When it comes to a great UC experience, size matters not. Bose Professional’s Martin Bodley explains how the new Bose Videobar VB-S conferencing device brings an unparalleled experience to small meeting spaces.
Microsoft Teams Rooms (MTRs) come in many sizes, and even the smallest of rooms requires punchy audio and clear video to meet the needs of a modern hybrid workforce.
The pandemic brought many challenges and opportunities for the world of UC, and now, with the return to the office and the trend of hybrid working seemingly here to stay, integrators are now being called upon to deliver large scale MTR deployments rapidly. Not only is time of the essence, but integrators also need to navigate the challenges of supply chain disruption and product shortages.
Martin Bodley, director, emerging business at Bose Professional, explains: “Everybody has been challenged with supply chain issues and product availability has been a real issue for larger scale rollouts of 50 to 75 rooms or more. Many of these problems are starting to resolve themselves now and the rollout of large deployments is becoming more and more critical as people return to work.”
In a world where meeting or videoconferencing environments need to be rolled out rapidly and at scale, premium quality must go hand in hand with simplicity of setup and ease of use.
To meet this need, Bose Professional’s Videobar VB-S conferencing device enters the fray. Designed as an all-in-one USB conferencing device, the Bose VB-S combines accessibility and the quality that post-pandemic videoconferencing demands.
Bodley says: “The Bose VB-S has a simple interface; it just has a power cord and a USB plug, that’s it. It’s simple but it comes with everything you need from start to finish in the box from day one. The Bose VB-S includes different mounting options and the cables you need. We created a compactly sized product so you could video enable small spaces. You don’t have a device that is intimidating or complicated — we still deliver a beam-steering, digital microphone array with auto-framing and advanced AI on the camera. For small spaces, this is the perfect option as it is easy to use and simple to set up.
Bodley says: “For each room you create in a mass deployment, you may want to go back down the line and make some tweaks to the setup. With remote management tools, you can now push software and profiles to the Bose VB-S, remotely, without physically going back to the room. This is extremely important for successful mass rollouts.”
The Bose VB-S even benefits from artificial intelligence built-in on the video and the audio side, allowing the device to adapt to unfolding situations in the room.
Bodley adds: “The Bose VB-S has beam-steering microphones that adjust to where people are in the room. You don’t have to have people sat in the same places every time. Our auto-framing video will capture people depending on where they are in the room, so having a product that is adaptable in real time is really good for a large-scale deployment.”
Designed with smaller sized rooms in mind, the Bose VB-S is best for a 3m by 3m room with four to six occupants; covering the smaller end of the meeting room spectrum all the way down to individual spaces such as phone booths or executive offices for a more personal, but uncompromisingly professional experience.
Four unique mounting options are available to mount the Bose VB-S in any desired location, with a wall mount kit included as standard.
“You can mount the Bose VB-S to the wall, with a wall mount bracket and screws in the box,” says Bodley. “It also comes with a stand, if you want to place the Bose VB-S on a credenza or standing on a shelf below a TV — that is also included in the box. There is also an optional VESA mount and a mount that can attach into that bracket hanging above or below the TV, and an optional tripod screw boss on the bottom which can be mounted on to a standard tripod or stand.”
The Bose VB-S is software upgradeable, with Bose Professional working closely with Microsoft to allow the product to be future proofed as Microsoft Teams Rooms evolve and as new features become available.
Bodley adds: “We’re in partnership with Microsoft on the technology side and we will continue to release future versions of software; as Teams Rooms evolve so will we, enabling the marriage between our products and Microsoft’s software solutions to be optimised at all times, both now and in the future.”
When it comes to improving the workflow of Microsoft Teams Room, the Bose VB-S ticks the boxes by providing high performance video with built-in AI, an advanced microphone array in a small form factor, and quality loudspeakers that can be used for both media-rich content playback and premium videoconferencing.
“We provide video and audio at a high performing level with the speaker quality that Bose Professional is known for,” says Bodley. “As MTR’s evolve, the Bose VB-S will change over time. Any changes we need to make to keep up on the Teams Room side, will be done. With Bose VB-S, we wanted to focus on a microphone, speaker and camera, working in conjunction with other MTR platforms to handle the display side of things.
“We also go through testing of third-party products: port expanders, USB expanders, cable extenders, and other products are tested and verified to be interoperable with our offerings. The key to the Bose VB-S is that we’ve created a compact product with the high quality that we’re known for. We’re bringing an advanced, beam-steering microphone array, auto-framing and advanced AI on the 4K ultraHD camera all in a compact form factor. For smaller spaces, this is a great option with an aggressively competitive price point that makes the Bose VB-S the best device for wide scale deployments in small areas.”