world and providing the ability to rotate and add/remove layers with touch-free hand gestures.

While this is just the first iteration of these applications, there’s strong reason to believe that this will lead to even more customization and interactivity in this field.

This article originally appeared on MyTechDecisions’ sister-site CommercialIntegrator.com.

Kiryl Chykeyuk is CEO and co-founder of HYPERVSN.

The post Filling the ‘Interaction Void’ between Humans and the Digital and Physical Worlds appeared first on My TechDecisions.