After 2020, most people are very familiar with Zoom, as it became a way to still be able to participate in work, school, and events even as the stay at home in order were in full swing. The video conferencing software became an invaluable part of many people’s daily lives.
They recently acquired a startup, Liminal, which creates tools for Zoom-based broadcasts. Sounds like a twofer deal.
Liminal created Zoom OSC, a software that is designed to amplify professional meetings and events with Open Sound Protocol, enabling the integration of the platform with third-party software, hardware controllers, and media servers.
Liminal also created ZoomISO allows users to export each participants’ video feed as separate output to professional production software, five of which can be chosen to have output in HD.
These tools will help seamlessly create large-scale events while keeping the ease of use interface users have come to expect from Zoom. They first announced its events features in May and added the ability to create hubs, sell tickets and create multiple live streams all within the platform. The goal is to acquire apps that increase user experience and productivity and bridge the gap between “emerging” and “traditional” broadcast tools.
As Zoom improves, businesses like theatres, broadcast studios, and other organizations can benefit from their newly enhanced features. Going forward, the company predicts a large demand for hybrid opportunities in the workplace, and these new features can help achieve that.
Currently, Liminal’s add on’s remain a third-party feature, accessible only through the Liminal website, however, integration of Liminal’s features into Zoom software is inevitable.
They have acquired other companies, such as VMWare which enables more secure and improved collaboration for hybrid work experiences. Another notable company is German-based startup, Kites. Acquired in June 2021, Kites focuses on developing real-time machine translation solutions and will provide multi-language translation capabilities via Zoom. They acquired these companies to bolster its offerings and make a seamless experience for a multitude of businesses.
All in all, Zoom is constantly growing and shifting to fit customers’ needs and changing the way business is done in the 21st century. Let’s just hope they don’t have too much mission creep, as part of their appeal is the simplicity.
