Video Bar All-in-One Conferencing Solutions: Which One Should You Get?

Video conferencing is trending towards all-in-one video bars – plug and play units that are compatible with any platform – perfect for small to medium-sized conference rooms and huddle rooms.

The demand for video conferencing and collaboration solutions has never been bigger, and continues to grow. In response to this demand, an ever-increasing number of all-in-one video conferencing devices have hit the market.

While having more choices is never a bad thing, it creates a new problem: Which of these solutions is the best for your organization? They all have somewhat similar features and price points, but there are slight differences that may make one a better fit for your use case.

Don’t worry – Z Systems is here to sort it all out for you!

Table of Contents

All-in-One Huddle Room Video Conferencing Solutions: Which One is Right for You?

What is an All-In-One Video Conferencing Solution, Anyway?

Traditionally, if you wanted to outfit a conference room for video calls, you would have to purchase and install several pieces of equipment: Television, robotic PTZ (pan/tilt/zoom) cameras, tabletop or hanging microphones, speakers, and a video conferencing encoder and decoder (aka codec) – either computer-based (soft codec) or hardware-based (hard codec). To make it work, you would have to install and configure everything correctly, which can be a laborious process.

These larger video conferencing systems still have their place; for a larger conference room, a more robust system is still required to get the proper video and audio coverage. But what if you have a small to medium-sized room or huddle space, and just want a simple plug and play solution that won’t break the bank?

Using a laptop’s built-in camera to video conference works for an individual, but isn’t practical when dealing with groups of people. The latest crop of all-in-one video conferencing devices provides an affordable and effective solution for this.

That’s where the all-in-one video conferencing appliance comes in. These devices generally include everything you need to communicate and collaborate remotely in one unit – except for the television. They have a ‘sound bar’ form factor, which can be easily mounted above or below a television. They feature intelligent, multi-element microphones that can detect where a voice is coming from and isolate the desired sound to be captured from any background noise. They include built-in cameras that also have a certain amount of intelligence, being able to automatically zoom in on the group or person speaking at any given time. High quality speakers are included as part of these units as well.

The entry-level versions of these devices require a PC connection to work. This could be a fixed computer installed somewhere in the room (such as a small form factor computer mounted behind the TV), or a laptop. Either way, the user connects the computer to the conferencing appliance via a USB cable, connects an HDMI cable from their computer to a television, launches their video conferencing software of choice, and voila, they are up and running, communicating via video with people on the other side of the globe.

Higher-end models have on-board processing power and the ability to run a video conference without the need for an attached PC. The various manufacturers all have a proprietary touchscreen controller for their devices, which is needed if you are using the device without a computer. Not using a computer adds an element of convenience, but it also limits the options of which video conferencing platform you can use.

There are a lot of choices out there for video conferencing devices, and we have picked four of the most popular ones. Lets have a look at the pros and cons of each.

Logitech Meetup

Logitech MeetUp All-In-One Video Conferencing Camera
Logitech MeetUp All-In-One Conference Camera

One of the front-runners in the all-in-one video conferencing appliance space is Logitech’s MeetUp Conference Camera. When you think of Logitech, you probably think of the $15 mouse you got on Amazon. What you may not know is Logitech has a very popular line of professional video conferencing peripherals as well.

The Logitech MeetUp is compact in size, and features a pan/tilt camera for an effective 170° angle of view.

This device has a lot in common with most of the devices we’re covering in this article: It is easy to install, has a wide angle of view, a 5X zoom range, and features intelligent speaker framing technology which which utilizes the three-element beam-forming microphone array to detect who is speaking and make sure they are in the frame. However, of the devices we are reviewing here, the MeetUp was the slowest to detect and frame a speaker, sometimes taking over ten seconds to do so. It comes with a remote control, works with virtually any client-based software (like all of these client-based devices, it simply appears as a webcam to your PC), and has a Bluetooth option to function a speakerphone for voice calls from a mobile phone. Additionally, you can extend the audio capture range from 13′ to 30′ with an auxiliary tabletop microphone.

The MeetUp is the most compact of the all the systems we are comparing here. Additionally, the Meetup is the only device of the bunch with a pan/tilt camera, which expands the effective field of view to an incredible 170 degrees.

Summary: If you have a small space, the form factor and wide field of view on the Logitech MeetUp make it a great choice.

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Logitech Rally Bar & Rally Bar Mini

Logitech Rally Bar & Rally Bar Mini

Logitech’s higher-end all-in-one video conferencing devices are branded as “Rally.” The original Logitech Rally is a system that includes standalone speakers, microphones and camera, meant for larger conference rooms. The newer Rally Bar and Rally Bar Mini are designed for use in smaller to medium sized rooms, and have a number of features not included in the MeetUp.

