Collaboration

Review: The AVer VC520 Conference Camera System

AVer provides professional conference services without a pro crew.

Twitter

John Breeden II is an award-winning reviewer and public speaker with 20 years of experience covering technology.

Video conferences are an excellent way for employees to communicate, but only if the technology performs.

Employees will tell you a poorly run video conference can be worse than not meeting at all, but the AVer VC520 conference camera system ensures that will not happen at your agency.

Capable of recording beautiful high-definition video, the AVer VC520 inexpensively produces a quality picture and clear sound with minimal setup.

The AVer VC520's Motorized Camera

The motorized video camera resembles a miniature NASA telescope, with precision glass optics, automatic focus and a 12X lossless true optical zoom. Users control the camera with the included remote control or a free mobile app available for both iOS and Android.

The camera features 10 presets, automatically zooming the focus to commonly viewed objects throughout the room, such as a whiteboard, podium or head of the table. The camera’s motor is fast and quiet, swiveling easily through the presets, and taking less than three seconds to pan the room.

The autofocus brings the camera’s target into perfect view, with no blurriness. During testing, viewers could clearly read from a paper with 12-point type posted on a wall 20 feet from the camera.

The AVer VC520 Makes Good Use of Speakerphone

The AVer VC520 provides sound through a speakerphone with a full duplex microphone array. The speakerphone collects sound with three directional microphones, which are rated at 15 feet but worked beyond that range during tests.

For larger rooms, users can add a second speakerphone. The AVer VC520 will sync the two phones, eliminating annoying echoes.

The VC520 also works across multiple rooms in the same location.

Each unit includes a metal bracket and screws that increase portability, making the AVer VC520 a good choice for offices that need a shared device for large (or multiple) conference rooms.

To set up the system, simply plug the camera and speakerphone into a small hub, then provide power. A USB cable connects the unit to a desktop or notebook computer, and it’s ready for use in less than a minute.

Specifications

DIMENSIONS: 3.85x2.81 inches
WEIGHT: 5.6 ounces
CAMERA: 12X optical zoom, wide-angle autofocus
SPEAKER: Three-directional circular microphone array with 15-foot pickup radius
MAXIMUM VOLUME: 90 decibels
CDW•G Price: $949.99

Working with Trusted Advisers

Testing the AVer’s VC520 Conference Camera System

The best video conferences feature multiple people in different locations interacting with one another — which can be difficult to pull off.

Video conference systems with a single, stationary camera make those seated on the edges appear blurry and out of focus. Interactivity also decreases, especially when a whiteboard or in-room screen is used.

To avoid this problem, AVer’s VC520 Conference Camera System leverages a motorized camera that is able to swivel in any direction as needed to provide an immersive experience.

Inside Our Test

FedTech invited twelve people to a meeting to test how the VC520 works in a large conference setting. To control the camera, we downloaded AVer’s free pan-tilt-zoom app, which can be found on the company’s web page under the support tab. Through the app, we accessed controls such as white balancing, brightness and sharpness, and the ability to flip or mirror the image depending on the camera’s mount.

Using the included remote, we set up ten presets around the room, including positions along a conference table, a whiteboard and a large flat-screen monitor. We had only one speakerphone, so could not test the system’s daisy-chaining ability, but the audio pickup worked great nonetheless.

The Meeting Starts

We asked the dozen people in the conference room to pretend to hold a meeting. One participant joined through another system on a large monitor to simulate a traditional video conference.

During the meeting, we panned the camera to each person as they spoke using the remote control. We also used the preset positions, including one set to the person on the monitor and another on the whiteboard. It took the VC520 less than three seconds to rotate and focus between presets, even though they were set on opposite sides of the room.

When someone spoke from outside a preset position — for instance, as they entered through the conference room door — we zoomed to them using the control arrows on the remote control or within the app. This required a little bit of skill, but we quickly got the hang of it. The end product looked clean and polished, resembling a professionally staged and filmed production even though it was completely unscripted.

To achieve this, the user needs to determine the preset locations and alert the camera where to focus. But even someone slow on the draw could host a lively video conference that rivals most static camera systems.