Podcast Series: Innovations in Education

Explore the full series of eSchool News podcasts hosted by Kevin Hogan—created to keep you on the cutting edge of innovations in education.

Nureva XT Classroom Solutions Extend In-room Experience to Remote Students

Calgary, Alberta — September 15, 2021 — Nureva Inc., an innovator in advanced audio conferencing solutions, announces Nureva® XT classroom solutions, a unique and highly integrated combination of audio, video, device management and product services designed specifically for educators who want the flexibility to extend the in-classroom experience to remote students. Easily combined with existing classroom technology products (such as projectors and displays), the solutions enable live participation of remote students, while also supporting full-classroom audio pickup – all via a single USB connection to the instructor’s computer. There are four Nureva XT solutions for standard-sized and large classrooms. Each combines a Nureva audio system (HDL300 for standard, Dual HDL300 for large) with the new Nureva CV30 classroom camera kit and a three- or five-year subscription to Nureva Pro, which includes advanced device management features in Nureva Console, 24/7 technical support, extended product warranty and advance replacement. Refer to the additional product details section below for more information on each solution component.

Nureva XT solutions support a variety of in-room and remote classroom scenarios and use cases, such as hybrid and HyFlex learning, and remote participation of guest speakers or students. They can be deployed and managed by a small IT team and are focused on ease of use and simplicity for instructors as they move from room to room – with a quick start-up experience and no lost class time. Each solution delivers a unique combination of full-room microphone pickup, in-room voice amplification, playback of audio content and front-of-room video coverage with auto tracking, camera presets and digital pan/tilt/zoom, allowing teachers to move around freely. Unlike complex, one-off solutions that are often not purpose-built for classrooms, have limited functionality, and require time consuming installation and maintenance, Nureva XT solutions bring together all this capability in an affordable package that is easy to install, set up, manage and scale. The solutions also overcome the limitations associated with webcams and all-in-one systems that were designed for small meeting spaces and have insufficient microphone pickup range for classroom environments. Each Nureva XT component has been thoughtfully designed and rigorously tested to work as an integrated classroom solution that is flexible, adaptive, future proofed and responsive to evolving needs. Using breakthrough Microphone™ Mist technology, Nureva’s unique approach to audio conferencing provides the flexibility to support multiple classroom layouts (including on-the-fly changes), various teaching approaches and learning styles, along with changing health and safety guidelines. In-room students can spread out, face any direction and move around the space as they talk. The first microphone and speaker bar to be certified for large Microsoft® Teams Rooms, the HDL300 system’s patented continuous autocalibration automatically adjusts to changes to in-room configurations, reducing the need for IT staff or technicians to visit learning spaces. In addition to Microsoft Teams, Nureva solutions integrate with other leading UC&C platforms like Zoom, Cisco Webex®, Lifesize® and many others to give students an exceptional remote learning experience.

“Today’s classrooms require the flexibility to support a wide variety of scenarios that involve the need for people outside the classroom to participate in learning sessions, whether they be guest speakers participating remotely or students joining the class from home, other classrooms or elsewhere,” said Nancy Knowlton, Nureva’s CEO. “We are excited to announce a full-featured classroom solution that is future proofed and offers the simplicity, flexibility and reliability that have become so critical in today’s education environments.”…Read More

Nureva joins the Logitech Collaboration Program

Calgary, Alberta — June 29, 2021 — Nureva Inc., an innovator in advanced audio conferencing solutions, has joined the Logitech Collaboration Program to bring clear, reliable audio performance to large spaces in combination with Logitech conferencing products. Through the program, Nureva’s HDL300 audio conferencing systems are combined with the Logitech Rally Camera, Logitech Tap meeting room touch controller and the new Logitech RoomMate meeting room appliance (available this summer). Together, the products offer customers an exceptional conferencing experience with audio performance that is optimized for large meeting and learning environments.

The first microphone and speaker bar to be certified for Microsoft Teams Rooms, Nureva® audio systems use patented Microphone Mist™ technology to fill a space with thousands of virtual microphones to provide full-room coverage so remote users hear every word. Simple, DIY installation and cloud-based device management make the systems easy to deploy and maintain. The Logitech Collaboration Program enables industry-leading technology companies to integrate and optimize their products with Logitech products to create conferencing solutions that are easy to use and deploy. The combination of Nureva audio and Logitech products make it easy for teams to instantly collaborate in a hybrid environment where in-room participants are clearly heard – no matter how they’re distanced. Using its breakthrough Microphone Mist technology, Nureva’s unique approach to audio conferencing easily accommodates physical distancing requirements, so that in-room participants can spread out, face any direction and move around the space as they talk. The system’s patented continuous autocalibration automatically adjusts to changes in room configurations, reducing the need for IT staff or technicians to visit meeting spaces.

“We are thrilled to join the Logitech Collaboration Program and offer a unique solution to address the audio requirements of large meeting and learning spaces,” said Nancy Knowlton, Nureva’s CEO. “As both companies’ products are certified for Microsoft Teams Rooms, the combination of Nureva and Logitech makes it easy for customers to enjoy the quality, hassle-free conferencing experience they demand.”…Read More

Nureva adds Voice Amplification Mode to audio systems for K–12 classrooms

Calgary, Alberta — June 22, 2021 — Nureva Inc., an innovator in advanced audio conferencing solutions, has added Voice Amplification Mode to its HDL300 and Dual HDL300 audio conferencing systems. With this addition, which is currently available in public beta, the HDL300 systems solve the difficult audio problem of supporting in-room amplification of the teacher’s voice, while simultaneously providing full-room pickup of student voices so that everyone can be heard by remote students. The addition of voice amplification is made possible by Nureva’s patented Microphone Mist™ technology and makes the HDL300 systems the only multifunction classroom audio solution that easily and reliably covers all in-class and remote scenarios.

The public beta for Voice Amplification Mode is available to all HDL300 and Dual HDL300 customers through Nureva Console. Customers can access this no-charge feature by updating their firmware and selecting enable voice amplification in Nureva Console Cloud. Once enabled, teachers use their personal wireless headset microphone to amplify their voice through the HDL300 speakers so that students in the classroom can clearly hear. At the same time, the teacher’s voice is picked up for remote students via their UC&C client, like Microsoft® Teams, for which the HDL300 system is certified. Voice Amplification Mode is designed to work in typical classrooms using the HDL300 system. For larger spaces, the feature can be enabled on a Dual HDL300 system, which amplifies the teacher’s voice through both microphone and speaker bars in rooms up to 30′ x 50′ (9.1 x 15.2 m). There is a clear need for a multifunction solution that can deliver a combination of full-room microphone pickup and in-room voice amplification. Unlike other classroom audio products, Nureva delivers all of this in a single system that is installed in under an hour without any special technical expertise, automatically adjusts to changes in room configurations and is easily managed from anywhere using Nureva Console. 

“Teacher voice amplification is required in many classroom scenarios, but in today’s modern classrooms, it needs to be flexible enough to involve remote students,” said Nancy Knowlton, Nureva’s CEO. “The addition of this feature to Nureva audio systems will give educators the multifunction solution they’ve been looking for.”…Read More

Nureva receives Frost & Sullivan 2020 Global Technology Innovation Leadership Award

Nureva Inc., an innovator in advanced audio conferencing solutions, announces it has received Frost & Sullivan’s 2020 Global Technology Innovation Leadership Award. Each year, Frost & Sullivan presents the award to the company that has demonstrated uniqueness in developing and leveraging new technologies that deliver significant customer value. The prestigious award recognizes Nureva’s Microphone Mist technology as a high value innovation in audio conferencing. Nureva’s advanced audio systems leverage the technology to provide consistent full-room microphone pickup, continuous autocalibration and intelligent sound targeting to eliminate unwanted sounds, like HVAC, making them an ideal match for today’s hybrid meeting and learning spaces. The product line includes the  HDL200 for small rooms,  HDL300 for mid-size rooms and  Dual HDL300 for large rooms, featuring easy DIY installation.

The Global Technology Innovation Leadership Award is part of Frost & Sullivan Best Practices Awards that recognize companies in a variety of regional and global markets that have accomplished an innovative or disruptive breakthrough in areas such as leadership, technological innovation, customer service and strategic product development. Industry analysts compare market participants and measure performance through in-depth interviews, analysis and extensive secondary research.

“Our rigorous selection process highlighted the extent of Nureva’s technology leadership, and we are thrilled to honor the company with this award,” said Roopam Jain, senior director ICT, Frost & Sullivan. “We see Nureva as a forward-thinking company that has the potential to disrupt the meeting-room audio experience with products powered by its Microphone Mist technology.”…Read More

Nureva HDL300 system is now Microsoft Teams certified

Nureva Inc., an innovator in advanced audio conferencing solutions, announces that its Nureva HDL300 audio conferencing system is now certified as a Microsoft Teams Room device. After undergoing Microsoft’s rigorous testing process, the HDL300 system becomes the first microphone and speaker bar to be certified for large meeting spaces up to 15′ x 28′ (4.5 x 8.5 m). Powered by patented Microphone Mist™ technology, the HDL300 system fills a room with 8,192 virtual microphones so in-room participants can move around, maintain physical distance and still be heard clearly by remote participants. Unlike traditional audio conferencing systems for large spaces, there isn’t a need for a DSP, complex installation and calibration of multiple components such as table-top pods and ceiling mics. IT teams can quickly and easily install and set up the HDL300 system in under an hour. The system hangs on a wall with two screws and connects via USB to a computer with Teams software. It calibrates automatically and continuously so the Teams Room is always ready to go – even if it has been reconfigured to accommodate changing uses or distancing protocols.

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Teams has become indispensable to a growing number of organizations and education institutions around the globe that have shifted to a hybrid model, where a combination of workers or learners are physically in the same space, alongside those who are remote. Recent data show that daily active Teams users climbed to over 115 million at the end of October, and more than 230,000 education institutions are using Teams for remote and hybrid learning. As those numbers continue to grow, reliable audio conferencing that is easy to implement and manage will continue to be an essential aspect of any IT strategy to support collaboration. The HDL300 provides Teams customers with a new certified device option that is ideally suited to meet this need.

“As the global adoption of Teams continues to grow, so will the need for reliable audio conferencing solutions that deliver performance without complexity,” said Nancy Knowlton, Nureva’s CEO. “We are thrilled that the HDL300 is the first microphone and speaker bar to be certified for Microsoft Teams in large meeting rooms, demonstrating its unique ability to provide full-room microphone coverage from a single device.”…Read More

Nureva’s Span wall collaboration system is going mobile

A new cart-based option for projector/wall collaboration system

Nureva is launching a mobile option for the Span system, providing the ultimate in flexibility for break-out groups or huddle room usage.

The Span cart integrates a full HD 1080p projector and customer-supplied PC within a sleek, mobile unit to provide a 6′ 2″ (1.88 m) wide image. Two infrared pens provide touch interactivity at the wall. Two or three carts can be linked seamlessly together to produce 12′ 4″ and 18′ 6″ (3.76 m and 5.64 m, respectively) digital workspaces. The Span cart complements the projected images of the wall-mounted Span systems in 10′ 2″, 20′ 2″ and 30′ 2″ (3.10, 6.15 and 9.19 m, respectively) configurations that have been announced and released over the past year.

The integrated projector features solid-state illumination (SSI) and 25,000 hours of useful life (similar to that of flat-panel displays) for long-term, carefree operation. The projector’s optics are optimized for the cart to be pushed up squarely to a wall (the projection surface) with no adjustments ever required. A VESA mount on the shelf within the open cabinet provides the option for top or bottom installation of the PC. All cables are neatly integrated within the cart with a single power cable out. HDMI and USB ports on the side of the unit are easily accessible. The swing-up handle can be used to push or pull the cart, and then dropped down and fixed in place while the cart is in use.…Read More