Wireless presentation solutions?

Hi,

My office has asked me to look at a wireless presentation system. One person here is keen on Barco clickshare, but it seems quite expensive and didn't work too well for me whenever I've tried to use it in the past.

Essentially, we want a wireless presentation system that can pull from any laptop or Mac. If it can do phones that's great too, but not essential. It can't be too 'hacky', no raspberry pi solutions or custom Chromecast builds.

What are the best products out there in terms of quality, value and price/performance? All recommendations welcome and appreciated.

Thanks!

Edit:

As an alternative, there is a company called WePresent who sell a number of devices. Their top-end device is very similar to the Barco device suggested by someone here, but offers a number of benefits for a lower cost:

(Apologies for copypasta formatting)

• Brand Clickshare Wepresent

• Model CSM-1 WiPG2000

• Cost $1750 $999

• Active presenters 2 4

• Presentation requires dongle Yes No

• Simultaneous connections 8 (requires additional 6 dongles, $300 each) 64

• Wireless AP No Yes

• Native USB playback of images/videos/documents No Yes

• Presenting requires application Yes Yes

• Supports Windows/Mac/iOS/Android Yes Yes

  

• Supports Airplay mirroring without app Only in beta firmware Yes

• Customisable start screen (add own branding etc) No Yes

They are both application based, meaning an app must be installed on the laptop/phone. The crucial difference is that the Clickshare device requires each laptop user use a “Clickshare button” USB dongle to present. Two are included with the device. They are priced at $300 each afterward. The Wepresent application connects via wireless without the need for a proprietary USB dongle. Up to 64 people can connect at once, with any 4 actively presenting at the same time. The Clickshare device can only display 2 active presenters, with only 8 users connected simultaneously. But this would require an additional 6 dongles costing another $1800.

The Barco system delivers the app to the laptop by plugging in the clickshare button dongle and manually installing the software as if from a USB stick.

The Wepresent system delivers the app via web browser. It broadcasts an internal web address on the TV screen/projector being used. The user enters this web address into their browser and the application is downloaded and installed. I would say they are both about the same level of complexity, but the Wepresent solution doesn’t require proprietary USB devices to function.

Because there are no USB dongles in play with the Wepresent system, there is no worry that they will go missing or get damaged. It also means users with very few USB ports (like ltrabooks or a Microsoft Surface) do not have to give up their mouse or USB stick to a USB dongle. Most importantly there is no ongoing cost to take into account, or worrying that we have enough dongles for an unusual situation.

The Wepresent device offers a wireless HDMI dongle for broadcasting footage straight from a “dumb” device like a camera/bluray player. It also has an optional pen-driven tablet for annotating whatever is on screen, allowing one person to draw over four different presentations at once.

The Wepresent device has a USB port which allows you to play back videos, images and documents direct from a USB stick, without the need for a laptop/phone at all.

The Wepresent device recently beat the Barco system in a number of yearly awards given by industry magazines and websites, it seems to have disrupted the market significantly. I will arrange a Wepresent demo before I put my flag in the ground however. It all sounds excellent on paper but the software element needs to be intuitive and stable to offer the complete package.