Cisco WebEx Event Center Release Notes (version WBS29.13)
Bias-Free Language
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- Updated:
- April 24, 2015
Chapter: Event Center
Event Center
Use Event Center to conduct webinars, all-hands meetings, sales kick-offs, earnings calls, or press events online so that you can share documents and applications, and collaborate with others.
These release notes describe the Event Center new features. For instructions on using Event Center, see the Support page of your Event Center service site.
 Note | Event Center no longer supports Windows Me and NT. For more information about the operating systems and browsers that you can use with Event Center, see the WebEx Cross-platform Features and Known Issues. |
What's New
The following list shows recent features and enhancements for Event Center, listed by release version number. Versions that did not include major updates are not listed.
WBS29.13.10
Productivity Tool improvements for CMR Hybrid (WebEx-enabled TelePresence) meetings
The following improvements were added to WebEx Productivity Tools support for CMR Hybrid (WebEx-enabled TelePresence) meetings in WBS29.13.10:
The Windows version of WebEx Productivity Tools restored support for two email templates (one for hosts and one for attendees) for CMR Hybrid meetings, instead of the previous single email template that had been used since WBS29.11.
The Windows version of restored support for the Add Personal Conference Meeting and Add Audio-Only Meeting buttons for CMR Hybrid users.
For more information, see Productivity Tools Release Notes.
WBS29.13
WebEx Productivity Tools
Updates were made to WebEx Productivity Tools. For more information, see Productivity Tools Release Notes.
- The content viewing icon at the top of the content area in the meeting window has changed from Fit to width to Fit to viewer for easy access to one of the most common viewing options for screen sharing (formerly "desktop sharing"), file sharing, and application sharing. The default view is also now Fit to viewer. The option remains Fit to width for sharing the whiteboard.
- Full-screen view has the same defaults for content viewing, unless user manually chooses another option before going to that view.
In-meeting audio prompts
English language audio prompts have been updated to improve consistency of prompt tone and voice quality.
Updates for operating system and browser support
Support was updated for operating systems and browsers. See Cross-platform Features and Known Issues for more information.
WBS29.12
New User Reference link
The New User Reference function has been improved for a better support experience. When you select the New User Reference link for your WebEx service, a web page is displayed with reference information tailored for the WebEx service you're using. This makes it easier to access information about a specific WebEx service. The default setting for the New User Reference link can be changed in WebEx Site Administration.
Recording announcement
Recording has been enhanced to play an audible announcement to attendees when a recording has started in a meeting. If you're calling using a telephone, you'll hear the announcement if you're in the meeting when a recording starts or when you join a meeting that is being recorded. If you're calling using a computer (VoIP), you'll only hear the announcement if you're in the meeting when the recording starts. The recording announcement feature applies only to customers with WebEx audio conferencing.
This feature will be available after additional updates are completed to the WebEx Cloud. The target availability for the Network-Based Recording (NBR) announcement feature time frame is Q1 2015. When the feature is becomes available, a new setting will be added in WebEx Site Administration so that administrators can enable NBR audible announcements, if desired.
Site Administration updates
Updates were made to the Site Administration tool. For more information, see Site Administration Release Notes.
WBS29.11
Simplified in-meeting user experience
- The following audio dialog
boxes now have a modern look and feel:
- More appropriate terminology
for common functions:
- To avoid confusion with the Lock icon in Personal Room meetings, the lock icon that indicated SSL connection at bottom of meeting window has been removed and has been replaced with tool tip text indicating when there is a Secure Connection with SSL
- A vertical annotation bar is now available when viewing shared content in full screen on the Mac platform.
Content viewing enhancements
- New icons for Zoom in, Zoom out, and Fit to width now appear at the top of the content area.
- Zoom in and out of shared content easily by just selecting the Zoom in or Zoom out icons.
- There is a new Pan tool for screen sharing (formerly called "desktop sharing") and application sharing, which allows users to move content horizontally or vertically in the content area.
- Content is now centered in the content area, with Fit to Width selected as the default view option.
Video enhancements
- New Video panel layout
default settings and consolidated controls allow users to view video and switch
between layouts more easily:
- New video layout options at top of video window on the participant list when a video is being sent.
