Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is Teleprompting and how can my production benefit from using a Teleprompter?

A: Before teleprompters, there were cue cards. Teleprompting evolved in the 60's as an aid to anyone who has to deliver lines directly to the camera. The original teleprompters involved hand-writing the script on a roll of paper (think "paper towels!") then suspending a camera over the paper as it was hand-cranked to make the script scroll.

The camera's output was then fed to an up-facing monitor placed in front of the lens with a partially-silvered mirror fixed at a 45 degree angle in front of the studio camera's lens, with the "taking" camera shooting through the glass. In this manner, the on-camera talent could deliver the script directly to the taking camera's lens without having to memorize or look down to a hand-held script. Eye contact with the lens is very crucial to establishing credibility with the television audience, and anyone who has to deliver lines directly to camera can benefit from a prompter because credibility is increased and no memorization is required. This gives on-camera talent (in today's world, they're called on-camera "readers") more peace of mind and confidence, and this confidence is apparent to the viewers.

Q: Why has Teleprompting historically been so expensive?

A: Only a handful of companies have been involved in the business over the years, and so prices on hardware and the actual teleprompters were kept relatively high. AVD changed all that in 1994 with their Amiga-based system that included a computer (the Amiga 500), SmoothTalker software, and the original freestanding prompter—all for $995!

Q: What part do computers play in today's prompter systems?

A: The original paper-fed prompters were bulky, required lots of studio space, were difficult to make script changes with, and prone to breakdowns like any mechanical system. That changed in 1985, when the first computer prompting was shown at NAB. This system was scoffed at as a flash in the pan, but only a year later, competing computer teleprompter software was shown at NAB, curiously enough, by the competitor who originally dismissed computer-based prompting.

Q: What exactly does a computer-driven Teleprompter system involve, in terms of hardware and software?

A: 1. A host computer. This should be a stand-alone computer that is dedicated to prompting. Forget all the "multitasking" nonsense—you should NOT expect this computer to do both prompting and, say, live switching duties.

2. Software for teleprompting. The software should have editing/WP capabilities, and should scroll the software smoothly on-screen, with on-the-fly control of the speed of the scroll. Speed control is essential!

3. A scan converter. If you are using composite video monitors in the prompter display device, a a scan converter is required to transform the computer's output into NTSC or PAL composite video, a signal the monitors in the prompter display devices can accept and display.

4. Teleprompter display device, with mirror hood. Composite video prompter monitors will allow looping the composite video signal from one camera setup to the next, in multiple camera studios.

Q: What about the host computer—Wintel or Mac? Any advantages of one platform over the other?

A: AVD started out in the prompting business as an Amiga-only house. When Commodore went out of business in 1995, we ported over to the IBM/PC platform, and have been developing software for that platform since then, first in DOS, then under Windows 3.1 (this software shown at NAB95), and now under Win2K/XP with our EasyReader™ product, first shown at NAB '98. We currently offer Mac prompter software as a "no charge" swap-out for our EasyReader™ Windows software, however, we do not endorse or support any Mac software.

Q: Why do I need a scan converter?

A: Most prompter display devices use composite video monitors. While your computer does output "video", this computer video signal cannot be displayed on a composite video monitor. A scan converter takes your computer's "video" output and changes it into a composite video signal by converting the scan rate. A scan converter is an external device that can be used for notebook computers, and also can be used for desktop/tower computers. A scan converter also makes it easy to "loop" multiple prompters together using inexpensive coaxial cable.

Q: Why not use VGA monitors in the prompter devices?

A: In 2004 AVD introduced the AV15CA series of prompters, which use name brand LCD flatscreen computer monitors as the prompter display. At the same time, we introduced our new EasyReader™ dual-screen software, which mirrors a laptop computer's VGA output while keeping the on-board LCD screen unmirrored and "heads-up". This same feat is accomplished by destop/tower computers by installing a two head video card in an available PCI or AGP slot.

Q: What about the operator's monitor? Do I need one?

A: Most studio operations have a dedicated position of teleprompter operator. This person is either in the control room or the studio, and controls the speed of the scroll for the on-camera reader. On a desktop system, this is ideally the computer's VGA monitor being looped through the scan converter, or being output from the two head internal video card. On a laptop computer system, the operator's monitor is the laptop's LCD screen (hopefully active matrix, since non active matrix screens will display lag or smearing when displaying in scroll mode).

Q: What about mirroring the prompter displays so the script reads "heads up" off the reflector?

A: Up until 2004, all monitors used in AVD's line had internal mirroring capabilities. Our new dual-screen software allows the use of off-the-shelf flatscreen monitors that have no internal mirroring capabilities, because the output to the prompter monitor is independently mirrored while maintaining unmirrored heads-up display for the operator by the software.

