AVMATRIX PKC3500 PTZ Camera Controller

Operators steering PTZ heads over a network rarely want to look away from the shot, and that is where the AVMATRIX PKC3500 earns its desk space. Its 5-inch HD screen decodes RTSP and ONVIF streams from the selected camera, so framing can be checked right on the controller while the switcher's multiview stays busy with programme and preview. Behind a numeric keypad sit up to 255 camera addresses and 255 presets: recalling a wide of a concert stage or a tight single on a panel speaker takes a couple of key presses.

Control runs over VISCA over IP and ONVIF through a Gigabit RJ45 port, and automatic camera discovery with IP assignment takes most of the legwork out of building a fresh camera network. Serial installs are covered as well. One RS-232 and one RS-422/485 port speak VISCA, Pelco-D and Pelco-P at 2400 to 115200 bps, with up to seven VISCA cameras per line. Protocols can be mixed on the same unit, so a rental fleet of different brands answers to one surface. Power arrives through PoE/PoE+ (IEEE 802.3af/at) or a 7–24 V DC input, and draw stays under 8 W.

Everything on the panel is laid out for speed. A 4D joystick handles pan, tilt and zoom, a separate zoom rocker gives smoother lens moves, and three rotary encoders put iris/shutter, red/blue gain and near/far focus under the fingertips. Direct keys fire AWB, one-push white balance, one-push AF and auto exposure, while CAM OSD and CAM POWER open a camera's own menu or power it up and down remotely. Seven user-assignable keys hold whatever each operator reaches for most. Track recording stores a pan-tilt-zoom path and replays it on cue, handy for repeating the same slow reveal at the top of every webinar or keynote.

A tally/GPIO port ties this PTZ camera controller to a production switcher and tally system, keeping camera selection in step with what goes to air. Firmware updates load through the rear USB port. Rated from −20 °C to 60 °C, the PKC3500 is as comfortable in an OB flypack or a sports streaming position as in a lecture-capture room.