Lifesize Icon 300 is the smallest of the current solutions of the American company of the same name, which offers video conferencing systems with hardware and software accessories.
To avoid misunderstandings, let's say it immediately: the solution is divided into a software, which runs a little on all Desktop and mobile platforms, and on hardware, which makes the solution independent from computers and smartphones, but is essentially designed for a business environment. and / or enterprise.
The Lifesize Icon 300 lens is a bit aggressive, designed to look at the widest part of the room
Lifesize Icon 300 , the review
Great, but not too much
The Lifesize Icon 300 we received as a trial is the smallest all-in-one solution designed for multi-person meeting rooms.
Lifesize offers smaller solutions (designed for a chat of a few people) and superior solutions, even for large conference rooms. Given that the virtual meeting environment of macitynet is large but not so much, we have managed a little from both the logistical and the network point of view, noting how, in fact, the solution is very flexible in network requirements and not. requires at all special skills.
The first thing you notice, preparing everything, is that even if it is a business and / or enterprise solution, it is due to some design details that are interesting and very comfortable: the camera, for example, is generous with all connectors. well hidden that allow it to be positioned anywhere and to function in various ways, alone or in company.
The part of the speaker, external to the camera, does not have a power supply and draws its energy from the connection ethernet cable, a very convenient factor given the chronic lack of power sockets in conference rooms.
The cloud at the base
We started the installation by downloading the Mac App and creating an account, which readers can repeat themselves by creating one valid for 14 days to try the solution.
Once the parameters of the App on Mac were defined, we moved on to the hardware solution, which in our case included a Lifezise Icon 300 camera and a Phone HD speaker / microphone by simply plugging it all in (a handy instruction sheet shows the way) and landing. with the browser in the address suggested by the large display of the speaker.
You then connect your account to the hardware and define the virtual room to refer to for calls.
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Everything happens with a bridge to the cloud, to which both the Mac software and the hardware respond transparently, so much so that the word Cloud is almost exaggerated, so much is it transparent.
Like other similar solutions, Lifesize Icon 300 is also totally independent: once the parameters have been defined, the system is able to work alone even without a Mac, answering calls or entering already active rooms making itself available.
An HDMI display is useful for seeing who is on the other side (if they have a webcam), but it's not necessary.
Functions
The features here, for example, get mixed up and the writer thinks that, after all, it would be a shame to make a clear distinction between hardware and software. Both can work independently, but often one function is more useful than the other.
For example, in a meeting room, everyone can talk using the webcam and the Phone HD speaker system, merging two or more rooms into one, where multiple people around the world discuss how they are all really in the same room.
Using the software for Mac or Windows you can share your desktop or a single App to show presentations or other, without interrupting the audio and video stream. It must be said that the audio and video solution is not mandatory and everyone can decide independently whether to access one or the other.
Several people, on virtual rooms, can be connected together and merge different locations in one
The specifications of the Lifezise Icon 300 camera speak of a 4K video recording with automatic white balance, and a horizontal field of view at 113 degrees, therefore perfectly capable of displaying an entire room even if obviously in the edges the distortion is evident.
The audio is very good, tests in hand Phone HD, this is the name of the base that acts as a microphone and speaker, it shows the ability to recognize the sound from everywhere, and you don't need to position it in a particular way, it is always attentive.
The touch screen display allows you to be completely autonomous in management even without a private device: it can be customized from a web interface and can be managed through preferences.
Ultimately, although it is a fairly common function, we underline it, the whole system works even with those who do not have Lifesize: calls are accepted via Teams and Slack, and obviously those on the other side can do everything via browser (better use Chrome or Microsoft Edge).
From Mac it is possible to share the desk (with all the Apps) or only one App at a time, with all the participants
Considerations
Lifesize's solution is good, offers an excellent software platform and high quality audio and video rendering (as long as you accept the aggressiveness of the Icon 300 lens).
The system is well run-in and even in not very expert hands like ours has given the advantage of extreme elasticity and with automatisms that all work as they should.
The hardware is demanding in size and costs must be commensurate with a conference room, certainly not a small office, but for those who need to deploy the business on several different places, be they different cities or different continents, this is a very solution. Interesting.
The 4K icon 400 webcam can be used with its support or even alone, on the wall
Pro:
• Excellent software • Quality hardware and good design
Cons:
• The hardware is a bit bulky • The lens of the icon 300 introduces obvious distortions
Price:
• Starting from 2,600 Euros, including advanced replacement for one year (the software alone offers a free plan for private use).
The system offers a high level of customization, as is appropriate from a business perspective, for a more precise quotation we suggest calling 06 657487397 or a visit to the parent company's website.
