Logitech offered a sneak peek at their soon-to-be-released Rally USB-connected video conferencing solution. While Logitech has had somewhat similar offerings in the past (ie. Logitech Group), the Rally is a bit of a game changer as it competes more directly with the likes of Cisco, Extron, and Crestron in the mid-sized conference room AV hardware environment.
Out of the box, the $1999 Logitech Rally kit has two hubs, one that would sit behind the display(s) and one that would be mounted under a table or in a rack. The two hubs are connected by a single Cat 6 cable that can be ~50 meters long. The table hub sports two HDMI inputs, a USB connection for a laptop/desktop, and a connection for the mic pod (you can have up to seven mic pods connected to the system). The display hub has a connection for the pan/tilt/zoom camera, one (or two speakers, depending upon your configuration) and two HDMI outputs for the displays. So, for under $2K, you have all the AV hardware, minus the displays and computers, you need for a reasonably large conference room or teaching space. Combine the Rally with WebEx, Skype for Business, Zoom Rooms, and you have an impressive turnkey AV solution for under ~$7K.
It’s also worth mentioning that the Rally overcomes a significant limitation of USB. Most “slower” USB devices have a length limitation of 5 meters (just shy of 16.5′) and for high-speed devices (ie, the PTZ camera in this configuration), it’s 3 meters (or under 10′). Once you factor in the table and monitor height, that doesn’t give you much to work with. But, the Rally uses a Cat 6 cable between the pods, so you have a considerably more flexible system, while still using standard USB.
Here is a quick sketch of what a dual-screen Logitech Rally Zoom Room might look like.
Again, this was a pre-release Logitech Rally, so we look forward to getting our hands on a shipping unit in the coming months, but we will be keeping an eye on the platform.