Q: Isn't it true that the larger the reflector, the larger the scrolling image?

A: Nonsense! The reflector only really needs to cover the face of the monitor. It does NOT magnify. If you like seeing the floor below the prompter as a frame for the scrolling screen, and have deep pockets, by all means, buy the largest reflector and hood you can find. But your scrolling text won't be any larger with these giant hoods, and hope that you never break these giant mirrors—they are very expensive!

Q: Aren't those flatscreen color prompters very expensive?

A: With the introduction of the CA line, a two-camera studio setup with software, two prompters, hand controller, and cabling is under $4,500. That's less than our competitors used to sell just one CRT prompter for just a couple years ago

Q: OK, I'm going to consider a prompter system. Any intelligent questions I should be asking while I'm shopping?

A: 1. How bright is the display?
Brightness is usually measured in cd/m², which is somehow pronounced "nits", which essentially is a measurement of candlepower over a square meter area. Standard off-the-shelf displays are 200-250cd/m², while High Brightness (HB) displays are 1,000cd/m² or more. You should never compare SB prices of one manufacturer against HB prices on the same size monitor from a competing manufacturer—you're paying for brightness, not size. If you're quoted an unbelievable price, it's definitely for a Standard Brightness monitor—ask the salesman how much the High Bright model is. Also, keep in mind that a 500 nit monitor is absolutely NOT twice as bright as a 250. Light increases logarithmically. That means it takes four times the original number of nits to become twice as bright.

2. Who manufactures the display?
At AVD, we still design and build our own HB and SB flatscreen color monitors, right here in the USA. In the last two years, we have used third-party monitors in our prompters, in the CV and CA lines. However, our highbright AV12 and AV15 are field prompters that are second to none, and we offer features not found in any other flatscreen teleprompter system. Remember that AVD is actually the ORIGINATOR of high-bright color flatscreen teleprompter technology, first introducing the original AV10 at NAB 1997.

3. How is the monitor mirroring accomplished?
Every flatscreen monitor ever used in AVD prompters before 2003 have been scan-reversed in the monitor, either with a mechanical switch on the back of the monitor, or in the video controller electronics of the monitor. In the AV15CA system, the mirroring is accomplished in the software, and with our new dual-screen Windows software, the operator's monitor remains heads-up and unmirrored.

4. What's the difference in the display quality VGA versus composite video?
VGA is certainly sharper, and certainly requires no scan converter. This is good, because in the field, you might not want to set up a scan converter if you are going to be located within 20-25 feet of the prompter location (that is, the camera). And if you do not have a producer, or a director, or a client who wants to see the scrolling text while the scene is being shot, then VGA will work well.

Multi-camera setups can be composite video, where you can just loop from one monitor to the next one, even give the script supervisor their own monitor...and if you're mounting a little prompter on a jib, forget VGA—you can run composite video for 100' with no problem. Multi-camera systems using VGA monitors require home cable runs to a splitter/amplifier. This works well in smaller studios where the VGA cabling is run to each individual prompter.

5. Is there a dedicated hand controller for your software?
All of AVD's software comes standard with a USB controller—a trackball/trigger controller for LITE versions, a shuttle controller for PRO and NewsRoom versions. We also offer an optional hand controller and optional foot controller that can be 100m+ away from the host computer if need be.

6. OK, I'd like to display in composite video on a flatscreen monitor. Does your flatscreen monitor have controls that make the display appear edge-to-edge, or will I have a black border around the actual screen, which wastes some of that valuable screen real estate?
This may be a function of the scan converter, but mostly it's another reason why, at the shows, most scrolling flatscreen displays that are composite video have a black background. AVD-built flatscreen monitors have horizontal screen size and vertical and horizontal position controls, accessible by IR remote control (included with all AVD-built flatscreen prompters), so your screen is displayed edge-to edge, with no wasted border area.

7. How well does your system break down for shipping? Do you offer road cases?
AVD's 12", 13", and 15" flatscreen prompter systems break down smaller than any other prompters with soft-sided hoods in the world, and we offer custom-foamed Hardig/Storm cases, the lightest, strongest protection we could find for your AVD prompter system.

8. Where is your company located? Who owns the company?
AVD is the only professional teleprompter manufacturer started and developed in the great State of Florida, and all AVD products are proudly "Made in USA". AVD is American-owned and American-operated, unlike some of our larger competitors in New York City, NY State, and north of the border in Canada. NOT sorry to wave the Flag here—BUY AMERICAN. Good for me, good for you, good for the USA.