- When one user sends video, the default meeting window view changes to 50% video view (unless sharing is going on).
- When two or more people send video, the video panel automatically changes to video thumbnail view.
- If a web camera is detected, users are asked whether they want to start their video. In the same prompt, users can also choose to start their video in all meetings. This setting can be changed in video settings by selecting the gear-shaped Settings icon on top of the video window.
- The starting frame rate for thumbnails and active video has increased to 15 fps, improving the video experience in good bandwidth environments.
- In case of low bandwidth when video cannot be sent, the user receives a descriptive error message after 5 seconds that indicates that the user has bandwidth or local computer issues that may affect video display.
- In case video stops due to the above low bandwidth error in CMR Hybrid meetings, it starts sending video again automatically when the bandwidth improves or the local computer issues are remedied.
Profile page enhancements
The Profile page has been reduced to contain key profile information.
Preferences page
The Preferences page is now the centralized location for all user settings.
- New collapsible categories
- Webpage Preferences and Default Page Settings have been moved under the General section
- The following settings have been moved from the Profile page to the Preferences Page:
-
- My Phone Numbers (from the Profile Page) and the Personal Conferencing Page have been merged under Audio Settings
- The One-Click Setup page has been moved to the Preferences page and renamed to Meet Now Settings
- It has been given a more modern look and feel, and made fully accessible.
WebEx Productivity Tools
Updates were made to WebEx Productivity Tools support. For more information, see the "WebEx Productivity Tools Support" tables in Productivity Tools Release Notes.
Updates for operating system and browser support
Support was updated for operating systems and browsers. See Cross-platform Features and Known Issues for more information.
Site Administration updates
Updates were made to the Site Administration tool. For more information, see Site Administration Release Notes.
WBS29.10
WebEx Productivity Tools
Updates were made to WebEx Productivity Tools support. For more information, see the WebEx Productivity Tools Support tables in Productivity Tools Release Notes.
Updates for operating system and browser support
Support was updated for operating systems and browsers. See Cross-platform Features and Known Issues for more information.
WBS29.9
Collaboration Meeting Rooms (CMR Cloud) Personal Room link
Mobile users no longer need to enter their name and email address to join CMR Cloud meetings. They will simply be connected to the meeting after clicking on a link in an email invitation or from the personal room page.
WBS29.8.1
WebEx ball icon
The WebEx ball icon has been updated with a new design.
WBS29.8
WebEx page redesign and accessibility updates
There have been improvements to the user experience for web pages in WebEx centers. The WebEx pages now have a modern design, but the interaction has not changed, so all the functionality remains the same.
Accessibility features have also been added to increase our current level of accessibility.
The redesign is a phased approach, beginning with core pages and flows. (We will continue to redesign other pages and centers in subsequent releases.)
- Global elements (such as the header, top navigation, and the left menu bar) and core pages (such as the log in page, the My WebEx > My Meetings page, and the My WebEx > Training page) have been redesigned and have improved accessibility
- The "Welcome" page has been optimized and has been renamed to "Home."
- The join by number page can now be used to look up a Personal Room by the host's username.
Simplified and modern in-meeting experience
- New icons, fonts, and colors are being used for various functions throughout the meeting window
- Functions on the Quick Start page have been consolidated.
- A liquid and flexible meeting window layout has been added that allows users to change proportion of content view and panels. This layout includes a new 50/50 view for content and panels.
- The Info tab content is cleaner and has been improved. Additionally, individual fields in the Info tab can now be copied one at a time.
- There is an improved layout for the Video view in the video panel.
- More intuitive Audio interface and more contextual audio options.
- The Sharing and Invite and Remind interface has been improved.
- When the presenter shares his or her desktop or application, the shared content shows up in a tab in the meeting window by default. This reduces transitions for participants when sharing starts. Participants can also select full-screen view as before with a single click.
- Easy-to-access annotation tools have been added in a new, vertical Annotation bar with updated icons.
- Quick access to view options has been added so users can control viewing preference.
- New icons have been added to the meeting control panel that appears when a presenter shares content or when an attendee goes to full screen view to view shared content.
- Dialog boxes and notifications have been improved.
