What is the difference between Meeting Owl and Meeting Owl Pro? Which has more coverage and connect more people? They capture 360° video in 1080p HD and 360° audio up to 18’ (5.5m) and automatically focuses on whoever is speaking to foster active collaboration and increased participation. Option to pair Meeting Owl Pros using Owl Connect to support even larger conference rooms and classrooms. Get details in Meeting Owl vs Meeting Owl Pro comparison.
Pros & Cons – Meeting Owl vs Meeting Owl Pro
Meeting Owl
PROS
- 360-degree camera, microphone array and speaker
- Smartphone-class processor
- Intelligent speaker highlighting
- Easy setup and straightforward operation
- iOS and Android mobile apps
- Firmware updates and meeting analytics over wi-fi connection
CONS
- Meeting analytics feature not yet available via Android app
- Moderate 720p video resolution
- Wi-fi connection may prove difficult in some workplaces
Meeting Owl Pro
Pros
- Excellent 1080p 360 degree camera
- Good software
- Unique Style
- Sturdy
- Quick setup
Cons
- Expensive
- Outdated Micro USB connection
Specification
- Price: $999
- Resolution: 1080P 360 degree FHD
- Microphones: 8
- Noise Canceling: Yes
- Field of View: 360-degrees
- Autofocus: Yes
- Speaker Tracking: Yes
- Connection: Micro USB
- Size: 4.4 x 4.4 x 10.75-inches
- Weight: 2.6 pounds
Meeting Owl vs Meeting Owl Pro Price
There is a slightly less expensive sibling device, The Meeting Owl, which is similar in form factor, comes in black, and retails for $799 but, it only comes with a 720p 360-degree camera and one built-in speaker.
The Meeting Owl Pro costs $999 and comes with a 1080p 360-degree camera powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 650 processor, eight built-in microphones, and three built-in speakers and is compatible with both Windows 10 and macOS. It works with just about every video meeting platform, including Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Slack, Skype, and Google Meet.
Compare Meeting Owl vs Meeting Owl Pro
| Feature | Meeting Owl | Meeting Owl Pro |
| Camera | 360° camera with 720p output resolution | 360° camera with 1080p output resolution |
| Pixel capture | 1756 x 1756 | 3456 x 3456 |
| Processing | Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 processor (4-core CPU, Adreno 306 GPU) | Qualcomm Snapdragon 605 processor (8-core CPU, Adreno 615 GPU) |
| Microphones | 12-foot radius audio pickup, 8 mics | 360° outward-firing three-speaker system (2x louder room sound) |
| Wi-fi connectivity | WPA & WPA2 networks | WPA & WPA2 networks, MIMO |
| Computer connection | USB 2.0 plug-and-play | USB 2.0 plug-and-play |
| Recommended Rooms | Huddle and smaller rooms up to 12ft x 18ft | Medium-sized and large rooms up to 20ft x 20ft |
| Intelligence | Owl Intelligence System automatically focuses on the person speaking | Owl Intelligence System automatically focuses on the person speaking, plus Smart Zooming functionality |
| Compatibility | Works with all popular video conferencing software | Works with all popular video conferencing software |
| Owl Labs’ Smart Meeting Room ecosystem | Core product improvements via wi-fi | Enabled for Owl Labs’ Smart Meeting Room ecosystem |
What is the key difference – Meeting Owl vs Meeting Owl Pro?
Design
Meeting Owl
It was a 2.6-pound, fabric-clad cylinder with USB ports for monitors and PCs and a pair of LEDs meant to mimic the eyes of its namesake. Meeting Owl is a matte-black smart-speaker-style device standing 273mm tall with a maximum diameter of 111mm. It weighs 1.2kg and tapers slightly towards the single-lens 360-degree camera at the top.
Meeting Owl Pro
The unit measures 4.4 x 4.4 x 10.75-inches and weighs 2.6 pounds, so it’s lightweight and easy to move around if you want to travel with it from room to room.
