Google announce Google Meet Series One hardware solution

Today Google, in partnership with Lenovo, announced their new Series One meeting room kits built for Google Meet.

Google notes due to the pandemic there is a need for more, smaller and distributed video conferencing rooms.  Their new Series One solution is designed for this and comes with  Google AI built in—people can join meetings touch free with their voice, enjoy studio-grade audio through enhanced noise cancellation, and benefit from smart capabilities like automatic participant framing.

Series one features TrueVoice®, their multi-channel noise cancellation and voice amplification technology that minimizes distractions to ensure every voice is heard. The Smart Audio Bar uses 8 beam-forming microphones and the largest kit configuration can process up to 44 channels simultaneously. This means distracting sounds, like snacking or typing on a keyboard, are filtered out completely, but voices are crystal clear.

All Series One room kits take advantage of the same tech used in Google’s data centres, built right into the Meet Compute System and Smart Audio Bar. The Coral M.2 accelerator modules with Google Edge TPUs allow for AI-powered audio and video processing that preserves privacy and allows Series One to take advantage of future machine learning innovations while maintaining high performance and reliability for AV workloads.

Each Series One kit includes a regular or extra-large true 4K smart camera that captures every detail, with the Smart Camera XL featuring 20.3 megapixels and a 4.3x zoom. The high resolution makes digital PTZ (pan, tilt, zoom) effects and automatic participant framing possible without any loss of image quality.

Series One room kits is available for small, medium and large-sized rooms. The Compute System in Series One is purpose-built for Meet on Chrome OS, making it easy to install and keep up to date. Everything is securely managed through the Google Admin console, including device setup, status checks, and minor issue resolution without ever having to visit the room. To help monitor room utilization and maintain safety protocols, each kit can anonymously sense the number of room participants and visits.

A single power source architecture with PoE (Power-over-Ethernet) and a color-coded cable management system for components helps to reduce cable clutter and simplify installation, while significantly lowering costs. And as room sizes change, kits can be expanded with more mic pods and an add-on audio bar for room-filling, stereo sound. Audio calibration for room acoustics is also simple; a single touch can automatically optimize the system audio settings for different room sizes and surfaces.

Automatic over-the-air updates ensure easy fleet management. The hardware is always running the latest firmware, security patches and new innovations. Every component, down to the cables, is rigorously tested for durability in high-use environments. For extra peace of mind, Series One kits come with three years of Lenovo Premier Support.

Meeting control is effortless with a sleek low profile 10.1” touch-screen controller that’s powered by a single cable. Small room kits include a rechargeable remote control. All kits support hands-free control through Google Assistant, so you can say “Hey Google, join my meeting” and other queries to start or end a meeting, unmute, and more.

With soft silhouettes and quality materials that complement any meeting space, the new Series One room kits were designed specifically with customers and administrators in mind. The devices easily blend into any room and come in two color models, Charcoal and Chalk. Rounded corners, quality fabric and Google’s signature industrial design make Series One a welcome addition to any architectural style.

See Google’s Series One launch video below: