Yamaha has announced that its CS-500 video collaboration system has been certified for Microsoft Teams.

The CS-500 includes a microphone and camera in one device for a comprehensive video conferencing product. The solution leverages advanced technology for a hybrid meeting experience, such as a 4K AI-enabled video camera and Yamaha’s newly developed intelligent SoundCap Eye microphone technology.

Thomas Hemery, Yamaha General Manager of Global Marketing and Sales Department, Professional Solutions Division, said:

We are excited to add the CS-500 to our portfolio of products certified to work seamlessly with Microsoft Teams. The unique technologies of the CS-500, comparable to the CS-800, offer seamless, uninterrupted collaboration through high-quality audio and video for both in-person and remote participants to deliver the best Microsoft Teams experience for meeting rooms, wherever you work.”

Yamaha’s SoundCap Eye microphone technology inputs information from the multi-dimensional microphone array and precise positioning information from the video to focus audio capture on the meeting participants. Complemented by audio volume controls, this feature presents the CS-500 as a positive solution for small room meeting environments.

The CS-500 Video Collaboration System includes a 4K AI-enabled video camera that supports auto-framing, enabling three modes. These encompass speaker tracking, individual tracking, or group modes. Audio and video information are utilised to decide the area of the space or meeting room where relevant participants are located and to refocus on that area.

“In a Teams workspace, we are always striving for the most conducive collaboration experience,” added Albert Kooiman, Senior Director, Microsoft Teams Partner Engineering and Certification at Microsoft. “Being Certified for Microsoft Teams means the CS-500 provides the optimal collaboration and conferencing potential for Microsoft Teams meetings in the meeting room.”

The CS-500 follows Yamaha’s CS-800 as being certified for Teams Rooms, allowing Yamaha to offer seamless conferencing experiences regardless of room size, including focus rooms and small-sized conference rooms.

Yamaha’s Collaboration Growth

Yamaha’s CS-500 and CS-800 devices were first launched last November to facilitate video conferencing in various workspaces. However, their gradual process of becoming Teams-certified signals the vendor’s continuing investment in the products.

Last year, several Yamaha devices also received their certifications for both Teams and Zoom.

The company received Zoom certifications for its ADECIA ceiling and tabletop audio solutions, which provided high-quality audio in conference rooms and classrooms. The ADECIA ceiling and tabletop microphone line array speaker solutions met the Zoom Rooms ProAudio Certified Hardware requirements, offering clear and faultless audio for hybrid and remote meetings and classes. 

Likewise, Yamaha’s ADECIA RM-TT Tabletop Microphone was certified for Teams last autumn. The tabletop solution met the medium-sized room standards for high-quality audio, believed to be the hallmark of the Teams user experience.  

A Busy Time for Teams Rooms

With the CS-500 being Teams Rooms-certified, it marks the continuation of a busy period for the Microsoft solution.

Earlier this week, it received its “biggest release of the year”.

The solution, specifically its Pro version, was upgraded with a suite of new features for Windows v4.18, including Cloud IntelliFrame to help make non-AI cameras more intelligent and improvements to the Front Row gallery — such as a unified background for remote participants so they appear in the same room and immersive spatial audio.

In June, this year’s Infocomm included several momentous Teams Rooms updates.

The show announced that customers who had deployed the Yealink SmartVision 60 and the latest Jabra Panacast 50 could access intelligent speaker capabilities to recognise in-room speakers through voice recognition and automatically name the speakers within the transcript.

A profanity filtering toggle became available for online meetings, which could be turned on or off for live captions, while live caption improvements were introduced.

Several Teams Rooms for Android updates were also released earlier this summer, bridging the gap to the Windows version, including the capability for USB cameras on the device and the support for an alternative option of a content camera or magic whiteboard.

In June, Microsoft announced it was extending the expiration date for personally licensed Teams Rooms hardware to allow customers more time to transition between licenses.

Initially, Microsoft had stated the cut-off date would be July 1 but had added a further 90 days of amnesty, extending the deadline to September 30, 2023. Even though the move would provide those affected with price reductions, it was clearly taking customers longer to process the transition than Microsoft had first expected.

Earlier this month, MAXHUB released its XT series of hardware kits, certified for Microsoft Teams Rooms.

According to MAXHUB, the kits have been designed for ease of use, with simple upgrades viable for transforming meeting rooms of any size into native Microsoft Teams Rooms environments. MAXHUB stressed that they bring “convenience and efficiency” into the user journey, from procurement, installation, and utilisation to post-maintenance.



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