Amid all the Gemini hype at Google I/O last month, the company also turned one of its experiments into a (kind of) real product. Project Starline was reborn as Google Beam, a 3D video conferencing system that makes it look like you're in the same room with the other party. Google said HP would reveal the first Beam setup, and now it has. The HP Dimension is coming this year, and the price tag is a predictably hefty $24,999.
Google Beam calls for a lot of advanced hardware, so the high price isn't a surprise. The HP Dimension uses six high-speed cameras positioned around the display to capture the speaker from multiple angles. This visual data is then fed into Google's proprietary volumetric video model, which merges the streams together into a 3D reconstruction of the speaker.
Eventually, there will be Beam systems of various sizes, but the HP model comes with a big 65-inch display. All Beam systems will use light field screen technology, which can show the volumetric model in 3D, eliminating the need to wear a headset or glasses for the 3D effect. Google says Beam can show minute details at 60 fps with millimeter-scale precision.
Obscene price tag aside, Google Beam is impressive technology. We got a glimpse of it at Google I/O, and it really does look like the person you're talking to is on the other side of the table. Google and HP claim that Beam's 3D video makes meetings more efficient, with better display of non-verbal cues and participants experiencing improved recall of details versus a regular 2D chat. Google also promises its Meet-based live translation features will come to Beam later.
The HP Dimension will support both Zoom and Google Meet, and you don't have to use Google's 3D technology, which requires both ends of a call to have the expensive Beam hardware. So regular 2D chats are still on the table, though you hardly need a $25,000 3D gadget if most of your video calls are with people using the mediocre 2D cameras on their laptops. Unsurprisingly, the HP Dimension is aimed at enterprise customers.
Google Beam's video model requires a lot of intensive cloud processing, which is the only way to achieve the necessary latency for real-time chat. And that isn't free. In addition to spending $24,999 on the hardware, the HP Dimension will require a Google Beam license, the cost of which has not been released. We've reached out to Google for specifics, but it's possible the company has yet to decide. HP will be the first to offer Beam hardware, but it won't be available until later in 2025 and only for "select customers" to start.
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