Telepresence lives on…
Cisco Telepresence going end of life means we are seeing a powerful take-up of Microsoft Front Row display installations. Telepresence lives on.
Although it’s interesting (and gratifying for Visual Displays!) to see this decisive move in the closing days of 2022, it’s even more interesting that the Cisco rooms themselves live on.
Some Cisco hardware might be retiring and being removed, but the furniture and room layout live on - as does Cisco’s involvement in MTRs.
Cisco telepresence tables are large, meaning the Front Row displays usually have to be at least 3.5 to 4m wide. This has driven the current specification of dnp Supernova Infinity ALR (ambient light rejecting) projection screen, Epson EB-PU projectors (with 21:9 EDID) fitted with UST lenses - with the secret sauce of Visual Displays’ designs and ancillaries (credenzas etc). This is a quiet and low power solution, the optimum environmental specification.
The display size also has to be so big so the row of remote users in the Front Row layout are as close to lifesize as possible. That part of the Cisco Telepresence experience is deemed too important to discard.
The Cisco rooms were very prescriptive in their lighting and finishes, but users are not about to throw the baby out with the bathwater, as Cisco set the benchmark for delivered VC quality.
However, it’s also been interesting to see in practice just how random the lighting levels can be. Room users don’t want to think about the lighting and, if the lights are not already on and are not auto-sensing, they’ll just jab the top button and crack on. I’m measuring lighting levels at the working plane (i.e. desk) of up to 2000 lux, creating poor results, real user discomfort, wasting money - and consuming unnecessary CO2.
Posted: 8th December 2022