Is the Meeting Owl Pro right for you? The Owl 360 camera review will explain all pros and cons, features, functions and actual performance of the device so that you can decide.
Our Review of the Owl 360 Camera
Overall, the 360 camera boasts great audio, video and other features. You may have to pay a premium amount for this device, but it is worth it.
The cute looking Meeting Owl Pro looks like a lot of fun, and it is indeed easy to use. But despite its charming looks, it is meant for serious business. The 360 camera delivers good value for money, and the installation is pretty easy.
Pros
- Good video and audio quality
- Easy installation
- Sturdy and robust build quality
- Easy to use software
Cons
- Premium price
- Micro USB connection is outdated
Key Features
The 360 Camera has a fairly small footprint, due to which you can discretely stow it in your office without any problems and let it do its thing. The thin upright cylindrical space will easily find room even on a crowded desk.
You will notice that the speaker grill is covered with a cloth while the top part sports a circular glass camera enclosure.
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 650 chipset powers the Owl 360 camera.
The camera resolution is 1080p.
Key features include 8 built-in microphones together with 3 built-in speakers. The Owl 360 works on both MacOS and Windows 10 desktop systems. It can sync seamlessly with all sorts of communication apps, including but not limited to Google Meet, Skype, Microsoft Teams and Zoom.
The cream-white unit has 2 circular LEDs, which will switch on and glow when the device is powered on. This gives it a distinctive owl-like appearance. The shape of the device is reminiscent of the Bose Soundlink Bluetooth speaker.
The stylish bluetooth device will blend in easily in all sorts of office spaces with its cream white colour.
There are 2 mute buttons on opposite sides at the bottom of the device. Here, you will also find the power switch as well as volume buttons. A notch is included so that a micro USB power cable and power cord can pass through and link the Owl 360 with the USB A port of a computer.
If you turn over the device, you will locate the Micro USB port and the AC power port. A screw mount helps the device to securely stand on a speaker mount or tripod if you so desire.
Video and Sound Quality
The Smart Zooming and autofocus function of the Owl Intelligence System work quite well. This feature automatically detects people in the meeting space and zooms in on them to include everyone in the picture.
The 1080p FHD 360 camera boasts vibrant colors and detailed images. Exposure appears just right. The camera will automatically adjust its settings according to area lighting so that the video looks neither too light nor too dark. In small spaces, there is a very little distortion to speak of from the fisheye lens. The autofocus software is impressive and works as intended. It zooms in on the speaker by recognizing their voice. This is a very useful ability since it will make the speaker the subject of the video.
The Owl Intelligence System does a good job at shifting focus to the active person who is talking. The system even takes people heights into accounts and adjusts its zoom and focus accordingly.
The 360 panoramic view will show you all participants in the meeting so that no one is left out.
Sound Quality
Since there are 8 embedded speakers in the unit, picking up light sounds is not a problem. Thanks to this vast array of quality speakers, the device can record voices even if speakers are located at some distance from the device. The advantage here is that you do not need to stand too close to the unit for accurate voice recording.
There is also a noise cancellation system that helps to minimize distortions and interference from background noises.
The speakers sound great. Although they don’t exactly have the power to blast music for a party, they do have decent bass. The audio quality is very good, and the recorded audio closely matches the voices of the speakers.
Ease of Use
The Owl 360 is a plug-and-play device that can seamlessly connect with Windows 10 and Mac OS systems. You just have to plug the device in, and it starts working in seconds on its own.
Simply plug it into the USB A port of your computer. Start Google Meet, Skype, Zoom or any other conference software that you use. Go to the conference app settings to select Owl 360 as your camera. And you are good to go.
The device is likewise easy to set up with the smartphone app. You can download and install the app, which is available for both iOS and Android. Using the intuitive, user-friendly app, you can activate noise cancellation, zoom, focus and execute other basic functions with ease.
The app also shows you useful meeting analytics such as duration, number of meetings and so on.
The versatile device is a platform that sports a high-quality speaker, mic and camera. It can integrate easily with any conferencing software that you choose and works seamlessly for hybrid teams.
Our Final Thoughts
While there are a number of wide-angle cameras that aim to provide a highly inclusive panoramic view of the whole meeting, few do it as well as the Owl 360.
Whether it is a mic, speaker, camera, picture quality or audio, the Owl 360 shines on all fronts. The smart system can focus automatically on active members.
The simplicity of this plug-and-play device is exceptional. You just need to plug it into your PC port, find the camera in your conference app, and you are good to go.
This is a useful piece of equipment for teams that want to record their meetings with minimum hassle and maximum efficiency.
