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The Polycom RealPresence Group Series is widely used by global companies to facilitate effective communication across multiple locations. …
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What is Polycom RealPresence Group Series?
The Polycom RealPresence Group Series is a video conferencing codec that connects to a standards-based video conferencing infrastructure to allow users to make video conference calls. There are three products in the series – RealPresence Group 300, RealPresence Group 500,…
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What is Polycom RealPresence Group Series?
The Polycom RealPresence Group Series is a video conferencing codec that connects to a standards-based video conferencing infrastructure to allow users to make video conference calls. There are three products in the series – RealPresence Group 300, RealPresence Group 500, and RealPresence Group…
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What is Polycom RealPresence Group Series?
The Polycom RealPresence Group Series is a video conferencing codec that connects to a standards-based video conferencing infrastructure to allow users to make video conference calls. There are three products in the series – RealPresence Group 300, RealPresence Group 500, and RealPresence Group 700. It is certified to use with Office 365 and Skype for Business.
Polycom RealPresence Group Series Technical Details
| Operating Systems | Unspecified |
|---|---|
| Mobile Application | No |
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Community Insights
TrustRadius Insights are summaries of user sentiment data from TrustRadius reviews and, when necessary, 3rd-party data sources. Have feedback on this content? Let us know!
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The Polycom RealPresence Group Series is widely used by global companies to facilitate effective communication across multiple locations. Users emphasize its versatility, as it can connect to various cloud services and function as both a stand-alone H.323 and SIP system. This flexibility allows it to be utilized in conference rooms of varying sizes, accommodating small 2-person rooms to large lobbies for company-wide meetings.
Customers highlight the value of the system in reducing the need for travel, as it enables remote access from other locations, fostering collaboration and saving costs. It serves multiple purposes, such as group video conferences, online training sessions, and educational seminars held outside of the workplace. By standardizing conferencing software and hardware, the system allows direct connections between meeting rooms equipped with these devices.
Reviewers praise the high-quality audio and video performance of the RealPresence Group Series, making it particularly suitable for high-priority and high-traffic conference rooms. Integration with Microsoft Teams and ceiling microphones further enhances the meeting experience while minimizing the necessity for extensive travel. The system has proven indispensable for engineers collaborating globally, tackling the costly problem of constant travel.
Another significant use case involves connecting different business units, functional groups, and teams worldwide for effective collaboration. Furthermore, it brings a sense of togetherness by enabling participation in conference calls and enhancing meeting experiences. Users appreciate its HD video quality, superb sound quality, and compatibility with various cloud services.
In addition to being deployed in board meeting rooms due to its low cost compared to other endpoint options when participating in meetings with Lifesize and Cisco conference systems, the Polycom RealPresence Group Series finds broad utilization within companies for basic audio and web meetings. Moreover, it facilitates HD video conferences for site-to-site or external board meetings while helping organizations phase out external conferencing products and leverage their internal investment.
Departments such as IT and marketing benefit from the system, allowing for efficient meetings and visual connections with participants. The ability to conduct calls globally, reduce the need for travel, and enable face-to-face communications is highly valued. The system is also being evaluated by users for recommendations to end-users and customers, with a strong emphasis on ease of use and setup.
Companies appreciate the implementation of the Group Series solution without significant cost or time investment, enabling productive teleconferences with remote offices and third-party companies. Moreover, it serves as a vital tool for connecting associates between geographically distributed home offices and branch offices, enabling productive meetings without the need for travel. Within the IT department, the system is widely used for video conferences and conference calls, enhancing collaboration and communication.
Users have found the Polycom RealPresence Group Series to be cost-effective and reliable. By utilizing this system, companies can evaluate its cost effectiveness and determine if it aligns with their budgetary needs. It offers a low-cost endpoint solution for participating in meetings with other conference systems, providing an accessible option for companies looking to enhance their meeting capabilities.
Overall, the Polycom RealPresence Group Series has proven to be a valuable tool for global companies. Its ability to connect multiple locations and facilitate effective communication has made it a popular choice for routine meetings, collaborations, and educational sessions. With its high-quality audio and video performance, versatility in connecting to various cloud services, and seamless integration with Microsoft Teams, it is a practical solution that reduces travel costs and enhances meeting experiences. Whether it's connecting different business units or enabling efficient meetings within departments, the RealPresence Group Series continues to deliver reliable and cost-effective communication solutions.
