Image: Logitech
Logitech has expanded its portfolio of video conferencing endpoints with Rally, a modular system comprising a 4K PTZ (pan-tilt-zoom) camera, a separate speaker, a microphone pod and two hubs -- one for connecting microphones and a laptop or PC, and one for attaching a display and speaker.
Designed to cater for large meeting rooms with up to 30 people, Logitech Rally heads up a range of conference cameras including Group[1] (mid-size meeting rooms), MeetUp[2] (huddle rooms), Connect[3] (huddle rooms, home offices) and BCC950[4] (private/home offices).
A key driver for the new Rally system, Stephane De Lorenzi, director of portfolio strategy and business development at Logitech, told ZDNet, was the greater emphasis on video rather than audio conferencing in large meeting rooms: "The traditional meeting model was an audio call, with everyone around a speakerphone in the centre of the table. With the shift to video calls, people are looking at the screen, with remote participants and shared content, so we want to realign the video and the audio."
The solution is a much more modular system, which will be sold in different configurations.
Logitech Rally is a modular video conferencing solution comprising camera, connection hubs, speaker, microphone pod and remote control. Image: Logitech
The new 4K PTZ Rally Camera[5] can zoom up to 15x and delivers better low-light performance than Logitech's previous 10x-zoom PTZ Pro 2[6], said De Lorenzi. It's a more substantial unit, too, and can be mounted in a variety of ways -- including on a ceiling, in which case the image is automatically flipped. The camera's remote control also now uses RF rather than line-of-sight infrared.
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