At last month's Google I/O, Google announced that its Google Beam software, which brings 3D imagery to video meetings, was finally ready for prime time. All that was needed was the hardware to bring Google's 3D video technology out of demos and into actual meeting spaces.
HP provided that hardware today (June 11), announcing the HP Dimension with Google Beam, which it bills as a 3D video communication platform aimed at distributed workers. And it's a pretty impressive — and pricey — piece of hardware.
If you've been following Google's efforts to develop this technology, you know that Google Beam started life as Project Starline. It uses multiple cameras to capture the image of whoever's sitting in front of the meeting display before turning to a volumetric AI model to generate a 3D image of that person.
The end result is a video chat that feels more like you're talking to a person on the other side of a window rather than someone sitting in an entirely different room. And Google's betting that the sense of depth and presence will lead to more engaged meeting participants who maintain persistent eye contact with each other, read non-verbal cues, and generally interact like they would if everyone at the meeting were gathered in the same room. I've sat in a demo back during the Project Starline days, and I can vouch for how true-to-life the whole thing looks.
The HP Dimension with Google Beam will be what you'll need on either end of the conversation to provide the processing power needed to produce this convincing 3D imagery. The setup features six different cameras to handle video capture and a 65-inch 8K light field display to provide a true-to-life viewing experience. After all, it would diminish the 3D effect if the person speaking to you was shrunk down to the size of a laptop display.
Besides realistic video, the HP Dimension also promises an enhanced audio experience with full-fidelity spatial audio. The newly announced HP Poly Studio A2 Audio Bridge and Table Microphones pick up your voice.
A setup like that is going to cost a pretty penny — specifically, HP is charging $24,999 for the HP Dimension with Google Beam. That price doesn't include a Google Beam license, which is sold separately. The setup works natively with either Google Meet or Zoom, with HP hoping to add other meeting platforms over time.
At $24,999, you're unlikely to pick up an HP Dimension with Google Beam for your small business or home office. This is a setup HP is aiming at enterprise customers for use in conference and huddle rooms.
HP can point to studies that suggest that the expense is worth it for companies with a lot of remote workers. A survey HP conducted with knowledge workers who have far-flung colleagues found that 73% of the respondents wanted to feel a sense of connection with their co-workers. Certainly, having a conversation with something that isn't a flat 2D image on a tiny screen should help in that regard.
We'll find out soon enough once the HP Dimension with Google Beam starts shipping later this year. The setup will be available in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., France, Germany, and Japan initially, with plans to reach more markets later on.
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