Peripheral maker develops a full HD webcam with motorized movement

Mar 26, 2012 09:10 GMT  ·  By

While making new keyboards and mice, or whatever else, Logitech has apparently been delving into new product ideas too, ultimately enabling the release of the ConferenceCam.

In its own press release, Logitech calls this the BCC950 ConferenceCam all-in-one audio and video camera.

It is meant to allow for communications between conference rooms, closed offices and shared work spaces.

“The workplace is rapidly evolving toward smaller and more virtual teams, yet communication tools have not kept pace,” said Eric Kintz, vice president and general manager of Logitech for Business.

“In looking at the needs of our customers, we saw a gap in solutions that bring audio and videoconferencing to small groups. The Logitech BCC950 ConferenceCam fills that gap by combining a webcam and speakerphone into a single affordable device – transforming PCs and Macs into communications platforms, so businesses can set up more locations for small-group meetings.”

The BCC950 ConferenceCam is made of a full HD webcam and high-quality, omni-directional full-duplex speakerphone.

The link to a computer is accomplished via USB and there is even a motorized mechanism for tilting, zooming and panning.

A control pad for handling that motor exists on the device, but a remote control can be used to achieve the same effects.

As for everything else, Logitech was able to give the BCC950 ConferenceCam a field of view of 78 degrees (180-degree video pan), 1080p, 30fps HD video through plug-and-play UVC H.264 technology.

There is also a speakerphone that can pick up people's voices very clearly even from eight feet away (2.5 meters) and the Logitech RightLight 2 technology, which boosts the quality of the video captured by the webcam sensor and Carl Zeiss autofocus lens.

“The power of unified communications is driving collaboration across multiple locations and multiple devices, giving people the flexibility to work together wherever they are,” said Giovanni Mezgec, general manager for Lync at Microsoft Corp.

“The Logitech BCC950 ConferenceCam expands the benefits of UC in the enterprise by providing a simple-to-install, high-quality solution for small-group meetings.”