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Review: Poly Studio P15 Personal Video Bar

With most companies now relying on online conference meetings over the past few years, many users are limited to the subpar webcams that come integrated with their laptops. We got a chance to try out the new professional online conference video bar called the Poly Studio P15, and here are our thoughts about the device.

Design

Poly makes some amazing professional products that are aimed to enhance the user experiences in enterprises and office meetings. The new Poly Studio P15 is a video bar that offers both a steller video and sound quality in a sleek rectangular body.

The camera features the same grey-colored fabric on the front side that we have seen on the Poly Sync 20 portable speaker. The premium design of the video bar will definitely suit any office interior. Unlike using a standard webcam in your office premises, the premium look of this video bar will surely get the attention of visitors.

And since this is a professional conference camera, the device can be easily mounted above any of your monitors or even above a TV for that matter. There is the Poly logo on the right side of the device. In the middle is the main camera module that protrudes out of the fabric surface. Poly also included a camera shutter that can be enabled by turning the camera module.

There is nothing much on the top side, except for some air gaps that are cut in the shape of the Poly logo. The main body features a white-colored texture that is similar to the one we saw with the Sync 20 speaker. With the monitor clamp, the P15 features a dimension of 17 W x 3 H x 3 D (in inches).

On the rear side, you will find another Poly logo, and next to it is the rear side of the speaker portion. The ports are located on the bottom side of the device. There are two USB 2.0 Type-A ports on the left side. In the middle is the area dedicated to the monitor clamp. And on the right side is the power connector, a Kensington security lock, and a USB Type-C port that is used to connect to your laptop or any PC.

The packaging includes the Poly Studio P15, a USB Type-C to Type-C cable, the monitor clamp, the power adapter, and some documents and manuals.

Features

The Poly Studio P15 isn’t some average webcam that you see around. The device is designed from the ground up to deliver exceptional video quality and better audio than the subpar cameras found on laptops. And since this is meant for office meetings, Poly ensured that the video bar has native support with the most popular video conferencing applications. It’s not only certified for Microsoft Teams and Zoom video conferencing applications but will work with any video application with support for standard USB/UVC standards. Other apps include the GoTo by LogMeIn and StarLeaf.

What we have here is a camera that has support for multiple video resolutions, from the subpar 720p videos, the popular and effective 1080p FHD resolution, and the high-quality 4K UHD videos. The sensor provides a 90-degree field of view and also features 4x electronic zoom. That said, the interesting part of the device is the auto-framing feature that focuses on you while you move around. We are sure of the fact that users would get a bit annoyed when they have to always stay on the frame while using standard webcams.

But with the Studio P15, the device automatically tracks and follows while you move around a bit during the video conference meeting. We tried the auto-framing feature and it does exactly what Poly has mentioned. When we are closer to the camera, the visuals zooms out so you are still on the frame. Move a bit behind and the camera automatically adjusts the focus again.

The settings and preferences of the video bar can be adjusted using the Poly Lens App. You can also run firmware updates using the Poly Lens App. Poly mentions that the Studio P15 is compatible with both PC and Mac platforms.

The video bar also features advanced noise-blocking features called the Poly NoiseBlockAI and the Poly Acoustic Fence that helps to remove distracting noises and other side conversations from interrupting your important meeting. Then there is the Poly Acoustic Clarity technology that helps to cancel out the echo and suppress background noise while providing full-duplex conversations. The video bar also features a 3-element beamforming microphone array that ensures your voice stays clear while you walk around during the online meeting.

The microphone array and the noise-blocking components are located on the right side of the front panel. And on the left side is a powerful speaker that features acoustic suspension, along with a passive radiator for producing rich sounds. The speaker has a frequency response that ranges between 100 Hz to 20 kHz and is capable of producing 80 dBA @ 1000 Hz audio output at a range of 1 meter at maximum volume.

Verdict

The Poly Studio P15 video bar is the perfect product for those looking to enhance their video conference capabilities. The device is able to produce video streaming up to 4K resolution and is certified to work with popular video conference apps such as Microsoft Teams and ZOOM. And one of the best features of the sensor is the auto-framing technology that ensures you are always in focus while you move around during the meeting. The video bar features a powerful speaker system that produces rich sounds and the 3-element microphone array helps to keep your voice clear throughout the meeting. The device also comes with noise-blocking technologies so unwanted sounds from the surroundings do not interrupt the meeting.