Videoconference Room Set-Up
Consider your videoconference room set-up to make your meetings feel more natural. You can use videoconferencing in many settings — boardroom, manufacturing floor, cubicle or home office. A few simple adjustments (and a few things to keep in mind) will ensure that your meetings have the best possible image and audio quality.
Background:
- Remember that the camera shows what is behind you. Provide a calming background with a neutral color, medium contrast and soft texture. Avoid patterns on the walls.
- Avoid moving backgrounds such as curtains in a draft or people walking behind you. This may reduce image quality and distract the attention of those on the far end.
- Do not place the camera facing a doorway.
- Choose a table that is light but not reflective. A light natural wood is a good choice.
- Avoid unnecessary furniture or clutter in the room.
Lighting:
- Avoid direct light on people, presentation materials or the camera lens. Direct light will create harsh contrasts and shadows.
- If you have poor lighting in the room, you may need to use indirect, artificial light. Indirect light from shaded sources or reflected light from pale walls often produces excellent results.
- “Daylight” type lamps are most effective. Avoid colored lighting that might tint your image.
- Don’t place reflective whiteboards directly behind people or where lighting may reflect and cause glare. If they are not required, remove them altogether.
Placement:
- Place your video system about 2–3 feet (60–100 cm) away from the person who is speaking, taking into consideration screen size and what feels natural.
Set-up:
- Set the unit to Automatic Answer, but mute the microphone.
- Position the camera in the top center of your unit.
For Desktop Video Conferencing Units:
- Video should be located close to your PC, along with your other everyday tools. This way you can easily share presentations without having to move. You may even be able to use your system as a PC screen.
- Use a headset for privacy in an open office environment.
For Meeting Rooms:
- Place the microphone at the front of the table to ensure that all speech will be detected. The best position is at least 6.5 feet (approx. 2 meters) in front of the system, on a flat surface with at least 1 foot (0.3 meters) of table in front.
- Keep the document camera close to the leader of the meeting or the designated controller. Remember to arrange all the peripherals so that one participant can reach each of them to point, change the display, record or perform other functions during the conference.
- To help ensure the most natural meeting environment, position the camera on the top center of the receiving monitor. The camera should point directly at the meeting participants to guarantee eye contact with those at the far end.
- A room with carpeted floors will help absorb sound and prevent echo problems.
Loudspeaker Volume:
- The audio system will use the loudspeakers built into the monitor or TANDBERG’s Digital Natural Audio Module. You can set the default volume level by adjusting the volume on the monitor with the monitor remote.
Brightness Control:
- To adjust brightness, colors or other settings of the monitor, use the monitor’s own remote control. Adjust the monitor to suit the conditions of the conference room. The monitors used by TANDBERG have on-screen menus that are very easy to use. For more information on configuring the monitor, refer to the user manual.
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