The CTS-3200 was released in mid-2008, providing a TelePresence system for up to 18 meeting participants. The CTS-3200 system is essentially a CTS-3000 with a second row of seating and additional components for additional meeting participants. This design provides consistency, giving users the same look and feel whether they are in a CTS-3000 room or a CTS-3200 room.
As Figure 1 shows, much of the CTS-3200 system is similar to the CTS-3000; however, the following changes have been made to accommodate the additional meeting participants:
- Extended camera focal view
- Second row seating
- Extension of each table segment
- Optional displays for shared content
Extended Camera Focal View
As mentioned previously, the CTS-3000 cameras are tuned to capture a segment of a CTS-3000; however, the lenses in the CTS-3000 system don’t provide the focal depth needed for a CTS-3200 with its second row of participants. The CTS-3200 uses the same camera cluster as the CTS-3000, but the actual lenses in the camera are different. This allows the deeper focal depth required to capture the second row of participants.
Cameras for the CTS-3200 are still fixed with no moving parts but must maintain consistency of focus and color for two rows of participants without having noticeable parallax at the back of the room.
Second Row Seating
A second row of seating is added to the CTS-3200, providing seating for up to 12 additional meeting participants. The rear table for a CTS-3200 supports two different configurations depending on room size and customer requirements.
The CTS-3200 can be configured for a total of 12 seats in the second row for rooms with a minimum width of 31 feet or for 8 seats in rooms with a minimum width of 21 feet. The ability to configure the CTS-3200 for different size rooms helps customers address their specific needs for large TelePresence rooms. This flexibility also enables customers to easily convert a CTS-3000 to a CTS-3200, assuming the current room dimensions meet the minimum CTS-3200 requirements.
The second table row also contains additional microphones. Audio from the second row microphones is mixed with the front row microphones, preserving the spatial audio of thesystem. Audio bandwidth requirements for the CTS-3200 are the same for as the CTS-3000 with the six additional system microphones mixed into three existing audio channels.
It is also worth noting that the second row of seating added for the CTS-3200 is not elevated. This enables the CTS-3200 to be installed in a conference room with a standard 8-foot ceiling instead of requiring a 10-foot plus ceiling to accommodate a raised back row of seating. Having to raise ceilings in rooms makes consistent lighting across all participants a challenge and drives the cost of room remediation up substantially.
Extension of Each Table Segment
To maintain the natural feeling of being in the same room, table segments in the first row of the CTS-3200 extend to the back row. This extends the spatial audio to the second row seating, keeping interaction among all participants as natural as possible.
Depending on the configuration of the CTS-3200, the back table contains an additional 4 or 6 microphones covering all three segments. If the room is set up for 12 seats in the back row, 6 microphones cover the 12 participants. The directional microphones attached to the table are positioned to capture audio from 2 participants. Audio from all microphones in a segment is mixed by the CTS codec and sent out, allowing interaction from multiple participants, in the same segment, as if everyone were in the same room. Figure 2 illustrates the CTS-3200 table designs.
When viewing a CTS-3200 from a remote TelePresence system, all participants in the front and back row of a segment will be viewed on a single display. Participants in the front row will be life-size, while the participants in the second row will be slightly smaller, as they would be in person, due to their distance from the cameras.
Optional Displays for Shared Content
As with the CTS-3000, the CTS-3200 comes with a high-definition projection system that mounts under the center segment of the front table. The projected image works well for participants seated at the front table. However, participants seated at the rear table cannot see the projected video from their seating positions.
The CTS-3200 allows for up to three additional auxiliary displays, supporting the fourth video channel, used for shared presentations. Many customers choose to mount one display directly above the center system display and one off to each side of the CTS-3200 for easy viewing for all participants. A list of the latest supported auxiliary displays can be found in the latest CTS-3200 documentation.
No comments:
Post a Comment