Next comes what separates the Link from its Move 4K sibling. Dante AV-H turns the camera into a native Dante device: it appears automatically in Dante Controller, is routed like any other endpoint and takes its timing from whichever device is clock leader on the network, keeping picture and sound aligned with the microphones and DSP already installed. Under the current PTZOptics specification, stream 1 reaches 3840 × 2160 at 1–60 fps; a lighter companion stream handles multiviewer tiles. A 3.5 mm line input brings a lectern mic or mixer feed into the Dante stream and embeds it on HDMI and SDI; the matching output returns network audio to headphones or a local recorder.

Outside Dante, the H.264/H.265 encoder sends AES-encrypted SRT for remote contribution from another venue, RTMP or TLS-secured RTMPS to YouTube or a CDN, several destinations at once if required, and RTSP into OBS, vMix or a recording server. Firmware v2.1.18 from September 2026 added NDI 6.3 with NDI HX3 High and Ultra profiles, the latter at 4K50/60. A split the manufacturer itself suggests: Dante AV-H to the vision mixer, RTSP to the recorder and RTMPS to the audience, all running together.

No companion PC is needed for auto-tracking, because subject detection happens on board, and PTZOptics rates this 30x version for subjects up to 101.8 m away, the longest reach in the Link 4K range. Presenter Lock sticks to one designated person while others cross the stage. Multi-Target Select gives each recognised person an ID, letting the operator move the follow from one panellist to another with a click; Auto-Framing widens the shot when a third panellist joins and tightens again once they leave, while Tilt-Lock restricts the head to horizontal movement. A target-loss preset, start and stop positions and an adjustable delay decide what happens once the speaker walks off. On a three-camera lecture capture, one technician is left free to cut, add titles and record.

Horizon, the browser interface now supplied as standard, goes well beyond virtual joystick work. Its Color View workspace puts a waveform monitor, a vectorscope and an RGB parade next to the live image, turning camera matching into a measured job rather than guesswork. A finished colour profile can be exported and loaded into the next Link 4K, so a six-camera rig starts from one look.

Pan covers ±170° at 0.7–100°/s, tilt runs from −30° to +90° at up to 69.9°/s, and each of 255 presets is recalled with 0.1° accuracy; Motion Sync brings both axes to the target at the same moment for cleaner on-air moves. The camera answers to VISCA over IP through TCP 5678 or UDP 1259, to the Sony variant of the protocol and to ONVIF clients, as well as serial VISCA or Pelco-D/P on RS-232 (30 m) and RS-485 (1,200 m), the IR remote and PTZOptics or third-party joysticks. Through the HTTP API, a room-control or show-control script can confirm that a preset has been reached or ask whether the head is still moving.

Power arrives over one PoE+ (802.3at) cable; plain 802.3af will not do, and energy-saving EEE modes on the switch are best disabled. A 12 V DC supply is the alternative. The camera works indoors from −10 °C to +40 °C. NDAA compliance, ONVIF Profile S certification, password-protected firmware uploads and a privacy mode that points the lens down and stops all video output cover the usual IT checklist for universities and public buildings. Send us the room layout and we will work out shooting distances, choose the bracket for the 30x housing and confirm PoE+ on every switch port before the order leaves.