EPOS launches EXPAND Vision 1 and Vision 5: a new personal webcam and a meeting room camera and audio bar, both with the new innovative BrainAdapt functionality

EPOS is a premium audio brand that has specialised in meeting room technology for a long time. Obviously, the pandemic has seen a boon for their business but even with this they are continuing to improve their range of virtual meeting technologies. They have just released their own personal conference webcam, the EXPAND Vision 1, designed for meetings on the go and the EXPAND Vision 5 with controlling tablet, a video bar that offers a full suite of speakers alongside a 4K camera.

EXPAND Vision 5 and EXPAND Control

The EXPAND Vision 5 combines powerful speakers, a wide angled 4K camera, noise cancelling microphones to create an all-in-one video conferencing solution. While some competitors have similar products the EPOS excels with its AI capabilities with the AI able to frame the person speaking intelligently and digitally. There is also some mechanical focusing and adjusting to help this AI functionality in the 4K video.

The in-built microphones are beam-forming allowing voices to be picked up crisply while also minimising the any in-room interference. On the other side of the audio the stereo speakers deliver crystal-clear audio which is enhanced by their new Brain Adapt, an innovative technology to allow users to feel less fatigue and focus on the conference for longer.

EPOS has completed extensive psychoacoustic research on the effect of audio on sections of the brain that causes listeners to zone out and become fatigued — the cognitive load. Using AI along with filters and algorithms they filter out sections of the sound wave so that the resultant wave is less “harsh” and doesn’t provide as much cognitive load on the user. BrainAdapt adjusts the sound profile on the fly based on who is in the room at the time, with the sound waves individualised — at this stage it is unclear just how that works on a meeting room of people and given it is proprietary technology I doubt we’ll ever know.

The EXPAND Vision 5 can be mounted anywhere and features multiple ports on the rear such as HDMI ports for video and sound connectivity to a large screen TV. The Vision 5 can be controlled using the new EXPAND Control tablet, a 10.1-inch touchscreen device that can be used as “a meeting room controller to join meetings, adjust call settings, or share content, as well as a room scheduling panel, letting you book meeting rooms, check room availability, and view meeting details.”

EXPAND Vision 1

The EXPAND Vision 1 is a portable, USB-C 4K webcam which incorporates two omni-directional noise cancelling microphones allowing the webcam to pick up the voice and not the background noise.

There are a lot of webcams on the market but there is only one with BrainAdapt. Not only does the EXPAND Vision 1 include the new AI-based BrainAdapt for individualised sound wave adjustment but also instant picture control to find the best picture setting (including brightness) for your environment — of course you can adjust this yourself easily enough if you prefer.

The Vision 1 easily attaches to the top of your monitor/laptop and is certified by both Microsoft Teams and Zoom for a seamless user experience, all in a crisp 4K meeting.

The EXPAND Vision 1 will be available soon for $379 from EPOS and select retailers while the EXPAND Vision 5 will set you back $3,449 when they are available in the next couple of months. The EXPAND Control tablet will be available at the same time for $1,385.