If you seek another sign that your company spends money on upper management while not giving anyone any increases, look no further than the HP Dimension. It’s designed with a single purpose — to use Google’s Beam technology to make online meetings seem more real.

Doing that isn’t cheap, so if you see one turn up in the company boardroom, it’s time to ask for a raise. Failing that, they should at least let you play with HP’s R445,000 ($25,000) piece of video conferencing gear. But what does it actually do?

A new HP Dimension

The HP Dimension is an advanced conferencing screen fitted with six different cameras and driven by a form of AI. Its stated purpose is to deliver “an AI-powered, true-to-life 3D video communications solution designed to take virtual collaboration to the next level”.

In everyday terms, it creates a realistic 3D video of everyone involved in the meeting, projected onto a light field display. In practice, it’ll look like you’re sitting across from the person you’re meeting with on Zoom or Google Meet, though the effect is spoiled somewhat by the broad frame holding the camera tech. It’s a bit like looking through a glass partition at Home Affairs or meeting your lawyer while in prison.

Still, there’s loads of tech involved in justifying that half-a-million Rand price. 3D imaging is just the start, as it also offers a version of the eerie eye-contact tech Nvidia pioneered a few years back. Adaptive lighting, meant to enhance the realism of the experience, is also included.

There are a few catches involved when purchasing the HP Dimension. Supported meeting software is limited to Google Meet or Zoom. Google Beam is a separate purchase as well, with both companies silent (so far) on what that will cost. And then, the really nasty bit — for it to work, you’ll need at least two HP Dimension units. If you see one at your workplace, chances are there are more scattered elsewhere. It really would be time to ask for an HP Dimension-related increase.