Resolution
The Meeting Owl Pro’s camera is two times sharper, with a 1080p resolution (up from 720p). And its three-speaker, 360-degree sound system is twice as loud, suitable for conference tables up to 18 feet in length.
Coverage
Meeting Owl
Meeting Owl is designed for meeting rooms up to 17ft by 13ft by 10ft, holding up to 12 people. For best video performance it’s recommended that participants sit within six feet of the 360-degree camera, while audio performance is good for up to 12 feet away.
Meeting Owl Pro
The Audio is 100% suitable for conference calls hosting 10 -15 people around the Meeting Owl Pro, and the microphone certainly makes good on its range and fidelity. But the 1080p 360° camera is a let down.
Audio
The Meeting Owl pro comes with eight built-in microphones that picked up my voice excellently even when I was ten away from the unit and speaking at an average level. Audio, as well as up-close audio. It did an excellent job of capturing the voice of individual speakers and using its Owl Intelligence system powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 650 processor. The Meeting Owl pro has noise cancelation that you can select in the phone app available for download in both the Apple and Android app stores.
What are the similarities – Meeting Owl vs Meeting Owl Pro?
Ports & buttons
There are two connectors in the base, for power via a 12V/3A AC adapter and PC connection via a Micro-USB to USB cable (both supplied in the box). Buttons on opposite sides of the device mute the audio, whereupon red status strip-lights appear near the base and a muted-microphone icon appears on-screen. You also get volume up/down buttons and an ‘owl’ button that toggles between two onscreen speaker-spotlight modes — sliding animation or straight cuts.
Setup
Meeting Owl works with Windows 7 or higher, OS X 10.8 or higher, Linux 2.6.26 or higher, and Chrome OS. We tested it successfully with Windows 10 and OS X 10.10.5, using Google Hangouts and Skype. Other fully supported videoconferencing platforms are Google Meet, Go To Meeting, Skype for Business, and Zoom. Among the ‘not recommended’ platforms are Adobe Connect, FaceTime, Microsoft Teams, Teamviewer, and WeChat (see Owl Labs’ website for more detail on platform support).
To set up Meeting Owl, you first need to download the free Android or iOS app and connect to the device via Bluetooth. From here you can focus and lock the camera on a presenter or on any important area of the room, connect the Meeting Owl to wi-fi to receive automatic feature updates, and get an extended warranty when you register your Owl. You can also set a passcode to restrict access to the Owl’s settings.
Are there any Meeting Owls Alternatives?
Logitech BCC950
This is another all-in-one and easy to install equipment. It provides business-grade video conferencing with HD 1080p 30fps video display. The speaker is of high quality and full-duplex enables recording up to 8 feet away.
Designed for productive teams with a small group in mind, it can accommodate up to 4 people. With motorized camera at eye level and multi-directional speaker, it’s perfect to catch the face and sound of each participant.
BCC950 can also work with most video conferencing software.
ezTalks Meet S
The all-in-one design makes it convenient to use. Instead of the expensive traditional equipment consisting of various tools, with BizTalk’s Meet S you just need a single device to do it all. It’s also very easy to install with only 3 steps required and can be done in a minute!
If you’re looking for an affordable All-in-One Video Conferencing Equipment, then ezTalks Meet S is one of the Meeting Owl alternatives.
It works with any mobile device running on Android, IOS, Windows or even Mac. Other features include high performance and powerful software developed by specialist engineers. This enables it to conduct live webinars easily, screen and file sharing, provide online whiteboard, do cloud recording and storage.
This device features HD video and audio. Its 1080P camera with 120 degree field-of-view ensures absolute clarity and able to cover everyone in the huddle room. The dual microphones cancel echo and reduce noise level and therefore you get crystal clear sound for a perfect video conference.
Cisco Precision 60 Camera
This device provides powerful video imaging with 1080p60 resolution. It is suitable ranging from small to large meeting rooms.
With the powerful camera, you can experience life like meetings due to its sharpness and clarity. It’s equipped with a 10x optical zoom camera, making it perfect even for large meeting rooms.
