In 2021, Google unveiled Project Starline, a new immersive video call platform that looked like something out of science fiction. This project showed off a “magic window” that could make you feel like you were sharing a room with someone, even if they were miles away. In a blog post today, Google says Project Starline is stepping “out of the lab” and coming to the enterprise market in 2025 through a partnership with HP.
As we all know after dealing with extensive video calls during the pandemic, traditional video calls have their limits. We’ve all experienced that awkward lag, difficulty in reading body language, and that nagging feeling of disconnect. With Starline’s blend of AI, 3D imaging, and cutting-edge tech, Google says those limitations fade away.
Google has put Starline through its paces, too, racking up thousands of hours of testing in their own offices and with partners. And the results are impressive – testers say meetings feel more natural, more engaging, and there’s an undeniable sense of “being there” that just isn’t possible with regular video calls. In a video posted a year ago, MKBHD said this was “the most impressive tech demo” he’d ever seen.
As Alex Cho, President of Personal Systems at HP, put it, “With more than half of meaning and intent communicated through body language versus words alone, an immersive collaboration experience plays an important role in creating authentic human connections in hybrid environments.”
Although we don’t have official details, the latest version shown in the video above looks similar to the unit that MKBHD demoed, with a 65″ display, a barrier along the bottom, and cameras along the sides and top.
And you might be able to try out a Project Starline video call sooner than you think. Google says they’re teaming up with HP to bring Starline to businesses in 2025 and are working to enable it directly through video conferencing platforms like Google Meet and Zoom.
But who’s it for?
I cannot wait to try out a Project Starline call for myself, mainly because I want to see this wild tech in action, but you’ve got to wonder if there are enough businesses out there interested in this product to support it long-term. The price of the units will certainly play a part in that, but as many employees have returned to the office, I’m worried that this will be yet another Google project that will end up in the graveyard.
In 2021, this felt like necessary and needed technology; today, not so much. Again, the technology looks groundbreaking and incredible but how many businesses actually need this sort of setup? Perhaps the target market is high-level, executives who need to talk to someone on the other side of the world and maybe there are enough businesses with this need to sustain Starline – we’ll have to wait and see. For now, Google says they’ll share more updates later this year. If you’re interested or just want to geek out a bit, you can explore the magic of Project Starline at starline.google.