Screen saver when sharing
When a user is sharing content in a meeting, the screen saver is disabled for all participants.
Mobile device support for Event Center
Event Center WBS29.8 and later will be supported in the Cisco WebEx Meetings mobile app version 7.0 for iPhone and iPad and version 6.0 for Android.
Cleaner and faster join experience
We have been working on improving our join meeting time and are happy to announce that in our testing, users can join up to 30% faster. In addition, the join experience has been cleaned up by removing connection pop-up messages and cleanly presenting the join status within the meeting window. Users must be joining by URL using ActiveX, a plugin, or an extension and using Meeting Center (Windows and Mac) or Event Center (Windows only).
WebEx Productivity Tools
Updates were made to WebEx Productivity Tools, including support for the Mac. For more information, see Productivity Tools Release Notes.
Using WebEx on Chrome
Because Chrome will be removing support for NPAPI, a new joining method using a Chrome extension has been provided for using WebEx starting with Chrome 38. When using WebEx for the first time on Chrome, users will be guided through a one-time process to add the extension and update the WebEx application. After the first time, users can join without the extra steps.
Site Administration updates
Updates were made to the Site Administration tool. For more information, see Site Administration Release Notes.
Enhanced audio experience with wideband audio on WebEx VoIP and WebEx Audio
WebEx Audio meetings and VoIP-only meetings now have a superior meeting experience with wideband audio when users are connecting to audio using their computers (VoIP).
Wideband audio also refers to high-definition voice. Wideband audio captures wider frequency range and therefore provides clearer audio connections.
Windows, Mac, and Linux desktop applications, Apple iPad and iPhone devices, and Android mobile devices are supported. Wideband audio is also supported for network-based recording of VoIP only and WebEx Audio meetings.
Wideband Audio Codec (OPUS) is now the default codec for WebEx VoIP attendees. The OPUS codec has superior Packet Loss Concealment (PLC) and Forward Error Correction (FEC) and is more resilient to packet loss. As a result, it provides better audio quality in less ideal conditions.
It has a better noise-suppression algorithm that provides a much better experience when using audio through a computer, even without headset. It includes enhanced jitter buffer for UDP-based VoIP traffic. Reduced delay and data loss with smaller packet sampling size of 20 ms.
Computers operating on Solaris, Windows mobile devices, and Blackberry devices will continue to use narrowband audio for VoIP audio. If a user joins a meeting from any of those devices, the narrowband audio is used for the whole meeting.
Company Address Book and Personal Address Book in Site Administration and My WebEx
In the Company Address Book, which is available in Site Administration and in My WebEx, and the user's Personal Address Book, which is available in My WebEx, multiple contacts can be imported only by using a comma- or tab-delimited values file (.csv). To upload a comma- or tab-delimited .csv file, select the file to upload, select the type of delimiter your file uses (Tab or Comma), and then select Import. The WebEx Address Book format can also be exported from Site Administration and from My WebEx.
WBS29.7
WebEx Productivity Tools
Updates were made to WebEx Productivity Tools support. For more information, see the "WebEx Productivity Tools Support" tables in Productivity Tools Release Notes.
WBS29.6
Updates for operating system and browser support
Support was updated for operating systems and browsers. See Cross-platform Features and Known Issues for more information.
WBS29.5
Updates for operating system and browser support
Support was updated for operating systems and browsers. See Cross-platform Features and Known Issues for more information.
WBS29.4
New range for reuse of last passwords
The Do not allow reuse of last passwords option site administration option now allows site administrators to select a range from 3 to 8 last passwords. The new default is 3.
Updates for operating system support
Support was updated for operating systems and browsers. See Cross-platform Features and Known Issues for more information.
WBS29.3
WebEx Productivity Tools
Updates were made to WebEx Productivity Tools support. For more information, see the "WebEx Productivity Tools Support" tables in Productivity Tools Release Notes.