Audio and Video Quality: Reviewers have consistently praised the audio and video quality of the Polycom RealPresence Group Series. Many users have described the audio quality as astounding and excellent, while also highlighting the sharpness, clarity, and high resolution of the video.
Versatility: The versatility of the Polycom RealPresence Group Series has been a standout feature for users. They appreciate being able to integrate the system with other applications, allowing for seamless online to phone interactions and easy sharing of computer content with participants at remote locations.
Ease of Use: Users find the Polycom RealPresence Group Series to be extremely user-friendly. They value its simplistic design and how easily it operates without any difficulties. The intuitive user interface, attractive touch panel option, and overall ease in running meetings are highly appreciated by reviewers.
Difficult to find unified solution: Several users have expressed difficulty in finding a unified solution to manage all Polycom RealPresence devices, making company-wide changes cumbersome. This lack of a centralized management system can lead to inefficiencies and increased time spent on device management.
Trouble pairing devices: Many reviewers have mentioned having trouble pairing their RealPresence device with a Polycom conference phone and getting them to work together. This issue can result in frustration and delays when trying to set up and use the system for conferences or meetings.
Interface not always intuitive: Some users have found the interface of the Polycom RealPresence system to be good but not always intuitive. They may struggle with navigating through different features or understanding how certain functions work. This lack of intuitiveness can hinder user experience and require additional time for training or troubleshooting.
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Reviews
(1-25 of 26)Companies can't remove reviews or game the system. Here's why
July 06, 2021
Polycom Group Series - Good for it's time.
The Polycom RealPresence Group Series codecs were used as part of our outgoing Video Managed Service. Enabled collaboration for staff in meeting rooms over video conferencing. Where it was used it faciliated meetings with colleagues both internal and external and saved time on traveling nationally but crucially with international contacts including suppliers.
- Solid codecs, well built and robust
- Video and audio quality is very good including the microphones
- Codecs are reliable, as long as users don't interfere with the cabling.
- The UI is fairly dated compared to what's available on the market
- Codecs require a fair bit of config before they are able to be used
- Remote control is fiddly
June 01, 2021
Worth the extra cost if you use it correctly
Being a global company, it's important to be able to communicate effectively - more so than just a Microsoft Teams meeting. Polycom RealPresense Group Series allows our groups to sit in a conference room and speak with other conference rooms as if it was one large meeting. Generally, these are used by departments spread out across multiple locations to have routine meetings to make sure everyone is on the same page. In a previous company, they were used so much that when our HQ was moved into a new building, the RealPresense devices more than doubled because we didn't have enough room. They were in anything from a small 2-person conference room to a large lobby where company-wide meetings would take place and accessed remotely by other locations.
- The audio and video quality can not be matched.
- For the most part, they are rather simplistic in their use and just work. People don't usually have a hard time operating them
- They are rather versatile in that we have been able to integrate them with other applications
- They are certainly not cheap.
- I've struggled to come across any unified solution to manage all of our Polycom RealPresence devices instead of using the web interface of each one. It makes company-wide changes rather cumbersome
- This might be an old issue but we had a really hard time pairing the RealPresence device with a Polycom conference phone and have them work together
May 30, 2021
Poly Group Series: A good choice.
We use it exclusively for our video conference rooms solution throughout our organization as well as support other campuses and state entities with their own Group Series units. We use Poly Group Series for static rooms as well as an integrated mobile solution for our live production events. Poly Group Series is our preferred equipment including a Poly Clariti infrastructure.
- Dedicated appliances for video.
- Quality video.
- Sound and content integration.
- Cost
- Non-proprietary camera options on the GS 500 and 310 units.
- External audio integration on the GS 310.
February 25, 2020
Talking to the World
Polycom RealPresence Group Series was used at the North American headquarters and select locations throughout the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The business problem it addressed was that is standardized the conferencing software and hardware we had in use. This allowed us to connect directly from any meeting room equipped with the devices to any other meeting room so equipped.
