The meeting room of ten years ago had a projector, a whiteboard and a conference phone. The interactive display replaces all three: a large touch screen that is a whiteboard, a video conferencing endpoint, a wireless presentation screen and a computer, in one panel on the wall. OneScreen makes interactive displays for meeting rooms and classrooms, and this article explains what they do, what is in the box and how to choose one.
What an interactive display is
A 55- to 98-inch 4K LCD panel with a touch surface that responds to fingers and pens, an Android system on board for whiteboarding and apps, and slots or ports for a Windows PC module. It connects to the network, mounts on a wall or a mobile stand, and needs one power cable. Everything that used to be separate – projector, screen, whiteboard, PC, speakers, sometimes the camera – is built in or plugs into it.
What OneScreen includes
- Whiteboarding – infinite canvas, multi-user writing, shapes and handwriting recognition, save and share to email or cloud.
- Wireless screen sharing – laptops, tablets and phones cast to the display without cables, several at once on a split screen.
- Video conferencing – runs Teams, Zoom and other platforms natively or from a connected PC, with an optional camera and microphone array.
- Annotation over anything – draw on a shared document, a web page or a video call and save the result.
- Device management – remote monitoring, updates and configuration across a fleet of displays.
- Support – OneScreen is known for including live help from the display itself, which matters for schools and organisations without AV staff.
Meeting rooms versus classrooms
The hardware is similar; the use is not. A meeting room needs video conferencing first, whiteboarding second and wireless sharing always. A classroom needs whiteboarding and annotation first, lesson content and screen sharing from student devices second, and durability throughout. OneScreen’s education models add classroom software and a more robust surface; its meeting-room models add camera and audio options and integrate with room booking.
Specifying a display
Size. The rule of thumb is that the furthest viewer should be no more than about six times the screen height away for detailed content. A 65-inch panel suits a room of up to eight; 75 inches for twelve; 86 inches and above for training rooms and classrooms.
Touch and pen. Number of simultaneous touch points, pen precision, palm rejection, and whether the pen is passive (no battery) or active.
Compute. Whether the built-in Android is enough or a Windows PC module is needed for the applications your organisation runs.
Camera and audio. Built in, add-on, or a separate room system. For rooms over six people, a separate camera and audio system usually outperforms a built-in one.
Connectivity. HDMI and USB-C inputs (USB-C with power delivery and touch-back is the most useful), network, and the wireless casting standards your devices use.
Mounting. Wall bracket or mobile stand; check wall construction and cable routes.
Deployment tips
Plan power and network at the mounting point. Put a USB-C cable at the table for guests. Set the display to boot into the mode the room uses most. Train the people who will run meetings, not just IT. Use device management to keep firmware current across every room.
OneScreen through Zen
Zen Interactive Technologies distributes OneScreen in the UAE and GCC, with meeting-room and classroom models, mounts and stands available from Dubai. We can specify a display for a room size and use case and supply the camera and audio to go with it. See the OneScreen page.