Compare camera types

Cameras are provided in many classrooms and provide a video signal via a USB cable at the instructor station for use by your laptop or a provided classroom computer (if available). The room features listed below can be filtered on room search:

Auto tracking camera mounted on wall.

Camera - Instructor Auto-Tracking
This camera provides a signal aimed at the active speaker at the front of the room and will track the active speaker automatically.

 

point/tilt/zoom camera mounted near a projector on the ceiling

Camera - Instructor Pan/Tilt/Zoom
A camera typically mounted on the back wall to be able to provide either a wide shot of the entire front of the room or zoom in to capture only the instructor or a portion of the writing surface. They are manually controlled from the touchscreens on the instructor station. These are the best cameras for relaying what’s written on the marker board up front.

 

fixed camera mounted on a wall

Camera - Instructor Fixed Angle
This camera is similar to the Instructor Point/Tilt/Zoom cameras in their installation in providing a view of the front of the room, but limited in the ability in that they only allow zooming in and out.

 

student auto-tracking camera located above a markerboard at the front

Camera - Student Auto-Tracking
This camera facilitates discussions between those in person and those online. An auto-tracking camera facing students is ideal for most conferencing or recording use as it accomplishes the work of adjusting the camera angle, leaving you free to stay engaged and on task. This is currently part of our rooms with video conferencing codecs.

 

Audio / video bar

Photo of audio/video bar mounted to instructor pedestal

Audio/Video Bar
The Audio/Video Bar is attached to the instructor pedestal and includes a camera that automatically frames the room or the person speaking (depending on the orientation of the pedestal). The bar also has an integrated echo-canceling microphone and a speaker.

If you’d like help deciding which camera will best meet your needs, email us at classrm@umn.edu and we can help!