Bringing greater clarity to business meetings
By Samir Sayed, MD, ASEAN & Korea, Poly
Whether domestic or global, the business landscape today is at an inflection point. Different generations and styles of workers can now be found under one roof, and more are now making their homes, coffee shops, or airports their workplaces of choice. Technology that helps us connect to one another across borders and time zones is now widely available, yet many still struggle to communicate and collaborate with one another.
Videoconferencing technology is one thing that has enabled people to more easily connect across borders. The global videoconferencing market is one that’s booming too; it is estimated to hit US$6.7 billion by 2025, with Asia Pacific (APAC) anticipated to be the fastest growing regional market.
Yet, for all the benefits that “digital” face-to-face interactions bring to the table, that interaction is still one that is divided by a small face on a small display, with often varying levels of audio quality. Simply put, there is still opportunity to find better ways to communicate with one another.
Over the years, we’ve moved on from consuming content in Standard Definition (SD), to High Definition (HD), and then Full High Definition (FHD). 4K or Ultra High Definition (UHD) is now the gold standard of today, packing four times more pixels than its HD predecessors, resulting in extremely clear images and more vibrant colours for video content from providers such as Netflix.
For videoonferencing, 4K video has the potential to transform businesses and how we communicate across borders. With increased visual clarity comes better understanding; this is particularly important when meetings and discussions are held to discuss matters visual in nature. In fact, 4K videoconferencing will make it feel almost like you are all in the same room together, with non-verbal cues like facial expressions, gestures, and posture changes becoming apparent.
Whether business discussions or interviewing potential hires, this has the potential to change how businesses and individuals communicate with one another. For example, beyond the obvious benefit of reducing tedious business travel, the clarity that 4K video brings can be tapped on for medicine; more specifically the online surgical training. With 4K resolution, trainee doctors and surgeons can get that much closer to viewing the procedure as though through the attending surgeon’s eyes.
Closer to home in APAC, a recent study by Polycom found an overwhelming 96% of workers in the region (including Singapore) agreed that collaboration technologies such as videoconferencing help them to be more productive and to work smarter. Taken in the context of 4K videoconferencing, the additional clarity that those extra pixels bring can help workers have boardroom quality even in smaller meeting spaces like huddle rooms.
Ultimately though, we’re still a long way away from finding credible alternatives to the human voice, as nothing comes close to the infinite number of messages that can be conveyed by the emotions on a human face. On the plus side, UHD teleconferencing solutions are already entering the mainstream, and at much lower cost than ever before. Besides, once you’ve already experienced the visual clarity of 4K video for your movies and video content, would you want to go back to SD or HD video?
 |
| Source: Poly. Sayed. |
Videoconferencing technology is one thing that has enabled people to more easily connect across borders. The global videoconferencing market is one that’s booming too; it is estimated to hit US$6.7 billion by 2025, with Asia Pacific (APAC) anticipated to be the fastest growing regional market.
Yet, for all the benefits that “digital” face-to-face interactions bring to the table, that interaction is still one that is divided by a small face on a small display, with often varying levels of audio quality. Simply put, there is still opportunity to find better ways to communicate with one another.
Over the years, we’ve moved on from consuming content in Standard Definition (SD), to High Definition (HD), and then Full High Definition (FHD). 4K or Ultra High Definition (UHD) is now the gold standard of today, packing four times more pixels than its HD predecessors, resulting in extremely clear images and more vibrant colours for video content from providers such as Netflix.
For videoonferencing, 4K video has the potential to transform businesses and how we communicate across borders. With increased visual clarity comes better understanding; this is particularly important when meetings and discussions are held to discuss matters visual in nature. In fact, 4K videoconferencing will make it feel almost like you are all in the same room together, with non-verbal cues like facial expressions, gestures, and posture changes becoming apparent.
Whether business discussions or interviewing potential hires, this has the potential to change how businesses and individuals communicate with one another. For example, beyond the obvious benefit of reducing tedious business travel, the clarity that 4K video brings can be tapped on for medicine; more specifically the online surgical training. With 4K resolution, trainee doctors and surgeons can get that much closer to viewing the procedure as though through the attending surgeon’s eyes.
Closer to home in APAC, a recent study by Polycom found an overwhelming 96% of workers in the region (including Singapore) agreed that collaboration technologies such as videoconferencing help them to be more productive and to work smarter. Taken in the context of 4K videoconferencing, the additional clarity that those extra pixels bring can help workers have boardroom quality even in smaller meeting spaces like huddle rooms.
Ultimately though, we’re still a long way away from finding credible alternatives to the human voice, as nothing comes close to the infinite number of messages that can be conveyed by the emotions on a human face. On the plus side, UHD teleconferencing solutions are already entering the mainstream, and at much lower cost than ever before. Besides, once you’ve already experienced the visual clarity of 4K video for your movies and video content, would you want to go back to SD or HD video?
Comments
Post a Comment