Teleprompting Software

I just tried out some demos of teleprompting software. Seems that the price is coming down with some new competitors entering the mix.

dvcPrompt!
After checking out the demo and reading about the features, I was impressed with the $100 dvcPrompt! software. There's a PC and Mac version. Scrolling seemed smooth and it responded well to control from my MacBook Pro's trackpad. It did seem a bit processor intensive. It was using up almost 100% of a core in my new dual-core system. That was a problem because after a couple of minutes my fans were cranking and making quite a bit of noise. Not good if the computer is in the same space as the talent.

With dvcPrompt! you can mirror text so it displays properly when reflected in a mirror. There are also 2 separate displays-one for the talent and the other for the operator. That's nice if you have different displays available. The operator display is not mirrored, so the operator can follow along with the text. A 10-day demo is available.

Prompt
This software is about $45 for a Mac or Windows version, and for about $65 you get both versions. From what I saw in the demo, it was lighter on features than dvcPrompt. You couldn't edit text with the prompter app, which you could do with dvcPrompt. I couldn't use the trackpad to control scrolling. However, I was able to get good scroll with using the arrow keys. There's a mouse control where you place the cursor within a large square to control scrolling--but this took up a lot of the display. Also there wasn't a separate operator and talent display. If you turned on mirroring, then the operator would have a hard time running this because the text would look backwards to the operator.

On the plus side, it wasn't as processor-intensive as dvcPrompt!. It took up about 65% of a core on my laptop--enough to keep the fans from getting really loud.

They also have this cool video on building a $50 teleprompter unit.


Teleprompter - DIY - video powered by Metacafe

I have this other post on DIY teleprompters with some other ideas on cheap setups.

DIY Teleprompter

Creativity to Spare claims that you can make a decent teleprompter with glass from a picture frame. I can't vouch for that, but it wouldn't cost any cash to check it out.

The tutorial also includes a link to a build-your-own teleprompter product (see image) that includes beam splitter glass, like that used for real teleprompters. Looks like about $100 for a good piece of beam splitter glass and for $250 you can get a kit that includes a stand (looks like it has adjustable height). Tutorial also includes links to free Mac software to flip your type, so that it looks right in a mirror.

For a full-featured product at the low-end, Prompter People offers a 15" Teleprompter with a stand and an LCD screen for $1299.

[via FreshDV]