Logitech has revealed its latest webcam, the Logitech BRIO 4K Pro, the first webcam with Ultra HD support with HDR and a 5x near-lossless zoom. The company’s first 4K webcam, the BRIO also supports Windows Hello, Microsoft’s face-recognition security system. However, there’s more to it than just packing in pixels.

Indeed, Logitech is upfront about the fact that, for web conferencing at least, 4K is overkill. There are few video calling services which currently support Ultra HD for a start, and when you factor in the requirement for a fast enough broadband connection, the audience requiring 4K for calls is fairly small. What Logitech is counting on is convincing you – and plenty of other people like you – that the webcam built into your laptop is actually pretty dire.

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That’s because 480p and 720p are still commonplace, even in flagship notebooks. In contrast, the BRIO webcam not only supports 4K at 30 fps, but 1080p at 60 fps (there’s also a 720p/90fps mode available). Thanks to sensor cropping, Logitech can offer near-lossless zooming at up to 5x, when capturing at 1080p resolution.

In addition to 4K, there’s also HDR support.

What 4K could be useful for is recording, and there Logitech has designed in some clever details too. The mounting clip is now detachable, for instance – it also includes a privacy cover for the lens – and underneath there’s a standard tripod screw. The connector is now USB Type-C, and rather than a fixed cable there’s a port instead; Logitech includes a USB Type-A cable in the box, but if you have a laptop with a USB-C port you can switch the cable over yourself.

In addition to 4K, there’s also HDR (high dynamic range) support. Just as we’ve seen on smartphone cameras, the goal there is to pick detail out of brighter areas of the frame, along with preventing darker areas from getting murky. Logitech says HDR also pays dividends in side-lighting situations, such as when you’re sat with a window on one side and half of your face is over-lit. That HDR support is baked into the BRIO camera itself, too, rather than requiring PC-side processing.

It’s not the only visual cleverness, though. The BRIO can be switched between there different fields of view: from the largest 90-degrees, through 78-degrees, and finally 65-degrees, depending on how much of the room you want in the shot. There’s the potential to change that FOV mid-call, too, though for the moment you’d need to switch into Logitech’s settings panel to do that. With APIs for controlling both FOV and digital pan/zoom, though, Logitech is counting on software partners adding controls directly into their video call and recording apps.

Along with Windows Hello support – thanks to the addition of an IR sensor – there’s also compatibility with KeyLemon, which offers similar facial recognition security for both Windows and Mac. Logitech will include its Personify background replacing/blurring app too, though it’s still in beta. There’re also dual omni-directional microphones.

Logitech will offer two versions of the BRIO, in fact. For businesses there’ll be the “BRIO” branded version, in a plain box, while consumers will get the Logitech BRIO 4K Pro Webcam, with retail packaging intended to stand out on store shelves. Both will have the same specifications and, indeed, the same price – R4 599 – and come with a carrying pouch. The webcam is available on shelf as you read this.

Unpacking the speakers one could feel that they really aren’t for the card-carrying audiophile, millennials and those looking for ‘as great’ alternatives to a premium HiFi’s will love these. At 8 inches tall, the Logitech speakers aren’t the smallest in the bunch, and you should keep their height in mind if you plan to have both of them situated on your desk. The glossy black finish, although attractive, easily shows fingerprints and scratches. We love the distinctive gold finish to its innards, it gives it that premium element and aligns it along our classic faves.  

Although there’s no (or very little) distortion when both the volume and bass are at their peak, the highs do get muddled and piercing when the volume is maxed and the midtones can get lost. But for the price (R2000 list price) — and understanding that this is a 2.1 system, not a 5.1 — it’s a very decent buy.

At a Glance

The boasting feature of the Z533 is what Logitech calls “powerful sound that move you.” The speakers have forward firing drivers with a distinctive gold finish to their innards This is meant to help enlarge the idea “sweet spot” — the position in the room where the sound sounds the best.

The system can be operated without a computer, as it comes standard with a 3.5mm headphone adapter for easy connection to Smartphones, Tablets, Televisions, MP3 players, Gaming Consoles: PlayStation®3, Xbox 360® and literally every other devices that has a RCA jack. If you’re like most people and have your music collection already loaded on to an iPod or Zune, this is an especially convenient feature to have.

The down-firing subwoofer adds rich bass, although it can get a bit boomy when it’s at the upper limits. Likewise, ignoring the subwoofer altogether results in tinny sounds. Of course, as with all stereo systems, how it sounds will depend greatly on how you set it up. Things like the flooring you have, the size of the room, and the sound card in your computer will all affect the listening experience you have. I used it in our wooden floor test room (all the floors here are wood) and that bass comes out superbly. When listening to uncompressed files such as Michiko Ogawa’s  jazzy masterpieces though, sound quality lacked heavily. Then again, who in their right mind would dare play Michiko on a sub 3K system?

Final Words

If you’re looking for speakers to fill your home office or spare bedroom with sound, these are a solid buy for the price. They look great, and sound output is sublime, given you don’t have any of Ogawa’s offering on file. But don’t expect them to replace your home theater. 

Logitech’s Z533 system will set you back R2000 

The K830 doesn’t offer control for all of your devices like its Harmony counterpart does, but its dark-room capabilities help take the sting out of that a bit. If any of the above sounds intriguing, Logitech is still confirm South African pricing and availability of the device. Now, now. Put those Game of Thrones episodes away.

I’ll be a first timer at this year’s rAge and have asked a good gaming friend of ours, Maverick to company me to the world of wrath  (World of Warcraft; Wrath of the Lich King, see what I did there? Ok). Truth be told, I’m quite excited to see what gamers get up to behind closed doors. While it’s sad that we won’t be live-blogging from the event (we’re working on updating our live blogging services) there will be tons of tweets from the expo. Starting with the Intel VVIP pressers at 10h00, Playstation 4 and Xbox One reveal (and hands-on) and continuing onto the floor where we’ll take a look at some of the insane console and gaming releases scheduled for this year.

What, where, how? You can follow the hashtags #SVatRage or #rAge on twitter, facebook or instagram for updates. During the Intel presser, we’ll use the #IntelrAge hashtag. Do join us!