- The sound quality is excellent
- The images are sharp and crisp
- We needed to interact with the networking staff who were intent on using Cisco products, and this slowed down implementation.
- Though it was easy to train users to operate the equipment those who were not trained frequently had difficulty starting up a meeting without assistance
February 12, 2020
Great for meetings
We use the Polycom RealPresence Group Series to participate in conference calls. We use Microsoft Teams to create and host the meetings. It helps bring meetings together and a sense of togetherness. You can see the other people on the screen and the cameras help them to see you and whoever is talking.
- Make conference calls
- Display clear pictures
- Setting up meetings can take a bit to register
- The initial setup was very cumbersome
February 03, 2020
Veteran Collaboration Manager
We standardized our enterprise video conferencing platform around the Polycom RealPresence Group Series for several reasons. The most compelling were:
1) The ability to support HD video quality at the lowest required bandwidth in the industry.
2) Superb sound quality.
3) Flexibility to work with various cloud services.
1) The ability to support HD video quality at the lowest required bandwidth in the industry.
2) Superb sound quality.
3) Flexibility to work with various cloud services.
- HD resolution at low bandwidth.
- Sound quality.
- Microphone compatibility.
- Physical interface standards.
January 28, 2020
Polycom RealPresence Group Series Provides High Quality Experience and Decreases Travel Cost
Polycom RealPresence Group Series 500 is used in about a dozen conference rooms across the united states that require high-quality audio and video. The Polycom RealPresence Group series integrates easily with Microsoft Teams, and our ceiling microphones. The touch panels are easy to use and easy to learn, having the Polycom RealPresence Group series 500 in our high priority, high traffic conference rooms has lead to a better meeting experience,and thus has resulted in a decrease in the need for travel.
- Ease of Use
- High quality video
- Remote control of the Polycom RealPresence Group series panel is very buggy.
- Additional license cost for integration with Teams.
September 14, 2019
Satellite office conference room solution at lower costs.
The Polycom system was deployed in the board meeting room. Board members have lifesize and cisco conference systems in their offices, and Polycom was chosen as a low-cost endpoint to participate in those meetings.
- It's fairly straightforward to deploy.
- Good integration with Polycom® SoundStation® IP 7000 phone to achieve high-quality audio coverage in the room without installing a more complex ceiling microphone's solution.
- Integration with other solutions, such as Skype or Teams, requires additional licenses.
- We ended up using it only for meetings between conference rooms, not with individual users.
Polycom RealPresence Group Series is being used by everyone in our department but has not yet been integrated to use by everyone in the organization. We switched over to Polycom RealPresence Group Series about 3 years ago and it has made such a difference in our ability to connect to others in our department and those that we have meetings and partnerships with. Polycom RealPresence Group Series helps us to better plan meetings and conferences, determine availability of staff, and makes phone and online transactions more efficient, therefore saving valuable time throughout the day.
- Polycom RealPresence Group Series allows for seamless online to phone interactions. Staff are able to listen to voicemail on their phone or through their email, which is especially important when they are out of the office.
- Polycom RealPresence Group Series allows us to determine the availability of our staff, by syncing calendars and showing availability through the online messaging feature and the screen on the phone itself.
- Polycom RealPresence Group Series allows us to easily set up and conduct phone and video based conference calls, with minimal interference or dropped calls.
- The only issue that we have experienced with Polycom RealPresence Group Series is the speed dial functionality. When attempting to use the speed dial buttons, the system occasionally sends a call through the computer system, not the phone. While the computer call option is valuable, not everyone can answer calls that way and we have had to do a manual lookup of an extension and call back when that happens.
June 13, 2018
Polycom RealPresence: Real(ly) good
Polycom RealPresence Group Series codecs are being used across the organization which we support. They enable video conferencing between offices around the globe for training, client meetings, internal meetings, and interviews.
- Provides high-quality video and audio during conferences.
- Enables the sharing of computer content from one site to the far end participants.
- Easily used in integrated Crestron-controlled rooms.
- Screen layout options can be somewhat limited, particularly when sharing content.
- There have been occasional issues when connecting directly with Cisco endpoints within our environment.
March 06, 2018
A 'sure thing' for quality conferencing.