Security enhancement for VeriSign security servers
A security enhancement made in WBS29 requires the meeting application on a participant's computer to connect with the VeriSign security servers for security certificate validation when a participant joins the meeting. Administrators should make sure your firewall is configured to allow participants' computers to complete the validation and easily join meetings. To do this, ensure that VeriSign CRL servers at https://www.verisign.com/repository/crl.html are included in the approved URL list (or "white list") in your firewall. It is also recommended that you add the following URLs to the approved URL list to avoid any issues in the future:
This security enhancement has also been made to remote access agents that are installed on a remote computer in all WebEx services. This includes the following services:
The enhancement requires the remote access agent to validate the security certificate from VeriSign. If using these services, make sure your firewall is configured to allow access to the URLs listed above in order for the remote agent to stay online and accessible for your users.
WBS29.1
Cross-platform support
Updates were made for browser support. See the "OS and Browser Support" section in Cross-platform Features and Known Issues for more information.
WBS29
Microsoft Office 2013 Support
The telephony entry and exit tone option for event center has been separated from other centers and will be turned off by default. Now whenever an attendee joins or leaves the Event Center audio conference there will not be an audio tone unless you change your setting.
Document loading indicator
Sharing multiple documents during file sharing has become easier with the following features:
- Users now have the ability to select multiple documents to upload at the same time.
- All selected files show up in tabs above the content area.
- Files get uploaded one at a time and become available for sharing as soon as they are uploaded.
- Progress indicators in the content area and document tabs provide an immediate upload status for all selected documents.
- Users can cancel uploading for a file by selecting the close (x) icon on the tab of the file that is currently being uploaded. Users cannot cancel uploading for multiple files in the queue, but those files can be removed after they have been uploaded.
Multiple monitor support enhancements
- If a user has multiple monitors and goes to full-screen video when sharing, the user is presented with an option to move video to another monitor. Sharing is paused if video is not moved, and controls switch to video controls.
- Windows users can also share secondary monitors. In this case, the meeting controls and video panel also move to the secondary monitor to enable easy access when sharing.
Known Issues and Limitations
For more information about issues that affect specific operating systems, browsers, and other WebEx services, see Cross-platform Features and Known Issues.
In-meeting experience
- Keyboard navigation and
screen reader support:
- Video thumbnail items in the Participant panel don't support navigation using the Tab key.
- Some items in file sharing and in the Polling panel don't support navigation using the Tab key.
- Items within the video full-screen view don't support navigation using the Tab key.
- Elements inside the video user interface don't support screen readers.
- Video thumbnail items don't support screen readers.
- The participant list within the Participant panel doesn't support screen readers.
- Some elements for file sharing and in the Polling panel don't support screen readers.
- The Pan tool is not available when viewing a file that is shared using file sharing..
- The new interface is not available for Linux users
- On Mac, when the presenter annotates during application sharing or screen sharing (formerly called "desktop sharing") and also takes notes or creates a poll, the Notes and Poll information cannot be saved.
- On Mac, when using annotation during sharing, if user moves from tab view to full-screen view, the annotation option that as last used is not remembered
- On some Windows machines as well as on Linux machines, if attendee screen saver comes on and then the presenter starts file sharing, the screen saver automatically quits
- Some custom Quick Start templates, created using older releases of Meeting Center, may not work after upgrading to this release
- In a few cases, uploading a very large Microsoft PowerPoint file to share in the meeting may cause the meeting to get disconnected for the presenter
Attendee invitations
Starting in WBS29.6, if a host removes any attendees for an event, the link to the event from the invitation will no longer be valid for those removed attendees. If you are planning to invite people for a mass-mailing list, we recommend that you use a third-party mailing service, and then link to the event address for attendees.
Links generated by WebEx centers and WebEx recording services
As part of our continuing updates to improve security, Cisco is making changes to improve the management of cryptographic keys used to generate URLs used in WebEx Meeting Center, Training Center, Support Center, Event Center, and WebEx recording services. As a result, existing links that were generated by those services have been updated, and in some cases, users may need to request new links.
Joining a WebEx meeting on Chrome and Firefox
Because of Google and Mozilla policy changes, users must manually enable the WebEx plug-in when using Chrome and Firefox.
Windows 8 and 8.1
- If a presenter using Windows 8 or 8.1 shares his or her application or screen (formerly called "desktop sharing"), other participants will see windows with a crosshatch pattern on top of the shared content in places where any panels are open. This problem occurs with all panels, including the meeting control panel, Participants panel, Chat panel, and sharing indicators. We recommend that presenters using Windows 8 or 8.1 keep panels closed as much as possible to provide a better viewing experience for other participants.
