Beamforming ceiling array mic employs Cat 6 cabling for in-room AV

May 25, 2022
At next month's Infocomm (June 6-8) in Las Vegas, the Nearity A50 will be showcased alongside company's flagship audio and camera solutions for enabling exceptional conferencing and collaboration experiences.

Conferencing technology innovator Nearity will be in Las Vegas making its InfoComm conference and exhibition (June 8-10) debut in the U.S., with the the launch of the Nearity A50 beamforming ceiling array microphone.

The Nearity A50 is an integrated ceiling array microphone designed to provide optimal audio fidelity for video conferencing and in-room audio, which brings the company's advanced audio technology and precision engineering to an elevated form factor for deployment a wide variety of meeting spaces.

Connectivity

A single A50 unit provides effective pickup at distances up to 8m, while up to eight A50 units can be daisy-chained using standard CAT6 cable to extend audio capacity and provide complete coverage of larger spaces.

Analog line-in, line-out, and USB interfaces on the A50 DSP enable easy interoperability with existing video conferencing MCUs. An included remote control provides easy end-user access to features such as the A50's sound reinforcement mode.

AV capabilities

The A50's 91-element, omnidirectional microphone array combines with deep sidelobe beamforming to enable precise sound pickup for up to 12 independent lobes.

This ensures that every word will be heard clearly by in-person and remote participants regardless of where the person speaking is located within the room – even while walking around. Meanwhile, automatic gain control enables every speaker's voice to be heard with equal volume.

Further, Nearity says its advanced, AI-enhanced noise suppression and echo cancellation technologies enable crystal-clear sound while reducing distracting background noises and audio artifacts, while reverberation suppression substantially reduces or removes reverb even in challenging spaces.

Infocomm pitch

The A50 is one of three ceiling mic models being introduced by Nearity in the coming months to meet the varying voice pickup needs of different-sized meeting spaces. Two smaller models, the A30 and A40, also on display at Infocomm, are designed for flexible installation on sidewalls or suspended from poles in small and mid-sized rooms.

"Ceiling mics are no longer exclusively for use in ultra-large training rooms or luxuriously decorated conference rooms," noted Roy Wu, director of business development, North America for Nearity.

In June, the A50 will be shown in Nearity's Infocomm booth W2639, alongside the two additional new ceiling mic models, as well as established Nearity solutions.

Wu added, "Our new family of ceiling mics expands the deployment possibilities to include everything from huddle rooms to mid-sized classrooms. We're excited to showcase the A50 and other Nearity audio innovations to InfoComm attendees for the first time."

Expanded showcase

At Infocomm, Nearity will also be showcasing flagship products from its extensive portfolio of audio endpoints, all-in-one conferencing devices, PTZ conferencing cameras, and webcams.

Additional product demonstrations at InfoComm 2022 will include:

  • The Nearity A20, a USB-connected speakermic, designed to improve conferencing experiences via an eight-element microphone array and AI noise suppression that intelligently reduces indoor background noises and maximizes voice clarity. The A20 provides plug-and-play operation and is daisy-chainable with other Nearity devices. 
  • The Nearity C30R, an all-in-one device featuring a 4K camera with 120° wide angle lens, speaker tracking, close-up grouping, and auto-framing. It combines these rich video features with a five-element microphone array, high-definition full-band speaker, echo cancellation, automatic gain control, and AI-driven noise suppression for superior audio.
  • The Nearity V30 4K UHD conference camera, which features an 8MP HD image sensor, 120° wide-angle distortionless lens, and a four-element microphone array. The V30 provides outstanding audio and video for small and medium-sized conference rooms through intelligent functions such as auto-framing and AI-based noise reduction.
  • Nearity professional AV products are distributed exclusively in North America by Mobile Video Devices Inc. (MVD). 

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    About the Author

    Matt Vincent | Senior Editor

    Matt Vincent is a B2B technology journalist, editor and content producer with over 15 years of experience, specializing in the full range of media content production and management, as well as SEO and social media engagement best practices, for both Cabling Installation & Maintenance magazine and its website CablingInstall.com. He currently provides trade show, company, executive and field technology trend coverage for the ICT structured cabling, telecommunications networking, data center, IP physical security, and professional AV vertical market segments. Email: [email protected]

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