Jabra PanaCast 40 VBS

This smart VC combo offers on-demand Microsoft Teams Rooms and BYOD modes, plus great image quality

- DAVE MITCHELL

Jabra claims the PanaCast 40 VBS is the only Android-powered video bar with a 180-degree view that's designed for small meeting rooms. It can function in appliance mode as its Android 13 OS is certified for Microsoft Teams Rooms plus Zoom Rooms, and can be easily swapped over to BYOD mode.

We tested the full Microsoft Teams Rooms version, which includes Jabra's touchscreen controller panel.

Measuring just 530mm wide, the main unit sports a central turret with dual 8MP 4K cameras that deliver a panoramic 180-degree horizontal field of view (FOV), while speaker tracking is handled by an array of six beam-forming microphones The bar's Al-powered video offers four viewing modes. Dynamic composition simultaneously shows the active speaker and room view, the Virtual Director focuses on the active speaker using the automatic 4x digital zoom, intelligent zoom ensures everyone is in the main view even if they move, and intelligent meeting space allows you to set a virtual perimeter to ensure the camera focuses only on the meeting area.