- When connecting to remote computer with Windows 8 or 8.1, the local screen will not be able to be blacked out.
- File sharing Word documents for the 32-bit version of Microsoft Office 2010 is not supported for Windows 8.1. We recommend that you use application sharing or screen sharing instead.
Microsoft Office 2013 Support
- If you have Microsoft Office 2013 installed, the following features are not supported when sharing PowerPoint 2013 files:
- If you have customized your Info Tab, some custom elements may not be supported. We recommend that you validate it to make sure it continues to display properly in a WebEx meeting.
- In a few cases, the following problems may occur:
- If an object in a PowerPoint presentation does not display correctly in edit mode, it is automatically removed in Slide Show view; however, the object may continue to display when the file is shared in a WebEx meeting.
- You cannot share password-protected PowerPoint 2013 files using the file sharing feature. Use the application sharing or desktop sharing features instead.
- You cannot share Excel 2013 files on Windows 8 using the file sharing feature. Use the application sharing or screen sharing (formerly called "desktop sharing") features instead.
- You cannot share Word 2013 (64-bit) documents on Windows 8 (64-bit) using the file sharing feature. Use the application sharing or screen sharing features instead.
Mobile device support
Event Center is not currently supported on multiple devices.
Streaming media sharing
HTML email content
The content of the default HTML email and its corresponding iCalendar (.ics) template are not the same [295149]
Description in iCalendar attachment
Attention indicator
When Web content is shared during an event, the attention indicator will stop tracking and will consider everyone as paying attention.
Play button in Flash files
When a presenter is sharing a Flash (.swf) file, clicking the Play button will "pause" the file instead of playing it. The Presenter needs to press the Play button twice in order to play the file. [289318]
Deleting meetings from My Meetings list
When the Delete from My Meetings when completed option is selected, an event will still appear on the My WebEx My Meetings list if the host completes the event before the end time of event. The event will be deleted from the My Meetings list after the schedule end time has elapsed. For example, if an event is scheduled for 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. and the host ends the event at 10.45 a.m., the event will still display under My Meetings and the Event Center Calendar until 11.01 a.m., after the scheduled end of the meeting. The event will always display when you turn on Show past events
Participants Panel on Solaris
Some non-English characters do not display correctly in the Participants Panel on Solaris machines. [276651]
Flash client
- The total number of attendees is not displayed to a Flash attendee
- A Flash attendee cannot automatically view in full screen when Presenter is performing Desktop or Application sharing
- The mouse scroll button does not work in the Country and Region list of Global Call-in number
- A Flash attendee cannot view the laser pen used during Presentation sharing
- Flash Attendees are not included in Attendee Statistics when the Presenter shares an Audio or Video file
- Panelist names are listed chronologically and not alphabetically
- No tool tip appears for the recording indicator
- In full screen mode, the Global Call-in number is not displayed
- The Feedback page will not be displayed if a pop-up blocker is enabled
- In the Attendance report, a Flash attendee's real IP address will not be displayed; instead "127.0.0.1" will be displayed
Switching poll coordinator role
During polling, if you switch the polling coordinator role, the Save Polling Result window will display.
Adding attendees to address book
From the event scheduler, if you select the option to add an attendee to your address book, an error message displays when you click Add Attendee
iCalendar attachment
When WebEx sends the first and second event reminder to attendees, the iCalendar attachment that attendees use to automatically add the event to their calendar application is missing.
Email messages with iCalendar content
Due to an .ics limitation (iCalendar attachment), HTML email messages can not display content of .ics calendars properly. As a result, for HTML email messages, we will pull in the content from plain text email messages. This means if a user has customized an HTML email message, the customization can not be reflected in the iCalendar attachment.
Importing a CSV file when Creating an invitation list
When creating an invitation list, the option to import a CSV file is not supported for MAC. As a result, the Import CSV files button is unavailable for MAC and Safari.
