New conferencing features in Lync Server 2013
Topic Last Modified: 2012-11-08
Lync Server 2013 introduces several new features that enhance conferencing, as described in the following list.
Join Launcher
Lync Server 2013 updates the Join launcher to validate each meeting before launching a client, and to provide support for opening a meeting in the following clients:
Windows Phone 7
Android devices
Apple iOS devices
Windows 8
Internet Explorer 10
Updated PowerPoint Sharing
Lync Server 2013 now uses Office Web Apps and the Office Web Apps Server (formerly known as WAC Server) to handle PowerPoint presentations. The use of Office Web Apps Server allows for higher-resolution displays and better support for PowerPoint capabilities, access to more types of mobile devices (Lync Server 2013 uses standard DHTML and JavaScript to broadcast PowerPoint presentations), and the ability for users with the appropriate privileges to scroll through a PowerPoint presentation independent of the presentation itself.
Gallery View and HD Video Conferencing
In video conferences, users can see videos of up to five conference participants at the same time.
Note
Gallery View is experienced in conferences with up to 75 participants. When the conference gets larger than 75 participants, the experience reverts to single view.
HD Video
Users can experience resolutions up to HD 1080P in two-party calls and multiparty conferences.
Presenter Only Video Mode
Presenters can configure the conference so that only the video from the presenter is shown. This mode prevents distractions in large conferences when multiple video streams are available and locking to different sources. This mode also applies to video captured and provided by conferencing devices.
Video Spotlight
Presenters can configure the conference so that only the video from a selected participant who is a video source is seen by everyone in the conference. This mode also applies to video captured and provided by conferencing devices for panoramic video.
Dial-out Conferencing for non-Enterprise Voice users
Lync Server 2013 now allows participants that are not Enterprise Voice enabled to initiate dial-out calls from a meeting conference. This feature is configurable by the administrator.
Archiving
Any document that is shared during a conference is archived into Exchange 2013 data storage if Exchange Server integration is enabled with Archiving. This includes PowerPoint presentations, attachments, whiteboards and polls.
Meeting Invite Customization
Administrators can customize email invitations for online meetings using Lync Server Control Panel or Lync Server Management Shell. Customizations can include URLs for logos, help text, legal text, and footer text. All subsequent invitations will include the customizations.