Look Who’s Talking! How AVer and Shure Make Camera Control Simple and Cost-Effective

In combination with Shure’s Microflex Advance microphones, IntelliMix DSP, and AVer PTZ cameras: AVer’s free-of-charge PTZ Link software helps bring videoconference participants closer together than ever before with unmatched ease and without the need for an independent hardware-based control system.

A Blast From The Past

When discussing this blog post with global marketing manager and fountain of Shure knowledge, Chris Lyons, I was delighted to learn about Shure’s Model AMS880 Video Switcher Interface from 1982. This system used an 8748 microcomputer, a series of dip switches, analog audio inputs and outputs, and various other complicated but highly-effective physical settings to create an automatic video switcher interface – acting as an electronic director - to combine Shure microphone audio with multiple video feeds for videoconference.

Alongside the AMS880 was the publication of a regular “AMS UPDATE” newsletter, showcasing all the latest technical updates, hints and tips, and customer stories.

Now with this latest development from AVer and Shure, we see how consistent advancements in technology have made it simple and cost-effective for everyone to enjoy using systems once considered in the realm of only the most specialized and knowledgeable integrators and technicians working with big-budget customers.

How Camera Control Works With PTZ Link

When you speak, the PTZ Link software recognizes which microphone (or lobe) is active, triggering a linked camera shot preset to point and frame the camera to the active talker. 

With fixed-frame cameras, you might only get to see a broad shot of the entire room. Other PTZ systems often require human intervention or extra hardware to properly frame the shots of different talkers or parts of the room. 

PTZ Link and Shure make it much easier to accurately detect who is talking and automatically select the desired camera angle for that individual or group of talkers. PTZ Link’s easy-to-use software interface requires no more than pointing, clicking, and saving the desired camera angles and assigning them to each microphone or lobe. There are no complicated hardware adapters or interface boxes.

How Shure Audio Drives Accurate Camera Control

Shure’s award-winning array microphones and IntelliMix DSP algorithms deliver reliable, consistent, and high-quality speech capture, enabling the most accurate audio pickup with video framing from PTZ Link, every time. The combination of market-leading IntelliMix DSP algorithms, and Shure’s open and publicly available API for Microflex and IntelliMix products provided the gateway for unlimited creativity with software-based tools like AVer’s PTZ Link. 

Hybrid learning and a return to the office are key topics on the minds of facilities, HR, IT and AV managers everywhere. As people have become used to remote collaboration and education using personal and individual AV technology, businesses and institutions are more driven than ever to provide technology solutions which maintain as much human connection as possible. With Shure and AVer, you can create enjoyable experiences for communication no matter whether you’re in the room or far away.

“Although camera-control using the MXA910 has been possible all along, I have to say that it has never been easier! A setup time less than 15 minutes is all it takes. Now it is as simple as pairing the camera presets with the corresponding channels on the MXA910 in the AVer PTZ-Link App. First thing I noticed is the accuracy, at no point in our trial-setup did the software choose the wrong preset, or “flicker” between possible presets. The AVer camera we used for our demo had a great picture quality and matched the superior sound quality from the MXA910.” 

Kasper Bregenborg - Commercial Audio & Install, Matrix Sales, Denmark

Making Camera Control Simple and Cost-Effective

The combination of Shure audio, AVer video, and PTZ Link software offers a uniquely simple and cost-effective conferencing solution for almost any environment. Corporate meeting rooms, classrooms, lecture halls, larger presentation, or business broadcast spaces – all are taken care of. Both brands’ portfolios are scalable and flexible, with a broad range of options to suit all needs.

PTZ Link software installs on the very same PC you use for videoconferencing with your favorite platforms. Simplified menus mean configuration is straightforward -- no complicated programming is required – and with Shure’s platform-certified audio systems, it’s easier than ever before to find the right equipment for your room.

In addition, when used in conjunction with Shure’s industry-first software-based audio DSP – IntelliMix Room - users can truly break free from the legacy of dedicated rack-mount hardware. IntelliMix Room (or IMX-Room) runs natively on Windows 10 PCs as a Windows service, so the same PC that is already running your favorite conferencing platform can now also become the audio DSP as well as the camera controller with PTZ Link.

Moving to software-focused, networked AV systems is truly beneficial for everyone involved: all the way from selection, design, and procurement – with trusted, established brands and proven integration of combined technologies - to initial install and commissioning, to everyday stakeholder use, to ongoing management and lifecycle. There is also the opportunity to reduce overall costs both directly and indirectly by reducing reliance on hardware, as product costs are normally lower for software solutions (versus the hardware alternative), and the associated savings on real estate (rack space) and other commercial and environmental factors can’t be ignored.

See and hear PTZ Link in action with Shure’s Microflex Advance microphone system.

Contact us to arrange a live demonstration.

Learn more about Shure’s work with all our technology partners.