I’m not sure that this article proves that NVDA beats ZM. Some interesting features, yes. If you own shares of ZM, it is an article you should have on your radar. I hadn’t seen it posted here yet, so I wanted to be sure it was seen.
Fool on!
Thanks, and best wishes,
TMFDatabaseBob (long: NVDA, ZM; to be totally transparent; NVDA is my #1 holding as I’ve been long since '04; ZM is a top 10 holding of mine, but I only went long earlier this year)
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TMFDatabaseBob, Thanks for posting this. I read it as NVIDIA is offering the Maxine platform that providers of Video conferencing and other teleconferencing companies can utilize to enhance their offering. So a webex or gotomeeting etc can use this service provided by NVIDIA. Heck even Zoom can use it too. I do not read it as NVIDIA is entering video teleconferencing but rather enabling it.
So in summary, the possibility exists that current gap in various offering vis a vis Zoom can be narrowed. We will have to wait and see for sure. At the moment one has to apply for early access to even be able to test it.
NVDA is creating use cases for it chipsets outside of gaming and for conferencing they are delivering on the end user bandwidth issue as well as user experience by using AI in the cloud. Great!
This will help Zoom et al to create better digital experiences. In fact this kind of innovation is needed among other things to combat digital meeting fatigue. As the leader in Video conferencing Zoom argubly has most to win by continuing to make digital meetings better
We have seen nothing yet when it comes to remote working and this just proves that innovation will happen in this space for years to come. With Eric as enthusiatic as ever about his mission I am betting that Zoom will benefit more than most as innovation gather pace in remote experiences.
Nik
This will help Zoom et al to create better digital experiences. In fact this kind of innovation is needed among other things to combat digital meeting fatigue. As the leader in Video conferencing Zoom argubly has most to win by continuing to make digital meetings better
I felt a big “meh” reading it, it feels like somebody is fixing a problem that doesn’t exist…not only that, I’m a bit creeped out by the idea of AI making it look like my eyes are staring into the camera when they’re not.
But more important than my cringe, I think on the whole these are not features that make or break the corporate decision to use a platform. Ease of use, reliability, user satisfaction, and cost (not necessarily in that order) are the makers and breakers of such decisions. AI face corrections and hi-res video of my unkempt hair are definitely not.
I think zoom is using a lot of AI in zoom meetings. I use zoom multiple times a day and I also regularly use other services because of the counter party. Just this morning I had a video call using some web-service associated with a conference I was attending. I don’t know what technology backend they were using, but I looked terrible.
I think zoom’s virtual touch-up is powered by some AI algorithms. I also think its virtual background feature (which is very helpful and makes you look a lot more professional) uses the GPU.
It also looks to me like they do some image processing to address the zoom (no pun intended) of the image. I look “bigger” in the zoom image than I do in other meetings. Some kind of focus or zooming, I am not sure.
Zoom also does a lot with buffering audio (playback increases in speed some to make up for lag) and it seems video as well. Probably on the GPU.
Bottom line is that there are many advances of zoom and I wouldn’t be surprised if many of them used the GPU. Nvidia is the dominant player in this space (although not the only) so of course they are partnering…
“But more important than my cringe, I think on the whole these are not features that make or break the corporate decision to use a platform.”
I agree, initially. However, I think there are a lot of subtle tweaks that will be revealed when users have to work with lesser platforms. This is an intangible that can make a dramatic impact on brand perception.
Apple isn’t Android for those reasons. ← Millennials call Android users “peasants” specifically because of that brand strength and the perceived quality superiority. It’s not quite palpable how an apple phone is ‘better’, but, as a whole, few would disagree when comparing similar offerings.
The bigger focus for me based on these developments is that Zoom’s culture is that of insatiable expansion of the possibilities in the platform. They are tweaking it because they can, and because they think it can be better than where they are today. That leadership and investment will drive an ever widening chasm between their products and others who do not spend this intellectual and financial capital.