We use the Polycom RealPresence systems for communication both within the company and with external Partners and Customers. I work remotely, so having a system available to me not only allows the highest quality communications for day to day meetings, but a reference point for supporting users when needed. Having a system that connects to the Cloud services that we use, but is also a stand-alone H.323 and SIP system is very versatile.
- Polycom are still a high-end videoconferencing manufacturer and it shows. The build quality is very high, with quality components provided. In the current environment where 'huddle-room' systems are taking over and are a mix of solutions from multiple manufacturers, you can tell the difference when you open the box and get dedicated hardware that is designed to work as a single package.
- The audio quality is very good. May sound like an odd thing to consider audio quality before video quality, but if the sound is poor, it doesn't matter how good the video is - you wont stay in the meeting.
- Great video from the dedicated cameras. The image quality is high and the camera is silent when it moves to presets.
- Interface is good, but not always intuitive. For regular users, everything they need is instantly available.
- Not 1080 out of the box, though the hardware supports it. Need a license to activate.
January 26, 2018
Go for it
My company uses the Group Series to teleconference with our remote offices and third-party companies using Skype for Business as the backbone for transport. Without adding any significant cost to infrastructure or time, my company was able to implement the Group Series solution at a rate of one office in one day. We were able to overcome the issue of a soft speaker by also installing the SoundStructure module.
- Amazing audio
- Simple setup
- Easy for users to understand
- Many options for room sizing
- The ability to share camera feed and content simultaneously
- More layout options
January 24, 2018
Polycom after One Year!
Polycom is used by the whole company for basic audio and web meetings. [We] Use HD video conferences for site to site or external board meetings. Dozens of sites have invested in 300 and 500 room systems. [We're] Phasing out external conferencing products to leverage internal investment. User adopting of advanced features is continuing, hopefully will utilize more.
- Sales team at Polycom is engaged and wants to sell.
- End support is pretty good compared to tech companies and is represented locally thru VARS.
- Once installed, updated and debugged the platform is stable.
- Install was a bit fast with a tech that was not the best, this lead to a round of support issues, fixes, and training.
- Much of the internal learning was on our own with trial and error, and the Outlook integration was not really 100% (abandoned that as users could not understand and remember the shortcomings when meetings changed. Moved to reservation-less.
- Stability was better after a major upgrade(only 1 year old) and a better Polycom tech.
Sappi recently purchase six Group Series 500 codecs this past year. The units have been distributed to our major sites with the hopes of decreasing travel costs.
- The clarity of the video is a strength.
- Support is strong with Polycom.
- The units will integrate with Skype which will help us in the future.
- The user interface/remote could be more intuitive.
- The EagleEye Director is good, but the tracking needs refinement.
- I would like to see more on-line self support.
January 17, 2018
Difficult to set up - but once its going good video / audio
[We're] Using it to facilitate group video conferences across several locations including home workers. It allows us to do face to face meetings at a lower cost and disruption than traveling.
- Video quality is good.
- Switching the video across several users seem to work well
- It is hard to use/set up. One has to be fairly tech savvy and it still sometimes doesn't work right. Should work more like FaceTime in Apple - which is intuitive and easy to use.
- Ability to select on your screen where the video boxes go within the container would be useful.
- Haven't tried it but sharing a screen doesn't seem as intuitive as say WebEx.
January 15, 2018
Group Series, the only series for your work group.
The Group Series codecs are used for our engineers to collaborate and conduct meetings across the globe. It solves the costly problem of constant travel. Our executive team also uses video conferencing to conduct meetings, not as often as the engineers.
- All in one hardware integration. Touch panel, codec, SS DSP, Mics with Clink all work well together, this reduces the need for custom programming and saves money.
- The Polycom Provisioning service for the groups reduces human error during setup of codec's as well as consistency for UI/settings.
- The new SNMP for Group Series has a much better structure that allows for deep monitoring.
- Previously an issue with Global Directory dialing, the RPTouch would try to dial display name string vs ext. This was fixed recently.
- Skype for Business integration does not work well. We currently are implementing Pexip to handle Skype.
- Complicated wiring for Clink extension. Clink connection also easy to put in upside-down. This broke one of our HDXs in the past.