Past events
The past event identification criteria is not consistent between the Event Center page and Welcome pages. According to Event Center logic, an event belongs to past events after the scheduled start time is passed. However, if the scheduled start time has passed, the event is still listed on the Welcome page, even when Show past meetings is not selected. [244342]
Past events status shows on the Event Center calendar for attendee's view. When an attendee looks the Event Center calendar and selects Show past events, all past events are displayed with Register and/or Not started status; however, no status should appear for past events on an attendee's view. [244153]
Event templates
When a host saves the event as a template, the list of attendees and panelists is not saved; however, the panelist information and the panelist password are saved. [180534]
Money symbol
The money symbol is missing for the budget field on the program information page. [183019]
Panelist information as search criteria
Panelist information can not be used as a search criteria on the Event Center search page. However, the search can be done from the Welcome page [177716]
Saving user information when using Firefox
If a user is using Firefox, user information always is saved, regardless of whether Remember me on this computer is selected. [228112]
Calendar display of daily audio-only events
Since Event Center does not have a concept of a recurring event, if a daily audio-only event is scheduled, the Event Center calendar can not display it properly [161351]
Summary of Differences Since Previous Lockdown Version
The following sections summarize the differences between the lockdown version WBS29.13.10 and the previous lockdown version (WBS28.12.2).
Modern, Simplified Meeting Experience (Meeting and Event Center-Windows)
- New modern design and clean layout
- New icons, fonts, and colors
- Consolidated controls in Quick Start page
- Improved icons for panels
- Intuitive Audio dialog box
- Improved Sharing dialog box
- Improved Invite & Remind dialog box
- Attendee can view screen sharing and application sharing within a tab of the meeting
- Minimize transitions for attendee while providing easy access to video and meeting controls
- Content sharing and video size is adjustable by simply dragging the mouse
- Easy to access Annotation tools and other functions
- Vertical Annotation bar with updated icons (Windows only)
- Easily access View options to control viewing preference
- New and updated Annotation Tool icons
- Improved dialogs
- Improved notifications
- New icons in meeting control panel for the Presenter
Meeting Experience Usability Enhancements
- The presenter role automatically passes to the host when the host joins, even if the first attendee has become a presenter. The only exception is if an attendee is sharing content. (Meeting Center)
- Allows presenter role to automatically pass to the person who has control of the meeting
- The screen saver is disabled during content sharing (all Centers)
- Allows users to focus on the content without interruption
- Sites will automatically have Chat and Notes panels minimized, with these panels showing icons at top that users can select to open (Meeting Center & Event Center)
- Defaults can be changed in Site Administration
Improved Video Experience (Meeting and Event Center-Windows)
- New video control layout options at the top of video display on Participant List
- When one user sends video, the default meeting window view changes to 50% video view (unless sharing is going on)
- When 2 or more people send video, the video panel automatically changes to video thumbnail view
- If a camera is detected, the user will see a message to send Video (Meeting Center only)
- Users can also specify to send video by default in all meetings (can be changed in video settings)
Video Enhancements
- Starting frame rate for thumbnails and active video to be 15 fps, changed from 6 fps
- Provides good video experience at work, where bandwidth is usually good.
- Spinning wheel turns to error message after 5 seconds
- Automatic recovery of video on CMR Hybrid (WebEx-enabled TelePresence) meetings after video has been turned off due to low bandwidth.
Disable Entry and Exit Audio Tone in Meeting (Meeting Center)
Host Can Leave Meeting Without Ending It (Meeting Center)
- The host role automatically transfers to another participant if the host leaves the meeting from the WebEx application without ending it (does not apply when host is on TelePresence system or has joined by audio only).
- Allows meetings to continue when the host forgets to manually assign a host before leaving the meeting
Anyone Can Share (Meeting Center)
Allows participants to start sharing content immediately without being made presenter first. This option is enabled by default for new sites. The host can disable the option during the meeting.
