Better, Bolder, and Built for AI: Introducing Cisco Spark Room 70

How many people did you work with on your last project? A study by CEB puts the typical number of individuals we collaborate with at 10. For us, a project to implement a single new capability on a Cisco video system can involve upwards of 35 individuals.

Putting more experts on complex projects is not particularly new, but having the right tools to make them innovate faster together is. Today we are announcing the Cisco Spark Room 70, our flagship video collaboration device. The Room 70 brings together people, content, and artificial intelligence (AI) to help teams be more effective.

The Room 70 is the largest and latest offering in the Cisco Spark Room Series portfolio. Previous customers can think of it as an MX800 replacement with some amazing new capabilities. The Room 70 has “built for both” investment protection: you can register it on premises today with an easy migration to Cisco Spark for the workflow benefits of cloud collaboration and many of the new AI features.

Seeing cameras and screens in an entirely new way

The Room 70 is an all-in-one device with a powerful codec, a quad camera, and 70-inch single or dual display with integrated speakers and microphones. It’s ideal for rooms that seat up to 14 people and works for local meetings as well as for connecting a remote team.

Configurations: The Room 70 is available in two configurations:

The single-display option puts the focus on the people in the meeting

The dual-screen adds a bold content-sharing experience that works whether everyone is in the same room or around the globe.

Cameras: The Room 70’s quadruple 5k camera cluster means that one camera always has a full-room view. This enables faster, more intelligent framing of the room and active speakers for a better visual experience. A related diagnostic mode provides people count metrics for room utilization analysis.

Screens: The 4k screens provide amazing clarity and resolution, including when participants are engaging in Cisco Spark whiteboard sessions.

Start the meeting with a simple “Hey, Spark” voice command using Cisco Spark Assistant on the Room 70.

Intuitive Meetings with AI

The Cisco Spark Room device portfolio uses the NVIDIA Jetson platform, the same platform many self-driving cars use. That makes sense when you think about how both leverage camera technology with machine learning. Our engineers have capitalized on this processing power to provide advanced capabilities that include AI, especially when registered to Cisco Spark.

Here’s what they are delivering (and it’s just the beginning):

Voice control: Voice control using the new Cisco Spark Assistant (first half of 2018) enables you use to voice commands to start and end a scheduled meeting, dial a person, and even to search the directory.

Automatic noise suppression: The device software detects and reduces non-voice sounds to minimize disruptive noise coming from the room when no one is speaking. Think typing, paper rustling, and dog barking (first half of 2018). It automatically raises the sound levels up when someone begins to speak. WebEx users have already seen the value with a similar noise-detection capability.

Face recognition: We are continuing to invest in technologies to continuously improve the answer to the questions: Who’s in the room? Who is speaking?

We’ve covered a lot of ground and I want to leave you with the most important takeaway: Whether your project team includes 10 experts or 50, having the right tools makes the difference. The Room 70 will meet your need for better collaboration today, and take you into the future with AI-enabled meetings.

Get more information about Cisco Spark Room 70 in the data sheet.

Room 70 will begin shipping in December.
The Room Series will support Cisco Spark Assistant in the first half of 2018.

https://youtu.be/4a3NYHURa2c

Key facts about the Room 70:

Based on Cisco Spark Room Kit Plus platform

Available single and dual 70” 4K screen configurations

Quad camera bar for deeper and larger rooms – for more discreet speaker tracking and best overview capabilities

Stereo sound optimized for voice

Key features of Cisco Spark Room Series:

Smart meetings: Powerful, integrated cameras deliver intelligent view capabilities, such as automatic framing and speaker tracking

Smart presentations: Dual screens, dual content sources, wireless sharing, and 4K content support great presentations

Smart integrations: People-count function for usage metrics and resource allocation; tight integration with screens for enhanced functionalities

Powerful AI engine: Ongoing roll-out of AI features for intuitive meetings

Registration flexibility: Built for both cloud and on-premises deployment, protecting your investment
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