Audio Issues Solved!

[Bob Knauf (Bob Knauf)]

“Can someone please mute….”, “Who is making that noise?”, “Only the presenter should be unmuted…”.   We hear these questions and phrases on many conference calls.  Most of the time the “noise”, people talking in the background, dogs barking, emergency vehicles, etc., are being picked up by people in their office who are not muted when they are not speaking. 

It can be annoying to say the least and can bring productivity to a stand-still during a meeting.  Polycom has been working to address this issue for a long time.  Over the past year we have quietly released software enhancements in our solutions that address this user issue.

Polycom NoiseBlock™ is software on the RealPresence Collaboration Server that uses algorithms to detect non-human noises and block them.   

Polycom Acoustic Bubble™ is software in RealPresence Desktop software that will eliminate background noise for users who are using a USB headset.   This is perfect for office workers or for other attendees who may be on-the-go calling in from an airport or other public space. 

At Infocomm 2014, Polycom is demonstrating a new technology called Polycom Acoustic Fence™.  The Acoustic Fence technology demonstration running on our Group Series codec uses standard Polycom microphone arrays that will build a fence around a user or multiple users.   The algorithm blocks out noise when no one is speaking inside the fence and greatly reduces the noise outside of the fence when people are speaking inside the fenced area.  This is great for open office environments where a pod or hive of work teams may be located.  This technology is also great for public spaces where users may be talking to customer service people from a kiosk or personal system.

These technologies will GREATLY enhance the user experience and allow people to concentrate on the business at hand and not have to worry about what is happening in the background.