WebEx Page Redesign and Accessibility Updates
- Consolidated Calendar views
- Scheduler
- Meeting registration option change
- Introducing HTML email templates for Meeting Center
- Join Page (Meeting Detail Page)
- Non-refreshing Join pages given minimal changes for consistency
- Join meeting experience
- Clean Join experience
- Usability enhancements
- Access technical support during a meeting (available only to WebEx Cloud-Connected Audio (CCA) customers and the support is only for audio)
Event Center Event Experience Redesign (Windows)
Modern, simplified event experience
Personal Rooms (Meeting Center Only)
- Dedicated Personal Room for Meeting Center
- Permanent personalized video conferencing space
- What are Personal Rooms
and CMR Cloud? Your Personal Room provides an easy-to-remember destination for
meetings.
- Each WebEx Meeting Center host has a Personal Room
- Persistent
- Vanity URL
- Host lobby management (room lock)
- Personal Room with CMR Cloud includes all the capabilities of a Personal Room plus:
- Home Page Becomes Your Personal Room Page
- Host Lobby Management
- Notification while sharing (you can select this message to view your entire lobby)
Quickly Schedule Meetings from Outlook with Mac Productivity Tools
Go to your site Support section for downloading the Mac version of WebEx Productivity Tools:
- Go to the Support section of your site and select Downloads.
- As long as your operating system is Mac, you'll be guided to the downloading of Productivity Tools for Mac. (Productivity Tools are also available with Windows.)
- You don't have to enter a site URL, because the site URL is pre-filled when you download it from your WebEx site
- Sign in by entering email address and password
- Switching sites is easy -- you can sign out and enter another site URL. The new site URL will be remembered
- The Mac version of Productivity Tools has a convenient menu on the Mac toolbar, which you can easily access by selecting the WebEx ball on the toolbar
- WebEx Integration to
Microsoft Outlook for Mac
- Select Meet Now within Outlook to start an instant meeting
- Convenient meeting scheduling with Outlook. When you select Schedule Meeting, a new appointment message or calendar entry appears
- Enter your meeting subject, date and time, and invite attendees as you normally would.
- You can also start with a normal calendar entry and add WebEx to it Schedule different WebEx meetings by selecting Change WebEx Setting
Profile and Preferences Optimization
Wideband Audio and Audio Prompts
Enhanced audio experience with wideband audio on WebEx VOIP
- Both VOIP Only meetings as well as WebEx Audio meetings support wideband audio
- Windows, MAC and Linux desktop applications, Apple iPhone and iPad, and Android mobile device apps are supported
- Network-based recording for VOIP only meetings
- Wideband Audio Codec (OPUS) is now default codec for WebEx VOIP attendees
- Not supported on Wideband Codec
- Desktop Solaris applications, Windows mobile app, and Blackberrymobile app will continue to be narrowband. If participant joins from one of those applications, the whole meeting uses narrowband.
- NBR recording and playback is supported for WebEx audio meetings
Why WebEx VOIP is improved
- Superior meeting experience with wideband audio
- Wideband audio also refers to HD voice - Wideband audio captures wider frequency range and therefore provides clearer audio connections
- The OPUS codec has superior Packet Loss Concealment (PLC) and Forward Error Correction (FEC) and is more resilient to packet loss. As a result, it provides better audio quality in less ideal conditions.
- Better Noise Suppression Algorithm - Much better experience when using audio through a computer even without headset
- Enhanced jitter buffer for UDP based VOIP traffic
- Reduced delay and data loss with smaller packet sampling size of 20ms
Audio Prompts: Details of user experience
- Call in:
- I multiple languages are configured for the country the user is dialing from, user will hear "Welcome to WebEx" in first language, followed by "to continue in <first language>, press 1 followed by #, "to continue in <second language>, press 2 followed by #, and so on.
- Once the user makes a choice, all subsequent prompts are heard in that language.\
- If multiple languages are NOT configured, user will hear "Welcome to WebEx" and all subsequent prompts in the bridge default language (which is always either US or UK English.)
- Call Me:
- Other updates
- Meeting entry and exit tone changed to avoid accidental interpretation of the tone as a DTMF command
- Minor updates to prompt scripts to adhere to latest style guidelines; for example, we use the word "meeting" instead of "conference" now.
