This AI-powered video bar turned my team’s conference room into a pro studio

ZDNET’s key takeaways

With remote and hybrid work the new normal, video conferencing is a daily part of many jobs. When our engineering firm returned to the office, we started with Owl 360 camera systems, which provided a minimal level of room awareness: the cameras were never very clear, and unflattering wide shots left something to be desired. 

Also: The most versatile camera I’ve tested costs $499 and is not from Sony or Canon

Insta360 is well-known for its fantastic 360-degree cameras: I use the Insta360 RS almost daily to capture action video while riding bikes, running, and fishing. 

For the past few weeks, however, I have been testing the new Insta360 Connect dual camera video sound bar in my office. It’s a straightforward device that serves as your camera, microphone, and speaker for a connected computer system, and does all of those things well. 

I set up the Insta360 Connect in the large office of our CEO since he was adding some furniture and rearranging the office to better support meetings. The system connects quickly and easily via USB-C to your computer and HDMI to your monitor, with a simple setup screen appearing the first time you make a connection. You can connect the video bar via a wired or wireless connection to perform software updates, as well. 

Settings include camera tracking modes, whiteboard, audio, display, network, and peripherals. The camera tracking modes include group framing, speaker tracking, gallery mode, and manual. The speaker tracking is great as the AI algorithm works to track and follow the speaker around the room while bouncing over to the next speaker when the system picks up their voice. The gallery mode is handy when you want to see everyone in the room in their own block of the call, whether or not they’re speaking.

It was impressive to see the camera automatically zoom in on the CEO during a call while he sat more than 15 feet away from the Insta360 Connect. The 48MP telephoto camera is on a gimbal and zooms in dynamically when speaker tracking is enabled. 

My CEO loved that he could pace around the room and talk with the camera following him in a smooth fashion; I was also impressed by the performance of this active camera tracking. If you have a whiteboard facing the camera, it can lock in on it while you’re writing so that remote viewers can easily see it. 

There are 14 microphones in the speaker bar, and the Insta360 Connect does a great job of picking up audio from near the speaker and across the room, on the order of 33 feet away with noise reduction technology. Audio was also clear on the other end of the calls, and my CEO was pleased with the results. The single 20W speaker was loud and clear in our medium-sized conference room, even at 50% volume level.

Also: How I optimized an old office space for greater productivity and collaboration

We use Microsoft Teams, and the video bar system appeared as the camera, speaker, and microphone with no special setup required. The video bar also works with Zoom, Google Meet, and other platforms. It doesn’t currently integrate with Teams Rooms, but Insta360 stated that may be possible with a future integration.

The device also comes with a high-quality metal remote control; after setting up the system, you can then use the remote control (which is charged via USB-C) to switch modes, manually operate the camera, and adjust the volume. 

If you’re looking for an easy way to optimize your small or medium-sized conference room with a camera, speaker, and microphone system, the Insta360 Connect is one to consider. The default desk stand rotates with an elegant metal stand and the entire system is well-suited for the office with its sophisticated gray and black design. 

ZDNET’s buying advice

We have accepted fuzzy cameras and basic audio for too long; systems like the Insta360 Connect show how high-quality hardware and AI can be used to optimize the video conferencing experience. At $2,000, it’s not particularly cheap, but this single device can make your conference room a desired location for meetings and quickly pay for itself with crystal clear audio, speaker identification, and professionalism.