Logitech Tips High

Logitech has been ramping up its business videoconferencing options for a few years now since introducing the highly portable Connect, the higher-end Group, the huddle-room-focused Meetup, and the SmartDock console.

Today, the company is not only announcing a new, higher-spec line centered on the Rally camera, but also new software capabilities designed to automatically improve the videoconference experience.

Listing at $1,299 for the camera alone and $1,999 for the complete audio-and-video package, the Rally system introduces new modular speakers and mic units. Unlike the MeetUp ($734.89 at Amazon)(Opens in a new window) , which is a single unit containing camera, mics, and speakers, the Rally is designed for larger conference rooms for which discrete components are preferable. It makes sense for the speakers to be near the video display, while mics make more sense near the local participants. Even the high-end Group ($984.92 at Amazon)(Opens in a new window) combines the speaker and mic unit, though—as with the Rally—extension mics are available.

The camera boast 4K resolution at 30 frames per second, but is also capable of 60fps at 1080p. Its zooming system consists of 10x optical plus an additional 5x digital. The camera has a 90-degree viewing angle. The camera's panning motion is adaptive, meaning it speeds up and slows down appropriately. For example, if you're zoomed all the way in, it won't pan too quickly, and if you hold your finger on the remote's panning button for a long time, it gets faster—up to 70 degrees per second. You can pan plus or minus 90 degrees, and tilt up 50 degrees and down 70 degrees.

The remote control uses RF rather than IR, so you don't need line of sight with the camera. It's identical to the remote that comes with the Logitech Meetup. You can program it with three preset camera positions.

Rally's mic units each contain four internal mics that use beamforming technology to isolate the person speaking and block out extraneous noise and reverb. You can connect up to seven mic units to a hub, and the multiple mic units work together with beamforming, so that the person speaking is picked up by the nearest mic while the others are temporarily, automatically muted.

To make for clean cabling, the Rally setup includes a table hub as well as a display hub. Those two units connect with a single CAT6 cable.

Making the Rally even more appealing for those installing videoconferencing systems are a few new software technologies designed to make the most of the hardware.

RightSight detects people in the room and automatically frames the view to include them, zooming in to remove empty space. It uses head and shoulder detection rather than face detection, which means it can work even when people aren't directly facing the camera.

RightLight is another software enhancement that those in windowed conference rooms will appreciate. It corrects lighting so that the people are correctly exposed, rather than bright skies or lighting. It's also designed to render natural skin tones.

RightSound, meanwhile, is the technology that suppresses background noise and focuses the mic on the active speaker in the meeting.

The Rally(Opens in a new window) will be available this summer, and RightSight will follow in the fall.

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