if this is google hangouts implementation, I sure hope they have fixed the problem with autogain.when we used hangouts volume always crept up until feedback loop appeared, there is no way to turn it off in the settings. we switched to skype that handles this sort of thing well.
Chromebox, now for simpler and better meetings
41–50 of 161 posts
Re: Chromebox, now for simpler and better meetings
#42So regular computers just can't cut the mustard at streaming video? I don't see the value in a custom hardware product for this and I can't quite justify the price tag. It's not often that Google creates a product where you say to yourself "Oh, I guess this just wasn't created for me" but I think this is one of those rare occasions. Disclaimer: I'm not a megacorp with millions to spend.
This is just a convenience for not having to setup a computer for a group meeting with a group mic. Where did it say anything about regular computers not being enough?
You can already do up to 15 people in hangouts http://www.webpronews.com/google-ups-the-hangout-limit-to-15...
This would go great in our office conference room if the price is right vs setting up someones MBP every time
Re: Chromebox, now for simpler and better meetings
#43if this is google hangouts implementation, I sure hope they have fixed the problem with autogain.when we used hangouts volume always crept up until feedback loop appeared, there is no way to turn it off in the settings. we switched to skype that handles this sort of thing well.
As someone who uses GVC (Google's internal version of this system), it's not an issue.
Re: Chromebox, now for simpler and better meetings
#44Earlier quoted context omitted.
I agree. I don't get what "support and maintenance" means. I currently have a set-top box (Apple TV), webcam, HD camera and speakers, and don't pay a yearly "maintenance" for any of them. Why would running a teleconferencing software on such a setup cost $250/year? The only motivation I can see is: "well the competition charges a hefty recurring fee, so why shouldn't we", but then the competition isn't doing all that…
You don't pay a yearly maintenance for any of them because if they break, you're going to have to fix them yourself. Most companies prefer to actually have a support plan, because if they don't, the alternative is to pay their own people to fix them, and it's usually cheaper to not pay someone full-time to have expertise in that area. This is a business-focused product offering.
We had hundreds of expensive Macs at my last gig. Guess how many of those we bought AppleCare for? Zero. This was also true of pretty much every piece of electronic equipment we owned.
Note that this isn't very unusual either at most companies. Given the low failure rate of most electronics, it is simply cheaper for the business/IT team to buy a replacement Mac / router / whatever than to pay any kind of yearly maintenance fee, which is always designed to make more money for the vendor.
$250/year for a $999 piece of equipment is not a good deal. If it were an option, like AppleCare, most would advise you to not take it.
Re: Chromebox, now for simpler and better meetings
#45It's only mentioned briefly in the blog post, but one of the biggest wins with this system (and the aspect that I absolutely love when using it internally at Google) is the simplicity of screen sharing into a meeting. Anyone who wants to present can simply join the hangout from their laptop and then share their screen. Not only does it mean you don't have to fuss with cables/adapters (which can also break/wear out), it also means that if someone wants to share something while someone else is presenting, you don't have to disconnect and reconnect various computers; the other person just shares their screen as well (and/or the first temporarily stops sharing their screen). It also means you don't have to have dedicated rooms for presenters - someone in a remote office can present from their laptop to a meeting room elsewhere.
Having a meeting that doesn't involve slides? The meeting organizer can just throw up the meeting agenda with a click or two - or if it's in something like a Google Doc, the meeting agenda can even be dynamic, with people adding topics they want to visit as they determine them, and the organizer simply working their way down the agenda as it grows. Add the agenda as an attachment to the google calendar entry for the meeting and people can review/add to the agenda ahead of time, and then look back at it after the meeting for a reminder of what was covered.
Re: Chromebox, now for simpler and better meetings
#46> Need to meet with a customer who doesn’t use Chromebox for meetings? That’s easy too—all they need is a Gmail account.
This would be amazing, except no partner or customer our company works with has a gmail account. I have used quite a few different solutions, and while none of them wow me, the one thing all of them did was work for everyone.
For this to become a viable solution for this market it will need to include non-gmail users.
Re: Chromebox, now for simpler and better meetings
#47Earlier quoted context omitted.
You don't pay a yearly maintenance for any of them because if they break, you're going to have to fix them yourself. Most companies prefer to actually have a support plan, because if they don't, the alternative is to pay their own people to fix them, and it's usually cheaper to not pay someone full-time to have expertise in that area. This is a business-focused product offering.
We had hundreds of expensive Macs at my last gig. Guess how many of those we bought AppleCare for? Zero. This was also true of pretty much every piece of electronic equipment we owned. Note that this isn't very unusual either at most companies. Given the low failure rate of most electronics, it is simply cheaper for the business/IT team to buy a replacement Mac / router / whatever than to pay any kind of yearly maint…
It's not just hardware support, though - it's service support. Unlike a Macbook, which doesn't rely on Apple services to function, this system is built on top of the Hangouts service.
Re: Chromebox, now for simpler and better meetings
#48> Need to meet with a customer who doesn’t use Chromebox for meetings? That’s easy too—all they need is a Gmail account. This would be amazing, except no partner or customer our company works with has a gmail account. I have used quite a few different solutions, and while none of them wow me, the one thing all of them did was work for everyone. For this to become a viable solution for this market it will need to incl…
Like accepting a shared password?
Re: Chromebox, now for simpler and better meetings
#49I don't get why this is so expensive. What's the $250 a year get me? I'm used to Chromeboxes costing about $300, and web cams cost about $100 for an awesome one. So, $400 makes sense to me...?
The BT phone bridges that sales and marketing seem to enjoy so much (whyyyyy) are a recurring cost that dwarfs this outlay.
Re: Chromebox, now for simpler and better meetings
#50Hopefully this price point and target audience is just the beginning (a la Tesla?). I'd love for it to be simpler for me to arrange Hangouts in my living room, and for now I deal with doing it through an HTPC.... but I'm absolutely not interested in paying what they're charging here. So I hope eventually they introduce a cheaper consumer targeted device. (edit: here's hoping the next Chromecast has a way to hook up a…
Regarding your desire for the Chromecast to have a webcam hookup - one factor that might play into why it doesn't is that in general encoding video is somewhat more computationally expensive than decoding it.