Project Starline might sound like some kind of downloadable content for a video game. But, no, it’s Google’s bold attempt to create a videoconferencing tool that’s designed to give you the feeling of being face-to-face – even when you’re not. This is way beyond the best webcams, that’s for sure.
But it won’t be found in some far-away galaxy. From next year, with the help of HP, Project Starline will begin rolling out. And while it’s no working-from-home dream – the whole point is that it’s an office install – it looks like a major upgrade to how we communicate. And following Zoom’s boom in popularity during ‘that period’ we don’t like to talk about, this looks like a next-level solution.
Project Starline is adjacent to the usual technology stories that I cover here at T3, because this isn’t a consumer product. You can’t just nip down the store and buy one. But HP is taking reservations from ‘interested parties’ within the commercial world.
With the WFH wheels falling off in certain companies’ future plans – the office beckons – yet multi-nationals still having the need for enhanced comms between sites, Project Starline is something that could affect many of us – and improve our lives for the better.
So how can Project Starline create realistic, lifelike imagery akin to that in the trailer above? There are some buzzwords of the moment here, but it’s relevant: artificial intelligence (AI) is used to help create a three-dimensional image, while audio processing is designed to deliver a noise-cancelled and spatial audio environment, just like being there.
It doesn’t hurt that HP has expertise in computing, with AI, audio and video all second nature for the company. Plonk a massive screen into the equation and Project Starline’s booth-like install sees it come to life. You’ll need someone at the other end of the line with the same setup, though, so this might be a niche rollout at first – but I’d certainly love to give it a go.