To start with, Logitech has improved the video and audio quality on the Rally Bar series. They have employed proprietary technologies, called “RightSight,” “RightLight,” and “RightSound.” RightSight is a name for the camera’s speaker-framing technology, which employs a tiny secondary camera along with beam-forming microphones to detect, frame and follow any meeting participants in the room. RightLight is a technology which adjusts camera shading settings on the fly so that all participants look their best. RightSound is a technology that automatically adjusts audio levels so that all speakers are heard clearly while at the same time suppressing background noise.

With the Rally Bar or Rally Bar Mini, you have the ability to ditch the computer and use the device in “appliance mode.” To control the device in this mode, you will want Logitech’s Tap touchscreen interface, which allows for one-touch video conferencing and control of the Rally Bar or Rally Bar Mini. Logitech supports a large number of video conferencing platforms in appliance mode, including Zoom Rooms, Teams Rooms, PEXIP, GoTo Room, and RingCentral. The Rally Bar and Rally Bar Mini do not support SIP and H.323 video conferencing standards, however.

While the Logitech MeetUp is meant for huddle rooms, the Logitech Rally Bar Mini is designed for “small” rooms, and the Logitech Rally Bar is meant for “medium” rooms. To accommodate for larger room sizes, the Rally Bar camera has a narrower angle of view and more zoom range than the Rally Bar Mini. However, both of these cameras have excellent ‘total room coverage’ due to the employment of an automatic pan/tilt/zoom camera. Both devices have six beam-forming microphone elements, but the Rally Bar allows for the connection of up to three tabletop microphones, while the Rally Bar Mini allows for two. Although advertised as being suitable for medium-sized rooms, the Logitech Rally Bar has an internal microphone pickup range of only 15 feet, so if you are going to use this in a larger room, you will need to purchase an add-on microphone or two.

Lastly, the Rally Bar and Rally Bar Mini both have several management features for deployments of multiple devices. This allows an administrator to monitor device health, keep devices up to date, and get statistics and insights about various rooms.

Summary: If you have a small to medium-sized space, want improved video and audio quality, want the ability to video conference without a PC (particularly if you would like to use PEXIP, GoTo Room, or RingCentral) as well as manage multiple devices remotely, the Rally Bar and Rally Bar Mini are worth the extra money. Even though the Rally Bar is geared towards larger rooms, you will need to add expansion mics. If you don’t want to use expansion mics, look at the Poly Studio X50.

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Poly Studio USB Video Bar

Polycom Studio USB Video Bar

Poly has been a big name in the conferencing space for some time. Their entry-level all-in-one solution has all of the trimmings of the other solutions – a 120 degree wide angle of view, lossless 5x digital zoom using a 4K camera, speaker tracking technology, a remote control, available expansion mic, etc.

The PolyCom Studio features a 4K camera, a 6-element microphone array, and can managed remotely along with other PolyCom devices.

What sets this device apart from the Logitech MeetUp is that it offers IP connectivity with Poly management services, such as the Poly Companion App, Poly RealPresence Resource Manager, and Poly Device Management Service. If you are deploying this in an environment with other managed Poly devices, this is going to be a great option. Also, the Poly Studio features a six-element, beam-forming array microphone system, which not only serves to greatly minimize background noise and hear only what is meant to be heard, but allows it to be more refined in it’s automatic speaker tracking.

Summary: If you have a smaller room, don’t mind utilizing a connected PC, and want the best feature set for the money, the Poly Studio is the winner.

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Poly Studio X30 and X50

Poly Studio X30 and X50

Next on the list are Poly’s higher-end offerings, the Poly Studio X30 and Poly Studio X50. The X30 is meant for huddle room and smaller rooms, while the X50 suited for small to medium-sized rooms. Both of these devices are a step up from the Poly Studio, and the main feature here is that they are able to run Zoom or Microsoft Teams meetings without the need for a connected PC.

Not only do the Poly Studio X30 and X50 allow you to use Zoom or Teams without the need for an attached PC, they also allow you to use standards-based video conferencing protocols H.323 and SIP. Poly also states that both devices support all cloud service providers when using “Poly Video App Mode.” If you are using either of these devices without a computer, you will want the Poly TC8 touchscreen controller.

The Poly Studio X30 is quite a bit more compact than the X50, and it is geared towards smaller rooms. The X50 is suitable for medium-sized rooms, with the main difference being that the X30 has a 15 foot microphone range while the X50 can capture voices up to 25 feet away. The Studio X30 and X50 use an advanced microphone technology known as MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems), with the X50 featuring two additional built-in microphones to extend its pickup range.

