PFU (EMEA) Limited launches RICOH 360 Meeting Hub for an inclusive and seamless meeting experience

London, June 18, 2024

PFU (EMEA) Limited today announces the launch of the RICOH 360 Meeting Hub, to cut through virtual meeting fatigue by creating a more inclusive and lifelike meeting experience where in-person and remote participants feel they are together in the same place.

With a 3-in-1 video camera, speaker and microphone, the RICOH 360 Meeting Hub delivers a panoramic 360-degree view to allow whole groups to be displayed simultaneously so no one appears distant, helping remote attendees feel engaged and confident to participate. Even if participants are standing or moving around, omni-directional microphones pick-up all speakers’ voices to a 6-metre radius.

In addition to being ideal for office meetings, the RICOH 360 Meeting Hub can be positioned on any flat surface anywhere, for every type of audience or meeting. Its lightweight, ergonomic design makes it easily portable, and it can be mounted on a tripod for stand-up meetings on a factory floor, trade show booth, event site or anywhere a meeting or presentation is to be held. Acoustic echo cancellation and noise reduction ensure that all participants can be heard clearly – even in places with background noise.

Set-up and operation are stress-free and seamless – the intuitive plug-and-play functionality means the RICOH 360 Meeting Hub is simply plugged into a laptop with no need to configure multiple devices or install complicated software.

“Supporting remote workers is a non-negotiable in today’s flexible work environment. Why should those who dial in feel less included in a meeting than other participants? Our new RICOH 360 Meeting Hub helps combat this feeling by creating an immersive experience so that individuals interacting with a group see and hear everyone as clearly as if they were with them in person. This can be a real game changer for reaching meeting attendees and audiences who experience disengagement as remote participants,” said Hiroaki Kashiwagi, President, and CEO of PFU (EMEA) Limited.

Key features & benefits

• High Performance Audio

A HiFi4 DSP audio processing chip and firmware combine with the omni-directional speakers to deliver high-quality sound. Acoustic echo cancellation, noise reduction and simultaneous two-way conversation technology ensure all meeting participants, even those in areas with background noise, can speak and be heard clearly and naturally.

• Highlights Multiple Participants

The camera identifies up to 8 active participants in the meeting for visual auto-focus and highlights the 3 most recent speakers in larger frames so that remote attendees can easily see who is speaking, promoting free-flowing conversations.

• High-Resolution 360-degree panoramic image

The dual fisheye lens delivers high-resolution images ensuring every individual in the group is displayed simultaneously and can be seen clearly.

• One-Touch Multiple Screen Layout Switching

A touch sensor on the unit means you can instantly switch between screen layout options to accommodate various meeting scenarios. Choose from 360-degree panoramic or split-screen 180-degree views, to display both sides of a meeting table. Up to 4 layout options are available with manually selected main speaker image highlighted or with other speakers in sidebar.

• Conference Platform Compatible

This Smart Meeting Hub works with most common conferencing platforms including Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Webex and Google Meet.

• Intuitive plug-and-play functionality

USB Type-C power supported; no AC adapter required

For more information on the RICOH 360 Meeting Hub visit: https://www.pfu-emea.ricoh.com/en-gb/hardware/meeting-devices/360-meeting-hub