Lightware has released two products for smaller meeting and collaboration rooms: the Taurus SCX-2×1-HC60 standalone matrix switcher and the USBC-BOOSTER USB-C extension series. The SCX-2×1-HC60 is for rooms that need AV and USB switching without LARA (Lightware Advanced Room Automation) control. It is built on the Taurus HC60 hardware platform and offers single-cable USB-C connectivity for video, USB, audio, network and up to 100W charging. It also switches hosts automatically via USB-C or HDMI plus USB.
The switcher supports UHD/4K60 4:4:4 and 5K (5120 x 2160) over HDMI 2.0, including ultrawide displays, and USB 3 at up to 5Gbps. For monitoring it supports SNMPv3 and Syslog. Control is kept separate, so customers can pair it with their own room automation software.
The USBC-BOOSTER series is for rooms where cable length is the problem. Passive USB-C runs beyond 5m can cause signal degradation, dropouts and loss of charging. The booster sits inline as a signal regenerator and power source between table interfaces and room peripherals. It extends reach to 12m on passive cables, or 14m with active optical USB-C cables, which it also adds charging to.
It supports DisplayPort 1.2a Alternate Mode for uncompressed video up to 4096 x 2160 at 60Hz 4:4:4, and delivers up to 100W to laptops on the host side and 15W to peripherals on the output side. A hardware switch selects either four-lane video or two-lane mode for simultaneous USB 3.2 data at 5Gbps. The unit is fanless, takes mains power through an internal supply and standard IEC C14 inlet, and uses C-LOCK brackets to hold cables in place. It is compatible with DisplayLink MST for multi-display setups.
Gergely Vida, CEO at Lightware, said: “We build our USB-C solutions by listening closely to what users and integrators struggle with in real meeting rooms. That is exactly why we created Taurus SCX-2×1-HC60 and the USBC-BOOSTER series: to solve the everyday switching and distance challenges that come up in smaller meeting rooms.”
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