It is interesting to note that the Poly Studio X50 and the Logitech Rally Bar are both advertised as being suitable for medium-sized rooms, but it seems that they accomplish this in two different ways. The Logitech Rally Bar camera has a narrower field of view, while the Poly Studio X50 has a longer microphone capture range. This is a trade off, but since the X50 camera still has 5x zoom, it is a better choice for installation in a medium-sized room without the need for an expansion microphone.

The Poly X30 has a single speaker, while the X50 has dual speakers. Both of the devices feature a USB port that can be used for an audio device, while the X50 also has a 3.5mm stereo audio input for an expansion microphone. The X30 only allows you to connect a single TV via HDMI and the X50 features two HDMI outputs for dual television setup. Lastly, both the X30 and X50 feature built-in wireless screen sharing using Apple AirPlay, Miracast (utilized by Windows 10), and Poly’s proprietary screen sharing app.

Summary: If you have a smaller room and don’t want to use a connected PC for video conferencing (especially if you want to use SIP or H.323 standards), go with the X30. If you have a medium-sized room and don’t want to install an extension mic, the X50 is a great choice.

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Yamaha CS-700

Yamaha CS-700

The Yamaha CS-700 has been on the market for a while, and it has all of the features you are looking for in an all-in-one video conferencing appliance. This includes a 120 degree angle of view, multi-element beam forming array microphone, speaker framing technology, optional external table mic, Bluetooth connectivity, and so on. This unit doesn’t include a remote control, but instead has basic controls on the front of the device. Because the camera on the CS-700 is HD only, it can’t do 5x digital zoom like the Logitech Meetup or Poly Studio (it does feature a 2.25x digital zoom, however).

The Yamaha CS-700 can be purchased with SIP connectivity to work with your VoIP phone service.

The CS-700 also has IP connectivity for remote management. This means that one or several units can be configured or updated remotely, which is great for managing a fleet of devices.

The Yamaha CS-700 is also available with SIP voice connectivity to allow the unit to work with your VoIP phone service. To take advantage of the SIP connectivity features, you will need to purchase the CS-700SP model. To control the phone dialer, you will need to use the Android dialer app or a control system.

Summary: While the SIP voice connectivity is a nice feature, it can only be controlled via a proprietary phone/tablet app or a control system. The only thing the Yamaha really has going for it is that it is the lowest-cost option available, but only by $100. It is probably best to look at the Logitech Meetup or Poly Studio.

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Cisco WebEx Room USB and Room Kit Mini

Cisco WebEx Room USB
Cisco Room Mini.

Cisco has been a leader in video conferencing for a long time with their WebEx platform. Cisco has historically specialized in premium, enterprise-level WebEx video conferencing codecs which are commonplace in government institutions and corporate boardrooms. Cisco’s WebEx Room Series features hardware that is more geared towards small to medium sized conference rooms. More recently, Cisco has released the Room USB and Room Kit Mini, which feature a compact, all-in-one form factor and allow for PC-based video conferencing via USB.

The first thing to understand about the Cisco Room USB and Room Kit Mini is that they are the exact same piece of hardware. The Room Kit Mini simply has the internal video conferencing capabilities unlocked. A Room USB can be upgraded to a Room Kit Mini at any time.

The Room USB and Room Kit Mini both feature high quality microphones, a camera with a 120 degree field of view, a three-way speaker system, and built-in wireless screen sharing. Both devices allow you to screen share using the convenient web-based WebEx guest share app. The Room Kit Mini unlocks the ability to share using WebEx teams, WebEx meetings, and Cisco Proximity (Proximity is a neat technology that utilizes inaudible high-frequency audio tones to pair your laptop, tablet, or smartphone with a nearby WebEx device).

As mentioned above, the Room Kit Mini differs from the Room USB in that can be used without an attached computer. It supports three video conferencing standards- WebEx (of course), SIP and H.323. A Touch Ten control interface is included with the Room Kit Mini.

Cisco WebEx Room Kit Mini shares a lot functionality with higher-end WebEx Room Series products. There are a lot of highly technical features, some included and some available as paid upgrades, that I won’t even list here. To leverage the functionality of the Room Kit Mini you will need to have a subscription to WebEx Cloud or an enterprise-level on-premise solution. One drawback of the Room Kit mini and Room USB is that they only come with a 90 day warranty. If you want more warranty coverage, you will need to purchase a Cisco extended service plan.

