VoIP Insider

Panoramic Polycom CX5100 Video Conferencing Station Optimized for Microsoft Lync

Lync Conferencers of the Roundtable

Very soon the Microsoft Lync Optimized Polycom CX5100 Unified Conference Station will be available at VoIP Supply.

We’re expecting to see these by the end of September 2013.

Unveiled at the 2013 Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference, the CX5100 is for Microsoft Lync users collaborating with remote teams.

What they’ll get is a unique 360 degree, panoramic video experience that also displays a seamless dual window layout.

The “Roundtable”

The CX5100 was originally called the “Roundtable” because the device is placed in the center of a meeting room table and uses a handful of cameras that stitch together a panoramic view that is displayed in one window while another window displays a zoomed in image of the person who is currently talking.

Polycom uses what they call “Active Speaker Detection” which is a feature that alerts the cameras to automatically focus on, and switch the image to, the person that is actively speaking.

Who Wants to be Single?

A single camera limits what you see and do during a video conferencing call.

The multiple cameras of the CX5100 follow the speaker wherever they go so that they can move freely around the meeting to draw on a whiteboard or demonstrate how a product works.

In other words, all the things that you normally do in a collaborative seeting will be captured by the CX5100 which will produce an intuitive and naturally flowing conversation experience.

The CX5100 is the successor to the Polycom CX5000, which has the same engaging 360 degree view, but also offers:

Lync Optimized Polycom CX5100

More than twice the HD video image quality
Double the frame rate for life-like motion handling
Polycom HD Voice audio quality
1080p with Microsoft Lync 2013
720p backwards compatibility with Microsoft Lync 2010

The all-new user interface and system design makes the CX5100 easy to launch or join a call directly from the Lync user environment by simply connecting the CX5100 via USB to a computer that is running Lync.

“Polycom is the benchmark for reliable video conferencing,” said VoIP Supply CEO, Ben Sayers. “Microsoft Lync Unified Communications has been greatly enhanced with the USB plug and play Polycom CX5100 that offers an outstanding HD panoramic video conferencing experience with cameras that automatically follow you around the room.”

Watch this video to learn more:

Nathan Miloszewski

Nate is VoIP Supply's former Content Marketing Manager.