Zoom Settings and Issues
In-Meeting Zoom Settings & Controls
Setting up the Zoom Sound & Video controls prior to the start of a meeting is imperative, and familiarity with how to switch video sources is important if you are using multiple cameras as webcams. It is much easier to run a Zoom Meeting with 2 screens, so a second monitor is desirable.
Audio Settings & Controls
Once you have your hardware connected up to your laptop, the first step with Zoom is to ensure that the Audio Settings are selected and optimised to suit your setup.
For a laptop setup, the default Audio Input is the Built-in Internal Microphone and the Audio Output is the Built-in Internal Speakers, and you can see your options by selecting the small up arrow to the right of the Mute Button on your Zoom Control Bar .
When you connect other items of hardware, such as a USB microphone, HDMI sound on a TV, a Plug & Play USB Soundcard, or a USB Audio Mixer, the hardware item will show on the list as shown.
To get to the Audio Settings, you select Audio Settings option at the bottom of the Audio Options Menu.
For all meetings except those setup using an Audio Mixer, the standard settings with “Automatic adjust microphone volume” and “Suppress background noise” on Auto are perfectly acceptable.
When an Audio Mixer is used, the bottom tick box option “Show in-meeting option to enable “Original Sound”” should be ticked so as not to amend the digital audio input from the mixer.
Video Settings & Controls
The second step with Zoom is to ensure that the Video Settings are selected and optimised to suit your setup.
For a laptop setup, the default Video Input is the Built-in HD Laptop Camera. Most laptops only have built-in camera facing the user.
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When you have set up alternative camera sources, such as a USB webcam, or app enabled smartphones, you can then record other people in the room from the camera positions where you choose to place the devices.
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You will see from the screenshot that on the Macbook laptop that a USB HD Webcam and number of different webcam apps have been installed, including Iriun with the 4 options for 4 separate cameras.
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The Video Settings can be accessed at the bottom of the pop-up menu, but in reality there are no critical changes to settings required.
To switch between cameras, you click on the small up arrow of the Stop/Start Video icon on the Zoom Toolbar to access the menu list, then choose the alternative camera source.
In an actual Large Hybrid meeting, we also found it useful to have a tablet such as an iPad connected as one of the camera sources, as this was easier for another team member to use as a mobile video camera as he walked around the room, holding it with two hands, following the speaker interviewing the participants live.
See this video of how it works in this overview by John Butler of Ravenshead u3a: https://youtu.be/i7QwR8YuvuU
Screen Sharing content such as PowerPoint Presentations and Videos can be done from the host laptop both to Zoom and to the Screen in the Room, but bear in mind that unless you use a secondary “Slave” laptop with its own Zoom login as Co-Host, then all your actions in hosting the Zoom call and screen sharing will be visible on the screen to the people in the room, but not to the Zoom participants.
There are some useful Zoom Setup tips in this YouTube video : “7 Secret Zoom Features You’ll Use Right Away”
at : https://youtu.be/dJqWZcnpaHo
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Zoom is constantly evolving. One aspect is their Security policy to counter the phenomenon called “Zoom Bombing”
1. See a presentation from Mike Field of Chorleywood u3a in the Links column regarding a Zoom Security Update on 12th May 2022