Revolutionising the Huddle Space with Yamaha
Did you know there are an estimated 30-50 million huddle spaces in the world? We look at how the Yamaha CS-700 can help you make the most out of your space, and optimise your collaborative communication setup.
The huddle space (or room) was born out of a shift in the workplace, fuelled by improvements in technology and characterised by an increasingly mobile workforce. With directors, managers and consultants often scattered across different sites, hauling everyone back to HQ for a formal boardroom meeting is often inconvenient or just plain unachievable without planning weeks in advance.
Huddle spaces provide a low-cost, low-maintenance solution to this problem, allowing users to connect from anywhere in the world for live meetings or conference calls in an easily adaptable setting. So long as you’ve got a decent setup and a corner of office space to spare, you’re ready to roll.
But there’s one major problem – space. Designed to host up to six people for quick and often impromptu meetings, huddle spaces are primarily designed for function over form, and as such tend to be a bit on the poky side. How do you fit speakers, microphones, a camera, a screen, plus five or six chairs and possibly a table, into an area no bigger than a few metres square?
Well, we’ve got one product which will certainly help you on your way: the CS-700 Video Sound Bar™ from Yamaha. This collaboration system comes with all the bells and whistles:
Although it may look like your ordinary sound bar, the CS-700 is packed with the very best Yamaha technology for huddle spaces.
Video
Tucked away in the middle of the bar is an industry-leading 120° ultra-wide-angle camera that does a great job in reducing exactly how much huddling there is in a huddle space. Nobody wants to be squashed up any closer than they have to be, and as informal as a meeting may be, it’s important that everyone can be seen without quite literally stepping on each other’s toes!
The CS-700 camera covers up to 80% of the room’s area with ease, and its camera captures subjects clearly anywhere up to 3m away from the camera. No need to pan or zoom to squeeze everyone into frame, or constantly adjust depending on the speaker’s position; just fit it and forget it.
Audio
This is where Yamaha and Revolabs (a wholly-owned subsidiary of Yamaha Corporation) combine their years of audio expertise to really make a difference. Forget fuzzy audio, now everyone can hear and be heard with crystal clarity, no matter whether they’re at the back of the room or in another country! The beamforming microphones pick up every word spoken, while a four-element speaker bar fills the room with quality audio. As for the technology behind this neat solution, the recognition it’s received speaks for itself.
Wall mount
With huddle room space at a premium, there’s really no room for a conferencing system to sit at an already crowded table. Problem solved: this solution sits snugly underneath your screen, thanks to a simple wall mount which makes for a classy addition to any office environment.
Connectivity
Why have multiple dongles and cables when your conferencing system can do it all already? The CS-700 supports, among others, Microsoft® Skype for Business™, Google Chromebox for Meetings™, BlueJeans®, Zoom®, GoToConference™, and Vidyo®. Not to mention: USB, SIP and Bluetooth capabilities (model dependant) make for quick and easy audio and visual connectivity to almost any device.
Remote management
And as if all that wasn’t enough, all CS-700 units can be managed remotely, configured in bulk, and upgraded (automatically, if you choose) through your IP interface.
Great news – we are now expecting our first delivery of CS-700 units for you to purchase! For more information, please get in touch with our Senior Product Manager for audio, Ali, at alison.charters@midwich.com or by giving her a call on 01379 646883.
