Are presentation windows too small and Loop components distracting? Or is configurability the answer and are the so-called “distractions” valuable in meetings?
Story by Guy Campos, AV Magazine
Microsoft’s Front Row layout for Teams Rooms has fascinated many, ever since the announcement of its rollout at the beginning of last year.
The layout brings a gallery of remote meeting participants right down to eye level at the bottom of the screen. Above them, in the upper part of the screen, is space for presentation content and panels for Loop components, such as chat and raised hands, on each side of the content pane.
This layout option has prompted a revolution in aspect ratios in large format displays, after it emerged that the layout is available in 21:9 format. There has since been a wave of introductions of ultrawide screens to make full use of Front Row’s canvas.
But not everyone is a fan of the Front Row layout, and last week an illuminating discussion kicked off on social media.
Writing on LinkedIn, Corné Hubinger, chief revenue officer at Gaproc Media in South Africa, said: “I’ve been diving into the world of collaboration tools, and I’ve got to say, Microsoft’s Teams Room Front Row leaves a lot to be desired.”
In a post, entitled “Microsoft’s Teams Room Front Row sucks (in its current form) – Convince me otherwise!”, he makes four complaints.
First, he says the new 21:9 screens are expensive. “And for what? A layout that reduces the primary content’s visibility?”
