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

[palbin24 at yahoo.com]

Harry,
Thank you for doing this work and helping to develop a foundation for our eventual return to a live meeting.

Peter

> On Aug 4, 2021, at 2:32 PM, Harry Forsdick <forsdick at gmail.com> 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:
> 
> 
> 
> 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:
> 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 combined with 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.
> 
> 
> 
> 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:
> 
> 
> The audio picked up by the omnidirectional microphone is another one of the outputs of the Owl device.
> 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
> 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
> 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
> Lexington Photo Scanning
> Town Meeting Member Precinct 7
> harry at forsdick.com
> www.forsdick.com
>  	46 Burlington St.
> Lexington, MA 02420
> (781) 799-6002 (mobile)
> meet.jit.si/HarryForsdick (video)
> Click to see my other websites
> 
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