[Lex Computer & Tech Group/LCTG] Friday Aug 6 @ 1:30 pm test of a Meeting Owl Pro-based Hybrid Meeting

[Tony]

Harry,

That's a great discovery/suggestion for the LCTG meetings.

_/*One question (or suggestion for the Test Run)*/_: How does the Owl 
behave in an un-moderated environment, where two or more attendees 
attempt to speak while someone else is speaking?

  * Does the device broadcast the superposition of all unmuted microphones?
  * Does the "voice presence" in the main speaker's microphone suppress
    the input of the other microphones?

Cheers,

Tony Galaitsis

================

On 8/4/21 2:30 PM, Harry Forsdick wrote:
> Folks,
>
> I have been experimenting with an interesting device, the Meeting Owl 
> Pro, that may provide most of the capabilities required to run Hybrid 
> Meetings in conjunction with a conferencing application such as Zoom. 
> Here is a picture of the device:
>
> image.png
>
> This device connects to a laptop and provides a replacement for the 
> camera, microphone, and speaker used in a Zoom conference.  The 
> components of this device are:
>
>  1. A *360º camera*that can pick out from the 360º image the people in
>     a meeting room who are speaking based on the sounds picked up from
>     8 unidirectional microphones arranged around the Meeting Owl Pro
>     cylinder.  The complete 360º video image is combinedwith the
>     identified speakers is one of the outputs of the device.  The 8
>     separate unidirectional microphone signals are combined into one
>     omnidirectional audio signal which is another output of the device.
>
>     image.png
>
>     The acoustic energy from each of the 8 unidirectional microphones
>     is analyzed to determine the portions of the 360º image that ought
>     to be shown as active speakers.  These two parts (the 360º image
>     and the identified speakers) are combined into the output video
>     stream from the device:
>
>     image.png
>  2. The audio picked up by the *omnidirectional microphone* is another
>     one of the outputs of the Owl device.
>  3. The device also contains an array of *speakers *so that everybody
>     in the room can hear an audio signal received by the device.
>
> When used with an Internet Conferencing System such as Zoom, the video 
> and audio output of the Owl can be shown as one participant of Zooms 
> multiple participants.  The normal shared presentation capability can 
> still be used to show the content of a talk, shown on a large screen 
> in the meeting room or on a computer screen to a remote participant of 
> the conference.
>
> The following video shows the Meeting Owl Pro being used with Zoom and 
> connected to remote participants over Zoom:
>
>   * https://forsdick.com/MeetingOwl/MeetingOwlPro.mp4
>     <https://forsdick.com/MeetingOwl/MeetingOwlPro.mp4>
>
> On Friday, we will attempt to try out this experimental setup.  
> Although at one point I thought of having a group of us gather at the 
> Community Center, Jerry Slate provided some convincing evidence why we 
> shouldn't do this because of the fierceness of the Delta variant of 
> COVID-19 in an indoor setting.
>
> At 1:30 pm we will start the meeting using the normal LC&T URL:
>
>   * https://zoom.us/j/97261460830 <https://zoom.us/j/97261460830>
>
> We will record the meeting so that anyone who can't attend can see 
> what transpired.
>
> My wife Marsha and I will simulate the audience in the Meeting Room 
> where we will use the Owl Device.  Everyone else will join as remote 
> members of the meeting.
>
> I think that is it for now.  Please let me know if you have any 
> questions or I have forgotten something.
>
> Regards,
>
> -- Harry
>
>
>
>
> Harry Forsdick <http://www.forsdick.com/resume/>
> Lexington Photo Scanning <http://lexingtonphotoscan.com/>
> Town Meeting Member Precinct 7 <http://lexingtontmma.org/>
> harry at forsdick.com <mailto:harry at forsdick.com>
> www.forsdick.com <http://www.forsdick.com/>
> 		46 Burlington St.
> Lexington, MA 02420 <https://goo.gl/xZXT2F>
> (781) 799-6002 (mobile) <callto:17817996002>
> meet.jit.si/HarryForsdick <http://meet.jit.si/HarryForsdick> (video)
> Click <http://forsdick.weebly.com/home/my-websites> to see my other 
> websites
>
>
>
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