What does version 2 mean?

This is Cisco's next-generation platform, built from the ground up with the needs of modern-day conferencing users in mind. Simply put, it provides more capabilities than the version it replaces.

Benefits of version 2

Version 2 improves upon version 1 in the following main functional areas:

  1. Security

  2. Intelligence

  3. Webex Rooms devices integration

  4. Video and content experience

  5. Scale

Security

Webex Meetings provide the highest level of security in the industry, based on a simple product development methodology: secure by design, and not as an afterthought.

Webex video platform version 2 allows more granular control of users joining from video conferencing systems, as well as providing more contextual information to attendees. The following capabilities provide a more secure meeting experience:

  • External user lobby

    When users outside your organization try to join your meetings, you can keep them in the lobby until you admit them. This way, you can be assured that the integrity of your meeting is kept intact, and no one can join your meeting unless you want them to.

    In addition, on your cloud-connected Webex Rooms devices, you can admit people who are waiting in the lobby with an intuitive interface.

  • Easily join from your own devices

    Users can join meetings on devices that belong to your organization without having to worry about PINs and keys.

  • Meeting participants list on Webex Rooms devices

    When you join a meeting using one of Cisco's award-winning Webex Rooms devices, whether you join in cloud or on-premises connected mode, a full list of participants who are in the meeting is shown. This provides additional situational awareness of the meeting, in contrast to legacy systems that can only show a fixed number of participants on the screen.

Intelligence

Users can take advantage of the Webex Assistant for Webex Meetings intelligence features, including live transcription and meeting highlights across Webex Rooms devices and Webex apps.

Webex Rooms devices integration

Enjoy rich integration with Webex Rooms systems, including wireless control of your room systems and wireless content sharing right from your Webex app.

You can also see an improved participant list, where users paired to a Webex Rooms device are shown grouped together.

Video and content experience

The in-meeting experience is improved with deeper integration between apps and devices.

  • See all video participants across apps and devices

    Users can see video streams from all other users in a meeting without any limitations. In Webex video platform version 1, users on Webex apps could only see the active speaker on a video conferencing system, or vice versa.

  • High frame rate content sharing

    When you want to share dynamic content, you can share it in video-optimized mode for a smoother experience. You can also capture the audio if you are sharing a video clip.

  • Video IVR and lobby experience

    In version 1, users on video conferencing systems would be greeted with an audio-only experience with no visual feedback. In version 2, users now have access to a visual IVR system that guides the user through how to join the meeting.

    It also provides a visual lobby experience informing the user of the current state, such as when the user is waiting for the host to start the meeting.

  • Meeting controls for on-premises registered video systems

    Cloud-registered Webex Rooms devices provide rich meeting controls. We have extended these capabilities to any standards-based video system by using numeric keypad controls, such as press *5 to lock or unlock your meeting.

  • Support for dual-screen video systems

    Users can see participant video on both screens of a dual-screen Webex Rooms device that is on-premises registered. In version 1, only the left screen was available for participant video. Now, the active speaker is displayed on the left and a grid view of other attendees is displayed on the right.

  • Join Webex Events as a panelist from a video system

    When participating in large events where someone is presenting an important topic, users on video systems can now join those events as panelists and share their content in high quality.

  • Two-way Whiteboarding across devices and apps

    Using the industry-leading Webex Board, DeskPro and DX-series video systems, users can participate in co-creation sessions in a meeting.

  • Short Video Address

    You can now join your meetings more quickly, using a shorter video address in the form of <meeting_number>@webex.com

Scale

While Webex video platform version 1 supported up to 25 video conferencing systems, version 2 supports up to 200 video conferencing systems in a meeting.

With more participants joining from video conferencing systems, a more immersive experience is now available.

Known issues

The following are known behaviors with Webex video platform version 2:

  1. Video conferencing systems that use the H.263 video codec are not supported. If you choose to join meetings with an unsupported H.263 system, shared content will be embedded inside the main video feed, together with other participants’ video.

  2. Cisco video conferencing systems that have reached End of Life, including CTS-series systems, are not supported.

  3. Calling into a Webex meeting from another conferencing bridge is not supported. If you choose to try this, content sharing experience integrity cannot be guaranteed.