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Comment by random5634 | Hacker News Reader

Is there anyone close to competitive in terms of user mindshare? We are on zoom. I'd love to get off.

Google Meet? - others on gsuite domains blocked from joining, rules around having accounts etc? We need background replacement or blur. I tried before and couldn't really make it a success (and so confusing with hangouts, chat, talk, duo, allo etc). Background replacement not as good as zoom.

Uberconference - audio latency is worse - we've dialed down our use for conference calls.

Jitasa - I don't see background replace on this?

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(I'm a Google SWE, though in firmware) I've had good experiences with Meet, both internally and externally. At least internally/gsuite, the background blur is really quite good. The public/free version doesn't itself have either background replacements, though.

> We need background replacement or blur.

Why?

It's a privacy and professionalism issue. Sales folks and others who need to maintain a businesslike facade are uncomfortable meeting potential customers in their makeshift home offices, disarrayed by homeschooled kids and other pandemic chaos.

Huh... is it really so hard to set up your desk so your back is to a blank wall? Or put one of those accordion-folding partitions (which look like cubicle walls) behind you?

I dunno, I'm sure background blur is a cute trick, but given how easy the low-tech alternatives are I'm surprised it would rise to the level of "must-have" feature.

I guess this is why folks can't catch up to zoom, which somehow has TOTALLY gotten what people want. They even support admin deployed virtual backdrops.

Our intern (who I'm sure is in a shared / crappy space) has a zoom background from their college they drop in - looks clean / professional and they can participate.

I snapped a shut from my zoom camera at the office, and use it as the background if I'm at home (with bed behind me not always made up, boxes from our move still stacked up). It's practically indistinguishable - I got rid of my green screen because the auto replace is that good on zoom.

I bill at $100/hr+. Maybe low by silicon valley standards, but people have expectations in my non tech field.

The issue isn't "user mindshare", it's technical quality, as you say. Nothing I have tried either matches zoom.

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