New panoramic camera

Camera technology has come a long way – many of us who never carry a “real” camera are taking pictures and videos daily with our phones. (I took this one from my office window this morning... just because.)

In addition to the phone camera technology, there are some cool cameras in the conference room space. And they’re not limited to the very high-end camera systems used in the big Cisco telepresence rooms.

The new PanaCast 2 camera provides a 180° X 54° image in 4K resolution. It uses 3 cameras and seamlessly stitches together the images and sends them via USB to a PC or Mac where you can use them with Skype, WebEx, Google Hangouts, Facebook, etc. It’s plug-and-play so there are no proprietary drivers or software to download. HD stereo audio is also provided. 

They’re not cheap at $1K, but still less expensive than some of the high end proprietary cameras. Available June 2015.

Panoramic camera use is expanding in the auto market as well. Blind spot coverage and backing systems are increasingly included and 360º systems, like the Infiniti AroundView system, are providing important information to drivers. As self-driving cars mature, the cameras will be key sensors in driving systems.

Could your business use this camera technology to improve monitoring, troubleshooting or productivity?