HP took the wraps off a comprehensive new AI-centered collaboration portfolio during InfoComm 2026 in Las Vegas on June 16, signaling a major push to redefine the meeting room experience for hybrid workers. The announcement represents the most significant update to the Poly line since HP’s acquisition of the company, bridging hardware, software, and peripherals into a unified ecosystem designed for Microsoft Teams Rooms and Zoom Rooms environments. At the core of the launch are new Poly room systems running the freshly minted Poly VideoOS 5.1, the Poly Focus 6 Bluetooth headsets, and a first-of-its-kind collaboration keyboard built to streamline in-room controls. HP is betting that its tightly integrated approach—combining intelligent audio, multi-camera AI, and simplified management—will give enterprises a compelling alternative to fragmented meeting room solutions that often leave IT teams scrambling.

InfoComm has long been a staging ground for audiovisual breakthroughs, and this year HP used the show to plant its flag firmly in the AI meeting space. The company showcased how machine learning models running locally on its hardware can transform a standard conference room into an intelligent environment that automatically adjusts camera angles, optimizes audio pickup, and even generates real-time meeting notes. HP executives stressed that the new platform is not just about adding features, but about fundamentally changing how people interact with technology during meetings. “We’re moving from rooms that you have to fight with to rooms that work for you,” one HP presenter told attendees. The portfolio targets organizations of all sizes, with scalable options for huddle spaces, medium conference rooms, and large boardrooms.

Poly VideoOS 5.1 Brings Intelligence to the Core

Poly VideoOS 5.1 is the software engine that powers the new room systems. It builds on the Android-based Poly VideoOS platform, which has been a staple in Poly Studio X bars and G7500 systems, but introduces a layer of AI-driven capabilities that HP says will fundamentally improve meeting equity and productivity. Key enhancements include what HP calls “Intelligent Director 2.0,” an evolution of the multi-camera framing technology that debuted earlier. The system can now track multiple in-room participants individually, creating a dynamic composite view that makes remote attendees feel as if they’re sitting at the table. Advanced face detection and speaker triangulation work in tandem with beamforming microphone arrays to ensure the active speaker is always prominently framed, even if they move around the room.

Noise suppression has also seen a leap forward. Poly VideoOS 5.1 employs deep neural networks to distinguish between human speech and common office sounds like keyboard typing, HVAC hum, or even the rustle of papers. During a live demo, the system successfully filtered out the sound of a coffee machine brewing in the background—a scenario that plagues many open-plan adjacent rooms. More impressively, HP demonstrated “spatial audio zones,” where the system suppresses noise from specific areas of the room, such as the doorway, while keeping the main table area clear. This feature, when combined with AI-driven acoustic fence technology from Poly headsets, creates a bubble of clear communication that HP claims is unmatched in the industry.

On the management side, the new OS version integrates natively with HP’s Poly Lens cloud platform, giving IT administrators deep insights into room health, utilization, and call quality. A new dashboard uses predictive analytics to flag potential issues before they cause meeting disruptions, such as a room camera that might need recalibration or a system that’s overdue for a firmware update. HP is also introducing hands-free voice commands via a wake word, allowing users to join meetings, adjust volume, or start a whiteboard session without touching a controller, reducing the friction that often plagues the first few minutes of a call.

Poly Focus 6 Headsets: Personal Audio Meets Room Intelligence

Alongside the room systems, HP launched the Poly Focus 6 series, a new line of Bluetooth headsets that blur the line between personal audio and the conference room environment. Available in over-ear and on-ear configurations, the Focus 6 headsets feature adaptive ANC and a new “Meetings Mode” that automatically pairs with a Poly room system when the user walks in. Using ultrasonic proximity detection, the headset can hand off a call from the user’s mobile device to the room system seamlessly, so a participant can transition from a private desk conversation to a group meeting without any manual steps. This deep integration is designed to solve a common pain point: the awkward “can you hear me now?” moments that occur when people must switch audio devices mid-meeting.

The headsets also incorporate HP’s latest AI-based noise reduction algorithms, which go beyond traditional frequency filtering to cancel out impulse noises like a dog barking or a door slamming. Three MEMS microphones per earcup work with a dedicated AI chip to create a focused beam that captures the wearer’s voice with studio-like clarity. HP is positioning the Focus 6 as the ideal companion for hybrid workers who split their time between home and office, especially those who use Microsoft Teams or Zoom as their primary collaboration tools. A dedicated Teams button and a Zoom-certified variant ensure full platform compatibility. Battery life stretches to up to 30 hours with ANC on, and a quick-charge feature delivers 5 hours of talk time from a 10-minute USB-C charge.

A Collaboration Keyboard for Instant Control

Perhaps the most unexpected piece of the announcement is the HP Poly Collaboration Keyboard—a dedicated hardware peripheral designed to sit in the center of a meeting room table and give every participant immediate access to common functions. The keyboard features a minimalist design with oversized, backlit keys for joining a call, muting the entire room, raising a hand, starting a recording, and sharing content. It connects wirelessly to the Poly room system and uses e-ink display strips on each key that change dynamically based on which conferencing platform is running, so the controls adapt automatically when switching between Teams, Zoom, or other supported services.

