Enhancement - Customize your Teams Rooms on Windows experience with the new custom background feature and default home screen!

The refreshed home screen of Microsoft Teams Room on Windows received modern UI/UX updates in March 2023. This update was initially released as an 'opt-in' feature in version 4.16 of the app.

Please take a look at the below blog for information.

https://m365community.blogspot.com/2023/03/teams-app-update-416-on-microsoft-teams.html

Starting June'2023 the Teams Room App 4.17 release the modernized home screen will become the default experience.

License requirement - Teams Rooms Pro license is needed to consume the Enhanced custom background feature.


If your business is using Teams Rooms with the latest home screen experience and Teams Rooms Pro license, you'll be happy to know that IT administrators can now choose three background images and specify which one is displayed on the main room, extended room, and room console. This can be done by adjusting the XML settings, giving you greater control over conference rooms.

<Theming>

<ThemeName>Custom</ThemeName>

<CustomBackgroundMainFoRDisplay>file1.jpg</CustomBackgroundMainFoRDisplay>

<CustomBackgroundExtendedFoRDisplay>file2.jpg</CustomBackgroundExtendedFoRDisplay>

<CustomBackgroundConsole>file3.jpg</CustomBackgroundConsole>

</Theming>

<CustomBackgroundMainFoRDisplay> – this XML setting specifies the background for the right side of the dual display, which has the calendar; input in this setting is required regardless of whether the device is in single or dual display mode.

<CustomBackgroundExtendedFoRDisplay> – this XML setting specifies the background for the left side of the dual display, which has the time and room info; input in this setting is required when the dual display setting is ON

<CustomBackgroundConsole> – this XML setting specifies the background for the room console; input in this setting.

Use the following image dimensions (based on 1080p display standards) for each screen aspect ratio respectively: 

16:9 – 1920 x 1080 px (minimum image dimension required for room displays)
21:9 – 2560 x 1080 px
3:2 – 1920 x 1280 px
16:10 – 1280 x 800 px (minimum image dimension required for room consoles)

The full image will be shown if a 4K image with a 3840 x 2160 px dimension is applied to a 4K display. However, if the dimensions of the image and the display do not match, the image scales to fill the frame while preserving the image aspect ratio (without letterboxing) and/or the image is cropped from the center. 

For example: If a 1080p image (1920 x 1080 px) with a 16:9 aspect ratio is applied on a 21:9 display, the image scales to fill the frame without distorting the image and is cropped from the center.

If a 4K image (3840 x 2160 px) is applied on a 1080p display, the image is cropped from the center.

The new custom background XML settings will replace the legacy custom theme settings.