Commercial Integrator January 2022 - 23

Innovative Lighting, said at Pivot to Profit
that there is a lot of money being thrown at
VR and AR. He cited Horizon Workrooms
specifically.
" I'm not sure how integrators can truly
embrace that yet, but keep an eye on it, "
Aller said.
And, at Almo Professional AV's E4 Experience
in Dallas, hologram technology from
ARHT Media drew attendee interest.
It involves the remote individual
" Think of the metaverse as a new version
- or a new vision - of the internet, one
where people gather to communicate,
collaborate and share with personal virtual
presence on any device, " a company news
release indicates.
To start using Mesh for Teams, users will
only need to join a standard Teams meeting
as a customized avatar of themselves,
instead of a static picture or on video.
Organizations can also build immersive
spaces - metaverses - within Teams,
the company says.
Users can then take their avatars into these
spaces to " mix and mingle, collaborate on
projects and experience those serendipitous
encounters that spark innovation. "
Meta also recently announced Horizon
Workrooms, a virtual reality collaboration
experience that brings people together to
work in the same virtual room.
According to the company, the solution,
which utilizes an Oculus Quest 2 headset,
features mixed-reality desk and keyboard
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tracking, hand tracking, remote desktop
streaming, videoconferencing integration,
spatial audio and new Oculus avatars.
Virtual reality integrations into platforms
that most AV integrators know well would
seem to be a value-add to any UC&C offering.
However, many view the technology
as being in its infancy, leaving third-party
providers like integrators waiting for further
developments and a clear business case.
VR Meetings: Still a
Buzzword...For Now
If you have attended a commercial AV conference
or trade show, you were probably
told about the opportunities brewing in
the virtual reality and augmented reality
spaces.
That includes InfoComm 2021 and
NSCA's Pivot to Profit events, held last year.
We heard several expert panelists discuss
virtual reality, including one panel centering
on emerging technologies.
Harry Aller, chief technical officer of
Hologram technology from ARHT Media
grabbed media attention at Almo Professional
AV's E4 Experience in Dallas.
JANUARY 2022 Commercial Integrator 23
occupying a studio space with a roughly
six-foot-wide green screen. The hologram
then appears on a display surface on the
far side, blending into the background
environment. The person appearing via
hologram is able to speak, move and interact
with the audience, live and in real time.
According to ARHT Media, its technology
is different from the Michael Jackson
and Tupac Shakur holograms one has seen
during concerts because the content is
being delivered live, with virtually zero
latency. Thus, integrators could market it as
an alternative to business travel, allowing
a C-suite executive to make a lasting
impression during a conference or event by
appearing holographically, rather than as
just another face on Zoom or Teams. Other
applications include higher education
and high-end retail - for example, major
brands' flagship stores.
However, there have not been many viable
use cases for virtual reality in conferencing
environments up 'til now. That might
change soon, as integrators may be able to
expand their partnerships with collaboraALLME3D/STOCK.ADOBE.COM
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Commercial Integrator January 2022

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