WEBEX TEAMS VIRTUAL BACKGROUND SOFTWARE

Microsoft, Zoom and Cisco have all reported massive spikes in traffic. Most recently, Zoom expanded the capability to include video backgrounds on the desktop.Īmid the coronavirus pandemic, people are using video conferencing apps to stay connected with colleagues, family and friends. The vendor eliminated the need for that prop in early 2019.

Its first version, launched in 2016, required a green screen. Zoom has led the way on virtual backgrounds. In May, Microsoft will let users upload any picture they want. It also restricts backdrops in Teams to a catalog of curated images. However, Microsoft still lacks virtual backgrounds on mobile. Zoom has supported virtual backgrounds on PCs (and mobile) for years, and Microsoft added the feature to Microsoft Teams' desktop app this month. 'Virtual backgrounds are good for levity … anything to keep students engaged in an online setting is a plus,' Jankun-Kelly said.Ĭisco trails its rivals Zoom and Microsoft on the desktop. He wants virtual backgrounds because he and his students do much of their work on desktops. Jankun-Kelly, associate professor of computer science at Mississippi State University, uses Webex for online instruction. But that's not good enough for some users.

The feature would also prevent people from snooping on a whiteboard inadvertently left in view, he said.Ĭisco supports virtual backgrounds in its iOS app for Apple mobile devices and on the Webex Desk Pro, a high-end touchscreen display.

WEBEX TEAMS VIRTUAL BACKGROUND SOFTWARE

'I'd like it primarily for the fun, but also for the times that I might have left a closet open,' said Jon Hovland, a Webex user and software engineer. The feature can also enliven meetings as coworkers compete to see who can find the funniest backdrop. Users value virtual backgrounds because they keep colleagues from seeing their private homes. The setting lets meeting attendees select images to display behind them as if they were in front of a green screen. Cisco plans to support virtual backgrounds on desktop eventually but hasn't said when the feature will launch.

Webex teams virtual background