How a prompter works

Video Transcript

Get ready to dive into the world of prompting for live events and public speaking. Hi, I’m Matt, and in this video, I’ll be taking you behind the podium to see how teleprompters work. Ready? Cue titles.

Intro

You’ve probably seen teleprompters used at conferences, but do you know how they work? Let’s find out!

Beamsplitter

An important part of a teleprompter is the beamsplitter, a specially coated piece of reflective glass that splits light in two. Autocue beamsplitters let 70% of the light to pass through the glass and reflect 30% back to the presenter. The presenter sees the script reflected towards them, while the audience can see through the glass.

Stand

A key difference between teleprompters in TV studios, and conference-style teleprompters is the hardware. Conference-style teleprompters have a tall stand that holds the beamsplitter glass at eye level. The stand is adjustable to match the height of the presenter, and there are usually two stands so the presenter can look from side to side.

Monitor

At the base of each stand sits a monitor. The monitor shows the script as a video input from the prompting software, and it’s reflected in the beamsplitter glass. Remember when you reflect a video in a beamsplitter it needs to be inverted – flipped – in the monitor, so it appears the right way round for the reader. Autocue Explorer and Pioneer Software will let you do this in settings when you connect the prompter.

Outro

That’s it! The simple, but often secret technology behind the conference teleprompter. If you want to know more about our Navigator Series conference teleprompters, and how to use them, check out our other videos.

Thanks for watching.

Until next time. Stay on cue.

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