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A 360-degree camera and solid microphones make the Panasonic PressIT 360 a dream partner for meetings. Unless your laptop doesn’t deliver enough power over USB-C to power the
A 360-degree camera and solid microphones make the Panasonic PressIT 360 a dream partner for meetings. Unless your laptop doesn’t deliver enough power over USB-C to power the device.
Meeting with superiors in a room is often tiring for those at home. You look through a small window at a line of people and nobody is really clear in the picture. You are also not really “looked at” if you are not physically present. All in all, this leads to quite a bit of session fatigue. The Panasonic PressIT 360 (1,569 euros excl. VAT) fits in a case.
You can flexibly take the smart camera anywhere you need it. The USB-C connector allows you to connect to your laptop in one step. Then you can start Microsoft Teams or Zoom and make video calls immediately. Couldn’t be easier. Is there a catch? Yes, but actually no.
We’ll start with the catch right away, then it’s gone. The Panasonic PressIT 360 (TY-CSP1) is the first 360 camera hands-free device that uses USB-C to eliminate the need for an additional power adapter. Just plug into your laptop and start. Competitors like Owl Labs’ Meeting Owl 3 require a separate outlet to power the camera. This hinders the plug-and-play concept, as there is not always a socket nearby.
We’re glad Panasonic was able to crack this nut, but there’s a clear manufacturer’s disclaimer for USB-C connectivity. Your laptop must be able to supply 5V/3A power through the USB-C port. How do you know this in advance? Not really, unless you take a good look at the specs of your laptop model. And even then, the PC manufacturer doesn’t always provide the necessary information to know that.
In the editorial office, we tested the Panasonic PressIT 360 on six different laptops. On the Microsoft Surface Laptop 4, HP Dragonfly G3, MSI Stealth 16 Studio and HP EliteBook x360 1030 G3, the camera works if you only connect USB-C. The Dell XPS 13 (2021) and the Samsung Galaxy Book 13 Ultra refuse to serve, even though they are premium devices with USB-C Thunderbolt 4. The Samsung notebook is even brand new since the beginning of this year and has the latest Intel and Nvidia chips on board.
When we use the included USB-C to USB-A cable, none of the laptops work without the additional power adapter. While a USB-A port supplies 5V, it is often limited to 2A, which is insufficient to power the Panasonic PressIT 360.
The main advantage of this smart meeting solution is precisely the simplicity with which you can use the camera wherever you want via USB-C. With laptops that power the camera via USB-C, it feels like magic. If it doesn’t work, it quickly turns to frustration.
We can’t be mad at Panasonic if it clearly communicates the conditions under which it will provide sufficient power over USB-C. Could the manufacturer have made the device a little more economical to make more devices in question? Maybe, but that’s because of the coffee grounds.
Putting any (potential) USB-C issues aside, we’re left with a rock-solid solution that we’re full of praise for. Unlike the Meeting Owl 3 with a 360-degree camera, the Panasonic PressIT 360 uses four cameras that are seamlessly connected.
Almost seamlessly, we have to say critically. If you have your face right in the middle of such a seam, you will see very little difference if you move your face from left to right in a large area. The closer you get to the cameras, the more difficult it becomes for the Panasonic PressIT 360 to operate them seamlessly. From a distance of one meter there is hardly any difference at the seam.
Does it really bother you? Then rotate the camera a little. You can clearly see where the cameras are located on the device to avoid such a “seam”. During our three-month test period, we never really had any problems with it.
The PressIT 360 has four cameras, each with a resolution of 2,560 x 1,440 pixels. Images can be processed at a maximum of 30 fps (frames per second). Smooth enough for video conferencing, but the resolution is rather mediocre. At this price point, 4K would have been a nice added value, but it would have potentially skyrocketed power consumption to the point that a single USB-C cable might not be able to handle the load.
Like any smart camera, the Panasonic PressIT 360 follows you automatically. As soon as you move a little to the left or right, the camera changes the image after almost two seconds to position you again in the middle. This works much smoother than most other camera solutions on the market.
The only drawback in our test period: As soon as you start typing or using a mouse, the camera zooms out a bit to capture it. In our opinion, this is not necessary.
There are four buttons on the bottom of the device: mute, volume up or down, and the mode button. The latter allows you to use the camera in four different ways.
Our favorite is without a doubt the “Multi View”. Working with narrow horizontal panels, you can see the speakers clearly and focus on their faces and interactions. Here you don’t lose valuable screen real estate to the surroundings.
The sound quality of the microphone is also quite good. Below you can listen to a recording of the microphone and compare it with other solutions. So you can form your own judgement.
The device also knows very well where the sound is coming from in the room. Thanks to an LED ring on the bottom of the device, you can see where the PressIT 360 is pointing its microphones during the call. It’s a nice visual detail that Panasonic uses to show that the system works very well.
The LED ring also gives you clear feedback on the status of the camera. Green means the camera is active and the microphone is on. A white LED ring means the camera is off. A red LED ring mutes the microphone. The latter can be done by pressing a button on the underside of the base of the Panasonic PressIT 360. Turning off the camera is only possible in video calling software such as Microsoft Teams or Zoom.
Panasonic also ships the camera with software, but that’s very little. It looks like it was developed in the 90’s. In the tool, you can manually adjust parameters such as brightness, contrast, and saturation. You can also perform firmware updates through the software. For us, nothing is actually missing here and you don’t really have to install it either. Performing an occasional firmware update seems to be the only way to use the limited software tool.
The stable foot on the underside ensures that you can place the Panasonic PressIT 360 on the table without hesitation. You can also use a tripod if you wish. There is a screw thread on the underside for permanent installation. A Noble Wedge security lock is also included for permanent installation of the camera speakerphone in a conference room.
What we’re missing here is overarching software like Logitech Sync for the IT team to leverage. With the PressIT 360 solution, you cannot generate statistics and providing remote support is not always easy. Anyone within IT who wants to perform an important firmware update has to do it manually on each device via the cumbersome PressIT 360 software that you have to install on Windows or macOS.
After working with the Panasonic PressIT 360 (1,569 euros excl. VAT) for three months, we decided to keep the device in the editorial office. It does what it’s supposed to do with no problems. The simple operation via USB-C is the main reason: connect and start immediately. This led to us using it regularly on a weekly basis. It’s a shame that it doesn’t work on every USB-C port, but Panasonic is transparent about the conditions for the user.
The price is not bad, but you get a device that does what it is supposed to do. Nothing on the market offers anything that works as well, including ease of use over USB-C. What puzzles us is the lack of general management software for IT teams. The price indicates professional use, but the software is not up to date.
However, if you see it as a device that you can take spontaneously to meetings, you will worry a little less about the faulty software. The Panasonic PressIT 360 works plug and play with no installation required and does it very well. We can swallow the price and get a top device for flexible video calling with one or more colleagues.
In Europe, Panasonic grants a 3-year guarantee on all “visual” products. For educational institutions (and non-profit organizations) this is 5 years.
Source: IT Daily
As an experienced journalist and author, Mary has been reporting on the latest news and trends for over 5 years. With a passion for uncovering the stories behind the headlines, Mary has earned a reputation as a trusted voice in the world of journalism. Her writing style is insightful, engaging and thought-provoking, as she takes a deep dive into the most pressing issues of our time.
