Do I need a special camera?

ShareTheBoard is proudly tech agnostic:  it can work with just about any camera. Still, some cameras might work better than others, depending on your specific needs.

First off: how far is the board?

1. If your writing surface is very close and your lighting isn’t dim (e.g., if you’re in a huddle room or in your home office), your built-in laptop camera might suffice. Many built-in laptop cameras have a 720p resolution. In this case, you ‘ll want to stay within 5ft or 1.5m of your board.

2. If you’re working in a bit larger space (or need to fill up your board with detailed/smaller content), having an external webcam will work best. FHD (1080p) resolution cameras can pick up content with good precision from distances up to 10ft or 3m. Also, as they’re external devices, such cameras tend to be easier to point in the right direction. Place your camera as high as possible to minimize glare (e.g., on top of your monitor).

3. Medium-sized spaces and classrooms are often well-served with 4K cameras with digital zoom. Depending on the specifications of your camera, you might be able to accurately capture whiteboard content from distances of up to 15ft or 4.5m. The small size of these cameras also makes ceiling mounts a simpler task.

4. Finally, when working in large rooms or in lecture halls – consider either a ceiling-mounted (PTZ) camera (with an optical zoom) or dedicated whiteboard cameras.

In every instance, ShareTheBoard will amplify your camera’s feed and turn your whiteboard into an always-legible, interactive, secure, and intelligent device.

What about specialized cameras? Are those required? Will they work?

There are more and more cameras on the market with built-in capabilities. ShareTheBoard welcomes all cameras; though some may require a bit of attention.

• Whiteboard cameras: These come in a variety of shapes and sizes and boast various bells and whistles. The best thing about these cameras is their position in relation to the whiteboard. The close proximity, usually coupled with higher resolution and/or a wider field of view helps capture crisp content in ShareTheBoard. Depending on the specific model of whiteboard camera, setup may be instant or may require some configuration (contact us if you have specific questions).
• 360 or wide-view cameras: These cameras are meant to show as many people as possible within a specific area (e.g., a meeting room). They sometimes feature a wide or walleyed vision. This view is usually not a good fit for whiteboard sharing as it tends to distort board contents. If you have a camera with this capability you may consider either turning off its wide-angle view when sharing a whiteboard or keeping it focused on inter-personal communication (while using a separate camera to share your board).
• Tracking cameras: Some cameras have built-in features that allow them to remain focused on the person speaking or presenting. They “follow’ the speaker, allowing them to move freely while ensuring that their person remains visible to remote viewers. For best results when using ShareTheBoard, a camera should remain focused on the surface being shared. As such, this auto-tracking feature is not usually a good fit for ShareTheBoard. Again, you can either consider turning the feature off or using a separate camera for whiteboard sharing.

What if I have multiple cameras?

A multi-camera setup is in many ways ideal. As discussed in a few examples above, having a camera dedicated to your whiteboard can help ensure the most pleasant and productive experience when using ShareTheBoard. You can even use STB with multiple cameras focused on multiple whiteboards – as is sometimes the case in larger lecture halls.

Switching between cameras during a ShareTheBoard session is extremely easy (go to Settings, then select the desired camera from the dropdown menu). Better yet, take advantage of our Multi-Cam feature and let ShareTheBoard switch cameras for you!

Need help? Have specific questions?

If you need help selecting the right camera for your organization or personal setup, contact us and we’ll be happy to share a recommendation.