Poly Studio R30 USB Video Bar Beta User Guide

Getting Help

For more information about installing, configuring, and administering Poly/Polycom products or services, go to Polycom Support.

Plantronics, Inc. (Poly - formerly Plantronics and Polycom)
345 Encinal Street
Santa Cruz, California 95060

© 2021 Plantronics, Inc. All rights reserved. Poly, the propeller design, and the Poly logo are trademarks of Plantronics, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Before You Begin

Topics:

• Audience, Purpose, and Required Skills
• Resources and Feedback
• Privacy Policy

Learn overview information and references about Poly Studio R30, an all-in-one USB video bar designed for huddle spaces or small room collaboration.

Audience, Purpose, and Required Skills

This guide is intended for beginning users, as well as intermediate and advanced users who want to learn more about the features available with Poly Studio R30.

Resources and Feedback

For support and to report findings, register with the Poly Beta Tester Community to access the resources listed in the following table.

Privacy Policy

Poly products and services process customer data in a manner consistent with the Poly Privacy Policy. Please direct comments or questions to privacy@poly.com.

Getting Started

Topics:

• Poly Studio R30 Overview
• Computer and Cable Requirements
• Basic Tips for Great Video Conferences
• Advanced Tips for Great Video Conferences
• Download and Install the Poly Lens Desktop App
• Install Device Software Manually

Poly Studio R30 is an all-in-one USB video bar for huddle spaces or small room collaboration.

Poly Studio R30 Overview

Poly introduces Poly Studio R30, a new all-in-one plug-and-play USB video bar product, optimized for huddle spaces or small room collaboration.

Poly Studio R30 includes the following features:

• Ultra-wide 120-degree field of view, up to 4K resolution and 4× digital Zoom
• High-fidelity audio powered by a three-mic array and a mono speaker with a passive radiator
• Poly NoiseBlockAI on transmitted and received audio
• Acoustic Fence with Beam Shaping
• Automatic speaker tracking and group framing
• Presenter mode and gallery view
• Optional Bluetooth remote control
• Network-based device management
• Poly Lens integration
• Microsoft and Zoom certification

Navigating Poly Studio R30 Hardware

The following figures display the hardware features on the Poly Studio R30 USB video bar. The table lists each feature numbered in the figures.

Note: The pictures below are from Poly Studio P15 with similar design.

Front View

The front view of the Poly Studio R30 shows a horizontal bar. At the center-left, labeled '1', is the camera lens. To its right, labeled '2', is the LED status indicator. To the right of the LED, labeled '3', is the speaker grille. Further to the right, labeled '4', are two microphone grilles. The Poly logo is visible on the right side of the front panel.

System Ports

The rear view of the Poly Studio R30 shows several ports. Labeled '1' are two USB-A ports. Labeled '2' is the power cord port. Labeled '3' is a USB-C port for connecting to a computer. Labeled '4' is a small pinhole for factory restore. Labeled '5' is a security lock slot.

Powering On and Off

The device does not have a power button. When you plug in the power cord, the device turns on.

Poly Studio R30 LED Status Indicators

Your device provides an LED above the camera to help you understand the device's behaviors. The following table lists each LED and its associated status.

Computer and Cable Requirements

Make sure that your computer and USB cable meet the following requirements to use a Poly Studio R30 USB video bar as the camera and audio accessory.

Your computer must have one of the following operating systems:

• Windows 10 and 11
• macOS versions 10.15, 11, and 12
• Chrome OS 87 or higher

The Poly Studio R30 USB video bar only supports the USB cable that comes with your system.

Note the following limitations with USB connections:

• Using a third-party USB-C to USB-C cable may affect device performance, or your device may not work at all.
• Using a third-party USB-C to USB-A adapter may affect video quality.
• Connecting your device to a USB 2.1 or 2.0 port may prevent you from receiving full 4K video from your Poly Studio R30 device.

Basic Tips for Great Video Conferences

Use the following basic tips and guidelines to enhance or improve your experiences during video conferences.

• Mount and position the camera so that your eyes are level with the top third of your screen and your face appears in the middle area of the video stream. A diagram illustrates this: a person's head is shown relative to a screen, with lines indicating the camera should capture the upper third of the screen and the face centered within that area.
• Avoid wearing bright colors, all-light or all-dark clothing, or very busy patterns like small checks or narrow stripes. Light pastels and muted colors look the best on the screen.
• Preview your video stream before you join a meeting to make sure that you don't have shadows on your face and that your camera settings are configured correctly.
• Speak in your normal voice.

Advanced Tips for Great Video Conferences

Use the following basic tips and guidelines to enhance or improve your experiences during video conferences.