HP claims the keyboard solves the “controller confusion” that often plagues meeting rooms where multiple remotes and touch panels leave users unsure how to accomplish basic tasks. It can be placed anywhere on the table and includes an optional integrated Qi charging pad for phones. The device also supports NFC tap-to-pair for guest users who want to temporarily link their own headsets or mobile devices. The company sees the keyboard as a bridge between the physical and digital meeting experience, providing tactile feedback that touchscreens alone cannot deliver. Early reviewers at InfoComm praised its build quality and the intuitive nature of the interface, though some questioned whether it might become a surface for spilled coffee.

Designed for Microsoft Teams Rooms and Zoom Rooms

HP’s new portfolio is built from the ground up for the two dominant collaboration platforms. The Poly room systems are certified for both Microsoft Teams Rooms on Android and Zoom Rooms, ensuring full feature parity and simplified deployment. A key advantage of the integrated approach is that IT managers can pre-configure a room to support both platforms simultaneously with a single tap to switch, a feature that has become essential as enterprises often straddle the two ecosystems. HP demonstrated a room switching from a Teams call to a Zoom Whiteboard session in seconds, with the Poly hardware adjusting camera and audio settings accordingly.

Microsoft and Zoom have been investing heavily in AI-powered features of their own, but HP’s hardware-level intelligence provides a layer of optimization that goes beyond what software alone can achieve. For instance, the Poly room cameras can send separate video streams for the panoramic view and the active speaker to the cloud service simultaneously, reducing processing overhead and improving image quality under low-bandwidth conditions. The systems also support Microsoft’s Cloud IntelliFrame and Zoom’s Smart Gallery natively, so remote participants see individually framed faces even without a separate video bridge. HP is positioning itself as an essential partner for organizations moving to AI-enhanced meeting spaces, not a competitor to the software platforms.

The Broader Implications for Hybrid Work

The launch comes at a time when enterprises are re-evaluating their meeting room investments. After a rush to equip spaces for hybrid work during the pandemic, many companies now face a second wave of investment focused on improving the experience and managing the complexity of mixed-platform environments. HP’s bet is that AI can simplify both the user experience and IT administration to a degree that traditional AV systems cannot. By owning the entire stack—from headset sensors to room controllers to cloud management—HP can offer a level of integration that competitors like Logitech, Crestron, and Neat may struggle to match with piecemeal solutions.

Analysts at InfoComm noted that HP’s heavy emphasis on AI-driven meeting equity—the idea that remote participants should have the same agency and visibility as those in the room—resonates with a growing body of research showing that hybrid meetings still often disadvantage remote workers. Features like the Intelligent Director 2.0 and spatial audio zones directly address those inequities, making it easier for remote employees to contribute. Moreover, the inclusion of the collaboration keyboard shows that HP recognizes that technology must serve the entire group, not just the remote end. By democratizing in-room controls, HP hopes to reduce the dependency on a single “meeting wrangler” who often struggles to manage the technology while participating in the discussion.

Availability and Pricing

HP did not disclose specific pricing for the new Poly room systems, Focus 6 headsets, or collaboration keyboard during the announcement, though it said the products would begin shipping to channel partners in the third quarter of 2026. The company indicated that the portfolio would be sold through its established Poly reseller network as well as directly via HP’s commercial sales team. Bundles that pair room bars with controllers, keyboards, and headsets are expected, though customers can also mix and match components based on room size and use case. Early hands-on reports from the show floor were largely positive, with several IT managers praising the tight integration and the potential to reduce the number of vendors they need to deal with.

Given the significance of the update, HP is likely to face questions about how it will support existing Poly installations. The company confirmed that many of the AI features in Poly VideoOS 5.1 will be available as an update for current Poly Studio X devices, though some advanced multi-camera capabilities may require newer hardware. HP also teased a future roadmap that includes AI-powered room booking, where the system can automatically release a room if no participants join within a set time, and deeper integration with digital whiteboards to capture and summarize brainstorming sessions. The announcements at InfoComm suggest that HP is serious about becoming a dominant force in the meetings space, leveraging its computing heritage and Poly’s audio expertise.

What This Means for Windows Enthusiasts

While the new Poly portfolio is platform-agnostic at the room level, Windows users stand to benefit significantly from the deep Teams integration and the companion apps that HP is developing. The Poly Lens desktop app for Windows 11 will receive updates that allow users to configure their Focus 6 headsets and monitor room systems from their PC, including the ability to join a meeting via the headset’s tap-to-join feature. Additionally, HP hinted at future support for Windows Copilot integration, where a user could ask Copilot to find an open room, launch a meeting, and invite participants—all through natural language. Though that feature is not yet live, it underscores the direction HP is heading.

The collaboration keyboard also brings a tangible hardware element to the Windows meeting experience that many enterprise users may welcome. As organizations standardize on Microsoft’s ecosystem, having a dedicated, always-on controller for Teams Rooms could reduce the friction of starting meetings and encourage more spontaneous collaboration. With Windows 11’s increasing focus on AI and cross-device experiences, HP’s announcement aligns perfectly with the broader industry trend toward more intelligent, context-aware computing.

In the coming months, as the products roll out and enterprises begin piloting them, the real test will be whether the AI features deliver on their promises outside the controlled demo environment. Early indicators suggest HP has done the hard engineering work to make a difference, but as any IT manager knows, meeting room technology is only as good as its reliability in the wild. For now, however, the message from InfoComm is clear: the HP Poly collaboration portfolio is back, and it’s thinking one step ahead of the meeting.