Poly Studio X50PRODUCT REVIEW
Poly Studio X50
Our Profound Technologies staff audition a popular HP | Poly bundle: The Studio X50 video bar and TC8 touch panel. The package is $3499.99 MSRP, and represents an all-in-one solution for a small or medium conference room, covering audio-visual needs, operating as a standalone meeting room, and including a tabletop touch screen to make it easy to control the room. Our team tested the setup with a Microsoft Teams Room and the TC8 controller. How does the Studio X50 perform, as a one-stop solution for video conferencing?
Key Specifications
- Displays supported 2
- Built-in Speakers 2
- Built-in Microphones 3 MEMS, 2 second order
- Built-in Video Fixed camera Supported resolutions: 4K at 30 fps, 1080p at 60 fps, 720p at 60 fps Zoom: 5x digital Total room coverage: 121 degrees Horizontal, 110 degrees Vertical
- USB Mode Yes
- Appliance Mode Yes
- Certifications Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet
Use case for the HP | Poly Studio X50 and TC8
Medium sized conference rooms can prove difficult to capture effectively, for hybrid meetings. They’re too large to consider simple USB webcams and built-in speakers, yet a medium room doesn’t demand a large system with discrete components. Enter the HP | Poly Studio X50, with a fixed camera, built-in speakers, and microphone array. The Studio X50 is able to capture the whole room, and digitally crop the fixed image to frame whomever is talking. During a hands-on session, our Profound Technologies team members noted that the audio capabilities of the HP | Poly video bar were outstanding, solving for meeting rooms where in-person attendees in the back row struggle to be heard.
Price range
At $3,499 MSRP, the HP | Poly Studio X50 is in the same price range as similar video bars from other brands. The Logitech Rally Bar came to mind for project manager Jay Casey, although the Studio X50 comes bundled with a touch panel controller for less than the price of the Rally Bar. “I’d say it’s in line with the Rally Bar, and the Yealink alternative is a little bit cheaper,” business development representative Ryan Malloy said, “especially considering there’s no PTZ camera on this video bar. I’d say at that point it needs to be priced competitively.” Marketing manager Darla Zang said the Crestron Flex, Rally Bar, and Yealink products came to mind.
Build Quality
Our team found the HP | Poly X50 looked handsome and had quality audio components. “I think (the Studio X50) is a sleek product. It’s appealing to the eye, aesthetically pleasing,” Ryan said. Jay praised the quality of the audio components on board. “I was really surprised and impressed by the pickup of the microphone, whether you were standing right in front of the display, or even when you were all the way in the back of the room,” Jay said. “It looks clean, and I like the indicator light,” Darla added. “I liked how the grille looked, even with that part being dark and the bar itself being white. It mounts well on the TV.”
Installation experience
Jay has worked with HP | Poly products since 2021. He said software and firmware have improved to streamline Poly deployments in that time. “Technicians in the field have had difficulty at times coordinating the network requirements with customers, as the touchpanel and conference bar pair with each other over the network, but appropriate configuration and coordination ahead of time can prevent most issues with the HP | Poly products.”
Industry standards
The HP | Poly Studio X50 does not support high definition copyright protection (HDCP), which is common for video conferencing equipment, to allow for meeting content to be recorded. HDMI output from the Studio X50 will support common HD and Ultra HD resolutions between 720p and 4K – the only common resolution not covered is 480p or standard definition, which isn’t a common need with displays that accept HDMI. There are two USB A (3.0) ports and one USB C port, allowing third party peripherals to easily connect to the Studio X50; the only downside here is the distance limitation of USB. HP | Poly has certified the Studio X50 with Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Meet.
User interface
“I thought the user interface was very clear, cut and dry,” Jay said. “I use interfaces like this pretty frequently,” he added, and “it’s very easy to see all the logos, icons … when you were sending me the ID, it was very intuitive to add yourself to the meeting,” he said. “For those who are familiar with Microsoft Teams, it would be a native experience using a touch panel. It reflects the Teams interface properly,” Darla said. “I like the way everything is laid out on that size tablet.” Ryan pointed out that a capable audio system made for a good user experience. “The audio quality was one of the highlights of the X50, for sure,” Ryan said. “That’s what I was most impressed with.”
Standout features
“The camera itself looked very clear when I was on the other end of the call,” Jay said. “The microphone produced a very clear audio quality as well.” “I liked green for ‘live,’ red for ‘mute,’” Ryan said, referring to the indicator lights. “It looks nice on the Poly, the way (the indicator lights are) across the top. From a video perspective, and also audio perspective, it looked and sounded really nice,” he added. “I thought the video quality was great,” Darla agreed. “It’s a really wide camera. When we turned the lights off, it compensated for the lack of light and was making it so we could see properly. I thought the microphone was impressive for the size of the room we were in.”
Reasons to buy
“If you want a simple, plug-and-play solution for a small-to-medium conference room, I think this is a product you would want to use,” Jay said. “It
Reasons to reconsider
“I think anyone who needs a very stripped-down version of conferencing might get lost in the interface,” Jay said. “Or maybe someone who wanted a little more functionality when it comes to the camera, like speaker tracking.” “That’s a big shortcoming, for me,” Ryan added, noting that other video bars in the same price ballpark offer PTZ cameras and optical zoom, not just a digital crop to frame the speaker. “The end user wants a certain level of control over the meeting. … They’re going to want a product that can follow the speaker.” Darla and Ryan both suggested that the Logitech offerings tend to be more popular, for the Studio X50’s price range and set of features.
Conclusion
The HP | Poly Studio X50 packs a powerful audio-visual punch, in a convenient and stylish package. Our team was particularly impressed with the audio performance of the Studio X50, even when the person talking was more than fifteen feet away. Although the video quality was also impressive, the lack of speaker tracking was unpopular with our panelists, who pointed out that similar products offer it. With strong AV performance and nice aesthetics, the HP | Poly Studio X50 bundle is worth your consideration for an all-in-one solution for a small or medium conference room. The chart below has the full breakdown of our panel’s thoughts, by category: