topic Re: Webex backgrounds in Webex Administration

Webex backgrounds

callen132 — Wed, 01 Apr 2020 12:31:37 GMT

We have a faculty member asking to change the background in his webex video from his laptop. From what I can find, the only client that supports this is the iPhone client. Before I close the ticket, I wanted to see if anyone else has found a spot to allow this feature or if it truly is not available.

Thanks

Re: Webex backgrounds

Fritz_H — Wed, 01 Apr 2020 19:16:34 GMT

Hi callen,

this has been asked several times recently.
Sadly Webex does not (yet?) support this feature on all platforms
but I guess it will be coming soon since...

1. it´s requested many times
2. it´s available at competitive products

3. Cisco is proud if its face-recognition, people-counter etc. of its room-devices..
why should they fail on a feature others already have..

possible work-around:

use a software that grabs the live-image from the cam, alters it (e.g. changing background etc.) and offers it as a "virtual" webcam to other software like webex. Logitech does the same with its "Logitech Capture" software.

perhaps you want to take a closer look at those tools (but I have never used them...) :
https://www.xsplit.com/vcam
https://www.chromacam.me/

and regarding this forum:

It seems to me, that no Cisco-employees are reading here (besides the forum-admins und -moderators);
seems to be a true "community"-Forum... just us, the users..

kind regards
Fritz

Re: Webex backgrounds

Chris.Buhrman — Tue, 19 May 2020 01:09:42 GMT

Microsoft Teams and Zoom both offer this. I'd recommend switching providers until it's fixed. My company has both Webex and Teams, and I am taking all calls on Teams for now. Since we have both, I see us dropping Webex, as people are preferring Teams.

Re: Webex backgrounds

Fritz_H — Tue, 19 May 2020 08:29:50 GMT

I really wonder if this "hype" regarding the background-blurring etc.. is possibly a cultural thing?

Since I - as a european - have never seen blurring etc. being used in "real life"; not even in the media

when someone is interviewed via videoconferencing software.

@Chris.Buhrman
"My company has both Webex and Teams..."
Webex- ...what? Webex-Meetings? Webex-Teams? Webex-Event?
Just to point out that there is more "teams" out there than just the usability-nightmare called "Microsoft Teams"
to which you seem to refer to in your posting..

Re: Webex backgrounds

Chris.Buhrman — Tue, 19 May 2020 08:48:58 GMT

Yeah, might be a cultural thing. I'm at a Fortune 500 firm and I use it on a daily basis with team members, clients, and even social web-meetings. We've all been working from home for two months now, and the blurring/backgrounds can help your home setup look more professional when you're really in a small city apartment. I'm not sure why you/your firm isn't using it. It is very common for my company's European offices to use during video meetings as well. So much so, that people have started requesting to switch from Webex to other providers. Since Microsoft Teams has the same functionality, is free with Microsoft360, and includes the backgrounds, it has become our firms default. I have both Webex and Teams installed on my outlook, so I can create a meeting in either through my outlook calendar. I've been going with Teams over Webex strictly for the blurring/background.

Re: Webex backgrounds

Ashish Patel — Tue, 19 May 2020 09:11:03 GMT

Vote here https://ciscocollabcustomer.ideas.aha.io/ideas - Virtual background for Webex on Windows

Note status as Planned

Re: Webex backgrounds

Chris.Buhrman — Tue, 19 May 2020 09:19:17 GMT

Thanks Ashish, I voted. It appears it to be the most popular request. Only 182 votes, but there are MANY more that haven't navigated this comment thread to vote. Glad to see it's planned, but like many of the comments are asking, is there an ETA?

Re: Webex backgrounds

Jaime Valencia — Tue, 19 May 2020 15:14:48 GMT

This is already being considered, and people can vote for it here:

https://ciscocollabcustomer.ideas.aha.io/ideas/WXCUST-I-5