Using a 360-Degree Video Camera
IBM® Lotus ® Sametime® supports a video camera that allows meeting participants to view a 360-degree area around the camera. If the speaking participant in a meeting uses a 360-degree camera, all other participants can scroll their video windows to see the area surrounding that participant. (You do not need to own a 360-degree camera to view the area around the speaking participant.)
When the person who has a 360-degree video camera stops speaking, and someone with a regular video camera begins speaking, the video switches to the new speaker. No other action is necessary to switch the video.
Note The only 360-degree video camera that Lotus Sametime supports is the TotalView High Res camera from BeHere Technologies. For more information about this video camera, such as required hardware and software, see the camera documentation.
Transmitting 360-Degree Video
If you are the speaking participant in an audio/video meeting and you have a 360-degree video camera, other participants in the meeting can see the entire room around you. If several people are in the same physical room that you are in, you might want to place the camera in a central location. For example, you could place the camera in the middle of a conference table. The camera does not need to be attached to the other participant's computers; it will capture everyone in the room as long as it is attached to your computer.
When using a 360-degree video camera, use a microphone that can capture audio for an entire room (an omnidirectional microphone). Unidirectional microphones do not work properly with 360-degree video.
Viewing 360-Degree Video
When the speaking participant is using a 360-degree camera and you move your mouse pointer over the Current Speaker's view of the Video window, the mouse pointer changes to a double arrow. Move your mouse to the right or left edge of the Speaker's Video window and then hold your mouse button down to scroll through the available video area.
If there is more than one person in the room with the 360-degree camera (for example, if several people are meeting in the same room, and they have placed the camera in the middle of a conference table), you can see other people as you scroll. To see the entire area around the camera without scrolling, float the video windows. When you scroll the Speaker's Video window or float your video windows to view the full area around the camera, only your video is affected. No one else in the meeting sees the video scroll or float.
Tip If you notice that the video images are choppy, or if you are receiving video very slowly, you might be receiving video at a low bit rate. Ask your system administrator to allow you to receive video at a bit rate of 128K bits per second or higher.