- Nonessential prompts on dial-in and call-back removed to shorten the audio join experience
Site Administration Updates
- Existing Branding is preserved Simplified Branding
- HTML email templates With HTML - Sorting
- HTML and Plain Text
- Email Templates - Revert to Default
- Email Templates - What to expect
- Mac Productivity Tools Settings
- Deactivated Host Account
-- when a host account is deactivated:
- Scheduled meetings or events for the deactivated user cannot be started
- Alternate host cannot start the meeting or event
- Schedule on behalf of deactivated host cannot be started
- Message is displayed that the host is no longer active and Join button is disabled
- No meeting or event reminders, no audio
- Meeting Center - Browse meetings - Start button removed
- Event Center - Register link is removed from List of Events
- Event Center - Register link is removed
- Training Center - Attendee view displays message that host has been deactivated and Join Now button is removed
- Applies to Meeting Center, Event Center, and Training Center
- Attendee Privileges -
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CMR Hybrid (WebEx-enabled TelePresence) Integration
The CMR Hybrid (WebEx-enabled TelePresence) integration with WebEx Productivity Tools allows users to schedule and start CMR Hybrid meetings that use WebEx Meeting Center and Cisco TelePresence.
Email invitation templates for Productivity Tools
Some changes have happened for email invitation templates for Productivity Tools between WBS28.9 and WBS29.13:
- WBS28.9 to WBS28.12.27—If CMR Hybrid was not enabled on the site, there were two email invitation templates in the Windows version of WebEx Productivity Tools for WebEx-only, Personal Conference, and Audio-only meetings-one for hosts, which included the host key and host access code, and one for attendees, which did not include host key or host access code information. If CMR Hybrid was enabled on the site, only one email invitation template was available for CMR Hybrid meetings, WebEx-only, Personal Conference, and Audio-only meetings, and it was the attendee version that does not contain the host key and host access code.
- WBS29.11 to WBS29.13.2—In the Windows version of WebEx Productivity Tools, only one email invitation template was available for CMR Hybrid meetings, WebEx-only, Personal Conference, and Audio-only meetings, and it was the attendee version that does not contain the host key and host access code.
- WBS29.13.10—For WebEx-only, Personal Conference, and Audio-only meetings, two email invitation templates are available in the Windows version of WebEx Productivity Tools again-one for attendees, and one for hosts, which include the host key and host access codes. CMR Hybrid meetings still only support one email invitation template, which is the attendee version that does not contain the host key and host access code.
- WBS29.8 to WBS29.13.10—In the Mac version of WebEx Productivity Tools, only one email invitation template is available for CMR Hybrid meetings, WebEx-only, Personal Conference, and Audio-only meetings, and the attendee version that does not contain the host key and host access code.
For more information, see Productivity Tools Release Notes.
Usability improvements for the CMR Hybrid integration in Productivity Tools
In WBS 29, usability improvements were added for the CMR Hybrid integration in Productivity Tools, including help text and tool tips for first-time users, collapsible meeting option panels, and status indicators to show whether a WebEx meeting has been added and TelePresence resources have been reserved.
Recording support for CMR Hybrid meetings
Starting with WBS29, you can record video, audio, sharing, chat, and polling for CMR Hybrid meetings. Just press Record as you normally would. For more information, see Recording and Playback FAQs in http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/support/conferencing/webex-meeting-center/products-user-guide-list.html.
Allow people to join by using WebEx
Starting in WBS29, the Allow people to join using WebEx option in the Meeting Options dialog box for a CMR Hybrid meeting is no longer "sticky"-that is, it does not stay checked if was checked for a previous meeting. If you want to allow users to join using WebEx, you must check this box again for each CMR Hybrid meeting.
Listing CMR Hybrid meetings in the My Meetings list
Some issues about listing CMR Hybrid meetings in My WebEx > My Meetings list have been fixed.
Other WebEx features
Some features have been added or enhanced for WebEx-only meetings that do not yet have full support in CMR Hybrid meetings:
- Exceptions to recurring meeting series are not supported for CMR Hybrid meetings. For more information, see the CMR Hybrid (WebEx-enabled TelePresence) Integration Issues section in Known Issues/Limitations for Collaboration Meeting Rooms (CMR).
- Personal Rooms are not supported for CMR Hybrid meetings.
- Participants on iPads, iPhones, and Android devices cannot share content in CMR Hybrid meetings.
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