HP monitor includes pop-up webcam with Center Stage-style tracking

An upcoming USB-C monitor from HP includes a pop-up webcam with Center Stage-style tracking. The monitor is aimed at professionals who want reasonably high pixel density, but who don’t need the colorspace required by audiovisual pros …

ArsTechnica says that the new G3 variant appears to be identical to the Z24m aside from the webcam.

The HP Z24m G3 I checked out this week seems like it will be a decent option for workers who don’t need the highest-resolution panel, either because they’re content with fewer pixels or use a multi-monitor setup.

At a 2560×1440 resolution, the 23.8-inch monitor still has a good pixel density of 123 pixels per inch. USB-C with the current max power delivery of 100 W makes it a good fit for Windows-based thin-and-lights and MacBooks that can charge over the port […]

It should have sufficient color coverage for working with Windows and the web while also serving Mac users with 99 percent sRGB and 90 percent DCI-P3 color coverage. 

But the thing that distinguishes the model from similar HP monitors is the webcam with Center Stage-style tracking.

Sitting atop the Z24m’s panel is the non-detachable 5 MP webcam […] When the camera is in action, it’s all eyes on you. When I saw the Z24m, its camera captured my image and followed me as I stood a few feet away from the monitor and moved from side to side. The camera even managed to keep me in frame with someone else in the shot.

An HP representative said that the settings could be adjusted so the camera follows more quickly. I was in a moderately lit room, and my skin and hair colors appeared pretty accurate.

The monitor’s software includes the ability to crop your image and adjust brightness and exposure levels via sliders.

Apple first launched Center Stage in last year’s iPad Pro models.

The all‑new Center Stage uses the Ultra-Wide camera and machine learning to change the way you participate in video calls. As you move around, it automatically pans to keep you centered in the frame. When others join in or leave the call, the view expands or zooms in. Center Stage works with FaceTime and other video conferencing apps for an even more engaging experience.

When you first try Center Stage during a video call, the effect is both eerie and charming: at first, it’ll look like the camera inside the iPad is physically moving, or like there’s a remote camera operator secretly controlling the ultra-wide camera to keep you properly framed. Instead, Center Stage is the result of the clever combination of an ultra-wide field of view and real-time cropping powered by machine learning.

The company brought it to the Mac for the first time in the Studio Display – but immediately ran into trouble when reviewers and users complained that the cropping was one of the reasons the webcam offered poor image quality. A subsequent software update only somewhat improved the experience – with a second one helping a bit more.