The Barco ClickShare Bar is the latest entrant in the crowded video bar product vertical. But with a focus on user experience, lower TCO, sustainability, and doing it all, the ClickShare Bar is looking to change the market.
Everyone should be aware that the workplace has evolved. Yannic Laleeuwe, marketing director workplace, Barco, elaborates: “With 80% of employees preferring hybrid work, the need for equity in meetings is high. When employees work from their home office, they should feel seen and heard, and enjoy equal opportunities to contribute. This is called meeting equity: the concept of making every participant feel valued and on equal terms in a meeting, regardless of whether they’re dialling in remotely or meeting in-person.”
While everyone knows that workplaces have changed, companies are still on the hunt for the perfect product that enables modern spaces to function and deliver the right balance of meeting equity. Enter Barco’s ClickShare Bar. Laleeuwe explains the thought process driving the introduction of this new contender: “There was a gap in our offering, and we have decided to fill it in the way only Barco can. To be clear, we are not launching a USB video bar, we are introducing the ClickShare Bar. The difference is that the ClickShare Bar is really an all-in-one solution, it can do it all: audio, video, and wireless collaboration.”
She continues: “What we are seeing in the market is that there are a lot of ‘empty rooms’ because they are not video enabled. These rooms are usually ‘smedium’, serving four to six people and end users are facing a challenge to fully video enable these spaces. The burden can be quite big and investing in an audio solutions and cameras for all these rooms is often beyond the foreseen budget. For these ‘smedium’ spaces, the ClickShare Bar is perfect.”
The ClickShare Bar comes packed with features and capabilities that help alleviate the burden that Laleeuwe mentions. She elaborates: “The advanced audio and video capabilities of the ClickShare Bar include high-quality microphones with noise suppression that minimise distracting sounds as well as acoustic echo cancellation for clear communication for all meeting participants. Paired with a 4K camera featuring a 120-degrees FOV for a sharp and extensive view of the meeting room and multiple framing options, every in-room participant will be perfectly visible to remote attendees. This facilitates easy, natural communication between meeting participants across multiple locations and ensures meeting equity.”
What sets the ClickShare Bar apart from the crowded video bar field? Laleeuwe answers: “It really is about the user experience and ClickShare stands for user experience. What the ClickShare Bar does is ensure that the same user experience can be created across all different types of meeting spaces and the functions that they enable. So, for example, in the premium meeting spaces such as the boardroom, you can have a bespoke solution with Barco solutions together with the products from our alliance partners. And in the smaller meeting spaces you can have the ClickShare Bar. What this ensures is that users have the same experience. All meetings start and are conducted in the same way. The technology becomes simple for the user to leverage and use. And we believe this is really what the end users are looking for.”
In action, the ClickShare Bar seeks to make the lives of end users easier. Laleeuwe details: “For IT managers, the ClickShare Bar represents a major leap forward. Its effortless installation and consolidated functionalities reduce both costs and technical challenges. With one device connected to a screen for an entire meeting room, you will benefit from simplified deployment, reduced installation costs, and fewer points of failure. Long term, this will lead to minimised downtime, an overall lower total cost of ownership and better ROI.”
She adds: “Security, stability, and sustainability are built in, so IT managers can enjoy peace of mind in their new hybrid work environment. The ClickShare Bar is the first carbon-neutral video bar for wireless conferencing on the market. We can bring sustainability to your meeting rooms and at the same time, make a much broader positive impact and support your organisation achieve its sustainability goals.”
The commitment to sustainability is laudable and not just lip service. Laleeuwe concludes: “Barco truly believes that making profits is not our only goal. We should invest in people, communities, and the planet. We are taking a cradle to grave approach with our products looking at everything from energy consumption, to how our products are developed, our supply chain, the packaging, and much more. In the course of the next months, we will receive labels stating that the ClickShare Bar is a completely carbonneutral product. The device is an energy-efficient product with 100% recycled packaging, made from non-paint plastics and includes passive cooling and extrusion heatsink. It is designed with people and planet in mind.”