January 11, 2018
Still Powerful, but losing relevence slowly
It is used by all the HQ offices. It is primarily utilized to connect associates between the geographically distributed home offices as well as, a bit, from HQ to the branch offices scattered around the country.
- The actual video signalling and quality are great.
- There is a ton of flexibility in configuration, although several options are missing, as compared to the HDX series.
- The platform is solid...we rarely have failures.
- The global direction access is garbage. Six remote button pushes to access such a frequently used feature? And not even an API command to jump directly to it?
- Both scheduled and dynamic provisioning should be supported from RPRM.
- Really, still a separate license for 1080p? It is mainstream now, not a value add.
January 11, 2018
Crisp Sound – Sharp Video!
It is being used in a limited manner at this time. I have been using it at other locations outside of my work to facilitate group meetings, online pieces of training and educational seminars.
- The sound quality is astounding.
- The image quality is clear and sharp.
- I would like to be able to call directly to any point accessible through the internet.
- I would like to be able to remotely control the devices at the far end.
November 28, 2017
Review from an VC Engineer who uses Polycom Equipment Daily
We use it across the enterprise. It enables the ability to have productive meetings without having to travel.
- Video Conf is the way of the future, and is widely used in all aspects of life for communication without the means of having to travel.
- Meaningful conversation.
- Share content in meetings - such as a PowerPoint deck.
- Enables the traveling persons to give immediate feedback back to "home" on where they are; such as in retail we can see real time what a store condition is or what displays look like.
- Biggest issue is managing the Video calls via from a Mac OS environment; such as managing the RMX.
- The inability to connect via from a mobile device.
- Inability to merge other type of clients into one call without having to purchase expensive equipment to do so; such as Skype for Business or Google Meet.
November 17, 2017
Group Series Review
We use Group series in any conference room scenario where video conferencing is required.
- Ease of use
- Global Management
- Just works
- Treo integration
- Director and producer both need advanced settings for setup. Not enough options for frame setup.
We currently have Polycom RealPresence Group Series in 2 of our conference rooms. One in Santa Monica which is only used by IT, and one in Phoenix which is used by IT and marketing. It allows meetings between these departments in these corporate offices to have more efficient meetings by being able to visibly see the other participants.
- Easy to use interface
- Detail on upcoming meetings on screen
- Option of a touch panel makes meetings easy to run
- Can't use touch panel and remote on the same system
- Call order placement is an issue
- Slow user interface
November 10, 2017
Polycom at Work!!
It is used for the entire company to facilitate calls globally. It helps lower the need for travel while still allowing face to face communications.
- Easy and attractive interface
- Integrates well with a control system
- Very easy to manage via web
- Better integration with Cisco CUCM
- Adding audio calls can sometimes be tricky when dial tones are needed
- Put labels on the new remotes so people know which buttons do what
November 10, 2017
Opinion of a regional manager
We use this platform for most locations across our business globally to connect for all different types of business meetings between different business units, functional groups, and within functional teams. The system allows us to connect and collaborate with our associates more effectively on key topics than traditional conference calls and in some cases save the need to travel to complete meetings face to face.
- Strong for medium to large group meetings where 2-5 associates are connecting from up to 5 sites
- Able to see the reaction of associates and better engage the audience in the content of the meeting
- Improves the ability to understand/communicate when connecting associates with different native languages
- The main issue is the reliability of connection performance - particularly when attempting to share content and video simultaneously.
- It's difficult to use the whiteboard function.
- The ability to easily connect to non-polycom devices/platforms - unfortunately often associates are not at a site with a polycom device/connection or from outside the organization.
November 03, 2017
Picture perfect
It was used within the IT department for various video conferences and conference calls. This provided a way for the involved parties to test out the system and determine if it is cost effective.
- Great video quality
- Great audio quality
- None at this time.
October 31, 2017
Solid Performing A/V Conference Room System
We use Polycom in our offices to facilitate both local and video conference based meetings. The Polycom system is integrated into our meetings allowing us a quick 1-2 touch way to start a meeting.
- Integration with video conference software
- Digital White Board
- Touch interface
- Better integration with Outlook to auto start conference software.