Summary: If you are deploying a solution in an enterprise or government environment with other Cisco WebEx endpoints, but also want the ability to use a PC for video conferencing with platforms other than WebEx, the Room Kit Mini is a great choice. If you want to get into the premium Cisco WebEx brand without having to buy into the the WebEx ecosystem, the Room Web is a solid choice.

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Cisco WebEx Room Kit and Room Kit Plus (Quad-Camera)

Cisco WebEx Room Kit and Room Kit Plus
Cisco WebEx Room Kit.

The Cisco WebEx Room Kit and Room Kit Plus are the most professional and enterprise-level products of the many devices reviewed in this article. The fact is, if you don’t already know about these devices, you probably don’t need them. They are by far the most expensive and are really geared towards larger institutions with SIP or H.323 servers or WebEx cloud service subscriptions. The Room Kit Plus comes in a version with an standalone PTZ camera, but in this article we are only talking about the Room Kit Plus Quad Camera edition. One thing to note, is that according to Cisco, the Room Kit Plus is the only device in this blog post that is suitable for ‘large’ conference rooms (however, no exact dimensions are given for room size.)

Both of these devices have 5K (5184 x 2916 pixels) cameras with a narrower 83 degree field of view than the Room Kit Mini. The Room Kit Plus actually features four cameras, each with a 50 degree angle of view. They both feature 6-element microphone arrays. The Room Kit has three expansion mic inputs, while the Room Kit Plus has four. Since these devices are used in larger rooms, they are often paired with a ceiling mic system, which requires a special cable, as the mic input are special four-terminal jacks. An interesting distinction is that the Room Kit is the only device mentioned here with a discreet audio output. The Room Kit Plus features an RCA jack for a subwoofer, but no auxiliary audio output. Both devices have dual HDMI outputs, but the Room Kit Plus has three HDMI inputs to the Room Kit’s single input.

Like the Room Kit mini, the Room Kit and Room Kit Plus support screen sharing via WebEx teams, WebEx meetings, and Cisco Proximity. Both the Room Kit and Room Kit Plus allow for video conferencing using WebEx, SIP and H.323, with the added ability to utilize ISDN PRI/BRI using the optional ISDN Link. The Room Kit and Room Kit Plus have a host of additional features, some included and some available as add-ons, which I won’t mention here. These devices are really geared towards government and enterprise, and may not be suitable for smaller institutions.

Like the Room USB and Room Kit Mini, the Room Kit and Room Kit Plus only come with a 90 day warranty. You will need to purchase an extended service plan from Cisco to get more coverage.

Summary: If you are deploying a solution in an enterprise or government environment with other Cisco WebEx endpoints in a smaller room, the Room Kit is a great choice. If you need the same functionality in a larger room, go for the Room Kit Plus. If you don’t want to use WebEx and don’t have SIP or H.323 infrastructure at your facility, then you will probably want to look at some of the other options in this article.

Click on the product below or call us at (952) 974-3140 to purchase.

Comparison Chart

Download PDF of Comparison Chart

So… Which One Should I Get?

  • If you have a smaller room, don’t mind utilizing a connected PC, and want the best feature set for the money, the Poly Studio is the winner.
  • If you have a small space, the form factor and wide field of view on the Logitech MeetUp make it a great choice.
  • If you have a smaller room and don’t want to use a connected PC for video conferencing (especially if you want to use SIP or H.323 standards), go with the Poly Studio X30.
  • If you have a medium-sized room and don’t want to install an extension mic, the Poly Studio X50 is a great choice.
  • If you have a small to medium-sized space, want the ability to video conference without a PC (particularly if you would like to use PEXIP, GoTo Room, or RingCentral) as well as manage multiple devices remotely, the Rally Bar and Rally Bar Mini are worth the extra money. Even though the Rally Bar is geared towards larger rooms, you will need to add expansion mics. If you don’t want to use expansion mics, look at the Poly Studio X50.
  • The only thing the Yamaha really has going for it is that it is the lowest-cost option available, but only by $100.
  • If you are deploying a solution in an enterprise or government environment with other Cisco WebEx endpoints, but also want the ability to use a PC for video conferencing with platforms other than WebEx, the Room Kit Mini is a great choice.
  • If you want to get into the premium Cisco WebEx brand without having to buy into the the WebEx ecosystem, the Room Web is a solid choice.
  • If you are deploying a solution in an enterprise or government environment with other Cisco WebEx endpoints in a smaller room, the Room Kit is a great choice. If you need the same functionality in a larger room, go for the Room Kit Plus.

Thanks for reading! At Z Systems, we know A/V and pro video, so if you want to purchase one of these units or need any more information, email us, click one of e-commerce links below, or give us a call!

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