Camera and People Positioning

• Try not to fidget too much, especially if you're the only one on camera.
• Include all the people in the room (if possible), or introduce everyone in the room at the beginning of a meeting.
• Keep the view focused on people and not the background or room furnishings.
• In an office, position the monitor to an appropriate angle to avoid capturing potential distractions in your video (for example, other people, pets, or TVs).

Clothing, Furnishings, and Backgrounds

• To avoid disruptions, exclude the following from the camera view: light sources, tables, chairs, walls, busy decorations, and the floor.
• To avoid funny effects, wear clothes that contrast with the background instead of blending into it and make sure nothing in the background seems to stick out of anyone's head.
• Avoid glossy tabletops, strong colors, or bold wood grain in the room. The best table surface color is a flat satin finish in neutral gray.
• A wall that's painted light gray with a touch of blue works best as a background. Video conferencing systems use a gray or blue reference image to process the video, so a background in that color helps to enhance the video you send.
• Try to keep dry-erase whiteboards out of the camera field of view. Be aware that other people in the meeting might see what's written on the whiteboards.

Lighting

• Close any curtains, drapes, or blinds over your windows. Daylight is a variable light source and can conflict with interior room lighting.
• Bright lighting increases the range of in-focus objects, but inappropriate direct lighting might make you look harsh or somber. Poly recommends using indirect fluorescent lighting in a midrange, neutral color temperature (3600 K to 4500 K). You can find the color temperature of your lighting on the packaging.

Audio and Noise

• Mute your audio when you're silent or before you move your audio device.
• Keep your windows and doors closed to minimize unwanted noises.
• Close any drapes or blinds over your windows. The glass from windowpanes can cause issues with acoustics due to reflection.
• On the Poly Studio P15, Poly NoiseBlockAI helps the microphone eliminate unwanted noises while picking up your voice. If you're not using Poly NoiseBlock technology, consider these additional audio suggestions:
  • Don't obstruct your microphone with papers or other objects.
  • Avoid tapping on the table or rustling papers.
  • Avoid typing while unmuted.

Download and Install the Poly Lens Desktop App

Download the Poly Lens Desktop App to access configuration settings and features.

See the Poly Lens Desktop App User Guide for information on using your device with Poly Lens Desktop.

Note: You need Poly Lens Desktop 1.1.7 to enable the support for Poly Studio R30. Some features may not be available for Beta.

Procedure

1. Go to the Poly Lens App product page.
2. Select the applicable download for your operating system.
3. Follow the onscreen installation instructions.

Install Device Software Manually

If you have issues with automatic updates, you can install a software update for your connected Poly device from your local computer with a .zip file provided by Poly Support.

Procedure

1. Connect your device to your computer, and select the device from the list in the left sidebar.
2. Select Support > Device Info & Logs.
3. Select Upload and choose the software update file.
4. Select OK.

(This procedure is listed twice in the original document and is presented here once.)

Using Poly Studio R30

Topics:

• Set Poly Studio R30 as the Default Audio and Video Device
• Tracking Modes
• Connect Poly Studio R30 to a Bluetooth Device
• Reset Your Device
• Factory Restore Poly Studio R30
• Restart Your Device
• Using the Remote Control

Once you plug in the power cable, you can start using the Poly Studio R30 device.

Connect the Poly Studio R30 device to your laptop or computer with the USB cable. Additionally, you can also connect it to your Bluetooth host devices.

Set Poly Studio R30 as the Default Audio and Video Device

If you use the Poly Studio R30 device with a supported application for video calls, you may need to set Poly Studio R30 as the default audio and video device of your application. The following is a general procedure that you can refer to. Your application may use different terms or categories.

Procedure

1. Go to your conferencing application's Settings.
2. Find Audio Device and Video Device.
3. Choose Poly Studio R30 as the device for each category and select Save.

Important: Make sure you use the same Poly Studio R30 audio source. If you connect the Poly Studio R30 device to a computer over USB and Bluetooth at the same time, make sure you use the USB option for both audio settings.

Tracking Modes

Besides the general speaker tracking mode, Poly Studio R30 provides more modes for specific scenarios like conversations or presentations.

Note: You can enable only one mode at a time.

Conversation Mode

Conversation mode frames two speakers separately and puts them on the same window in a split view.

Note: Conversation mode is a Labs Feature that has not been fully tested or supported.

When there's a continuous and well-balanced conversation between two participants in the meeting, the device's camera moves to conversation mode from the group view. Note that the following scenarios don't evoke conversation mode:

• One of the speakers talks too little or too much.
• Both speakers talk at the same time.
• More than two speakers talk while taking turns.

Conversation mode automatically ends when a third participant starts talking.

Presenter Mode

Presenter mode frames the main speaker in your meeting room and follows the speaker when the speaker moves. You can enable presenter mode for meetings where one person is the primary presenter or for distance learning so the camera always shows the instructor. The camera zooms in to capture both the presenter and the presentation background (for example, a large screen or a whiteboard) and follows the presenter's movement.

Presenter mode ends automatically in the following situations:

• Someone other than the speaker faces the device and starts talking.
• The presenter stops talking for a while.
• The presenter walks off camera.

To ensure the best performance of presenter mode, do the following:

• Place the device within 3 m (10 ft) of the speaker.
• Position the device so the camera is level with the speaker's upper chest instead of eye level. This enables the camera to capture most of the speaker's body along with the presentation background. If you position the camera at the speaker's eye level, the device may be positioned too high to capture all the content on the screen. If you position the camera lower than the speaker's upper chest, the speaker's head may not appear in the camera view.

Matrix Mode

The matrix mode identifies multiple participants in a single camera feed and displays them in individual frames. The matrix mode displays in either portrait view (single row of frames) or quad view (two rows of frames), based on the number of participants identified. If the participants move, the view reframes. It supports a maximum of six individual frames.

Connect Poly Studio R30 to a Bluetooth Device

Connect the Poly Studio R30 device to a Bluetooth device such as a mobile phone, a computer or laptop, or a tablet to use it as your Bluetooth device's speaker and microphone.

Poly Studio R30 only supports one Bluetooth connection at a time, but you can connect it to a computer over USB and to a phone over Bluetooth. When connected via Bluetooth, Poly Studio R30 works as an audio device.

Procedure

1. On the remote control, long press the ▶️ button to enable the pairing mode. The device blinks blue and white alternately.
2. On your device, enable Bluetooth and select Poly Studio R30 from the list of available devices. The LED indicator glows solid blue for 2 seconds.

Start playing music or make phone calls from the Poly Studio R30 speakerphone once you connect.

Reset Your Device

Returning to the default settings of your Poly Studio R30 device may help resolve certain issues.

Warning: The default settings replace all your saved settings as well as empty all the logs.

Procedure

1. Unplug USB-C from Poly Studio R30.
2. Straighten a paper clip and insert it into the reset pinhole (a small hole).
3. When the LED indicator turns amber, stop pressing the reset button. The factory reset is complete after the pulsing white LED turns off and an audible tone sounds.
4. Plug the USB-C cable back into your device.

The device clears all saved settings and logs and reboots. If you use an optional Bluetooth remote control, you need to re-pair it with the device from Poly Lens Desktop.

Factory Restore Poly Studio R30

Factory restore the Poly Studio R30 personal video bar to resolve potential issues or if your device is unresponsive.

Warning: A factory restore completely erases the system's flash memory and restores your device to the factory software version.

Procedure

1. Unplug the power from your device.
2. Insert a straightened paper clip through the factory restore pinhole on the bottom of the Poly Studio R30 device to press the restore button.
3. Hold the restore button with the paperclip and reconnect the power supply to turn the system on.
4. Continue to hold the restore button for 3 seconds. The device LED pulses amber until the factory restore is complete.

Restart Your Device

If you encounter issues with your device, you can manually restart it.

Note: You can also restart the device from Poly Lens Desktop.

Procedure

• Unplug the power cable from the device and plug it back in.

You may need to reselect the device as the default audio and video device for your videoconferencing application.

Using the Remote Control

Poly Studio R30 can use a low-energy Bluetooth remote control that you can pair to the system using Poly Lens Desktop. With the optional Bluetooth remote control, adjust the camera and manage other features.

In addition to basic remote control functions, the Bluetooth remote control also provides the following features:

Description of Remote Control Buttons:

• 1: Preset 1
• 2: Preset 2
• 3: Bluetooth discovery
• 4: Speaker tracking with group framing

Using Camera Presets

Save two settings for pan, tilt, zoom, and focus for the Poly Studio R30 camera. Use the presets to adjust the camera to your saved angle directly when group framing and speaker tracking mode is off.

Save a Camera Preset

The two numbered buttons on the Poly Studio R30 remote control serve as preset shortcuts. Turn off group framing and speaker tracking mode before you use camera presets.

Procedure

1. Adjust the camera to the desired position.
2. Long press the 1 or 2 button on the remote control.

Important: If the button already has a saved setting, your new setting overwrites it.

Load a Camera Preset

If your camera doesn't track the speaker, use the preset buttons on the remote control to adjust the camera angle. Turn off group framing and speaker tracking mode before you use camera presets.

Procedure

• Press the 1 or 2 button on the remote control to load the camera preset for the corresponding button.