New Huddle Room Package Eases Real-Time Videoconferencing Collaboration

Altia Systems has introduced a new "huddle room solution" that aims to provide the technology to make communication between teachers and students in remote locations easier.

The PanaCast 2 Huddle Room Solution allows the smooth communication from a remote location that its developers say make collaboration more effective and productive — and, with a starting price under $1,500, more cost-effective. With a camera that creates a 180-degree wide and 54-degree tall field of view, it is designed to solve some of the problems with real-time video and web collaboration such as narrow field of view, low resolution and slow mechanical operation.

The PanCast 2 Huddle Room Solution has four plug-and-play components:

  • A PanaCast 2 video camera with 3,840 X 1,080 resolution;
  • An Intel NUC or Compute Stick PC;
  • USB speakerphone; and
  • A wireless keyboard that can be used with a video display.

Optional software available includes the PanaCast ePTZ app that will give remote participants the ability to use a touch screen or track pad to digitally pan, tilt and zoom, allowing them to, for instance, zoom in on a whiteboard or an individual speaker in the other room.

Already available, the >PanCast 2 Huddle Room Solution can also be used with third-party collaboration apps like Zoom, Intel Unite, Skype for Business, Cisco WebEx or Google Hangouts.

"PanaCast 2 enables the rapid deployment of low-cost huddle rooms to make video collaboration accessible to everyone, working with popular on-premises or cloud-based video conferencing services," said Frost & Sullivan Principal Analyst Robert Arnold.

About the Author

Michael Hart is a Los Angeles-based freelance writer and the former executive editor of THE Journal.

Featured

  • stylized human profiles, tablets, and floating icons

    From Feedback to Flexibility: 5 AI Tools Teachers Should Try

    As a fifth-grade teacher and AI School Champion in the St. Vrain Valley School District, I've seen firsthand how artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming education. Here are five AI-enabled tools I've found especially powerful in my classroom and professional practice.

  • computer monitor with a bold AI search bar on the screen

    Google Rolls Out AI Mode in Search

    About a year after introducing AI Overviews for its flagship search offering, Google has announced broad availability of AI Mode in Search.

  • portable Wi-Fi hotspot rests on a stack of books and a laptop in a library

    Senate Votes to Rescind E-Rate Program Funding Loaner WiFi Hotspots for Schools and Libraries

    The Senate has passed a joint resolution to overturn "Addressing the Homework Gap Through the E-Rate Program," a July 2024 expansion to the FCC's E-Rate program that allowed schools and libraries to utilize E-Rate resources to loan out WiFi hotspots to students, school staff, and library patrons.

  • silhouetted student stands before the White House, surrounded by abstract digital graphics of brains, circuits, and AI elements

    White House Sets Sights on AI Education

    A new executive order from President Donald Trump aims to advance America's position in artificial intelligence technology by incorporating AI into education and providing AI training for educators.