I'm on the board of directors of a large homeowners association located in Arizona. Arizona has some very strict laws about open meetings and some of our members cannot physically attend meetings due to limitations (we're an active adult community). In the interest of being inclusive, we started looking for ways to webcast our board meetings as well as allowing interested clubs to also webcast their general meetings.
Prior to this setup, we used the Logitech BCC950 which didn't work well for the large room we conduct meetings in. We have forty in attendance, five board members and over 1,000sf of meeting space. We limped along with it for two years until moving up to this Group system. What a HUGE difference! The biggest improvement is probably in audio - the microphone does an exceptional job of capturing various levels of talking and quickly and unobtrusively adjusts the level controls.
We use this with the Zoom software because it's certified for use with Zoom and it is an ideal pairing. The software is inexpensive ($15/mo), simple and records your meetings in their cloud (albeit in lower resolution so you're not taking up GB's of space). The remote for this works from either the front or back of the control unit (speaker box) and the speakerphone function works well for those wishing to use the dial up number instead of the default audio capabilities.
My only non-negative negative is the construction. The camera unit feels flimsy as if one false manual turn of the camera would destroy the motor mechanism. In fact, the first one of these we ordered did not function with pan or tilt and was immediately returned for this working unit. We don't have a lot of need to move the camera much and if it were permanently mounted somewhere, doubt it would ever be a problem, just something to watch our for.
I can remember when getting this level of video and audio quality cost tens of thousands of dollars. I do suggest, to get the most out of the system, that the user have a dedicated laptop with no bloatware, no anti-virus beyond security essentials or defender, a wired connection to the network no matter how strong and fast the wi-fi signal is and that users take some time to review the training and use videos on logitech and the developer of your platform (Zoom or whomever).
Our community has right at $2000 invested in the camera, laptop, A/V cart to store it all on and a very nice Viewsonic digital projector (also bought from Amazon!) and can do a very professional looking "broadcast" with screen sharing and whiteboard capabilities. Add some wireless lapel mics (also from Amazon) and you can follow a presenter as they move around from exhibit to exhibit.
I'm sure in another few years, there will be even better/cheaper equipment on the market, such is the nature of technology. But, if you are trying to meet the needs of a community like ours, this is a very cost effective way to do so and one that is much appreciated by those that cannot attend various functions in person.
| Standing screen display size | 2 Inches |
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