TwinRoll - live prompting

TwinRoll live prompter

User's manual

LivePrompting software, 1997-2020

TwinRoll User’s manual 2

Contents: 1. About TwinRoll Live Pro ........................................................................ 2. Computer settings ............................................................................ 3. Working screen ...................................................................................... 4. Loading, editing and saving text ............................................................ 5. Markup of text ........................................................................................ 6. Navigation in the text, on-screen navigation menu ................................ 7. On-screen dialogs of tablet PC …..…………...……................................ 8. Text settings .............................................................................. ............ 9. Fonts installing and selecting .............................................................. 10. Profile settings ..................................................................................... 11. Speed and inertia settings ................................................................... 12. Screen settings .................................................................................... 13. Mouse capture mode............................................................................ 14. Text scroll control ................................................................................ 15. Control panel ...................................................................................... 16. Hardware info ...................................................................................... Appendix 1. Keyboard shortcuts ................................................................ Appendix 2. Import text from XML and network files ................................. Appendix 3. Combined text output ............................................................. Appendix 4. Remote control connect ......................................................... Appendix 5. Desktop hand control..............................................................


1. About TwinRoll Live Pro Live prompting software for: - television news - reports and presentations of corporate CEOs - live public speacing events - creating videos for YouTube and social networks - webinars and conferences Features TwinRoll Live Pro: Windows 7, 8, 10 compatible, works on desktops, laptops, netbooks,

Tablet PC(transformers) and tablet computers controlled by touch screen. Import text from a file formats .rtf, .doc .docx, .xml. Text auto reload from the files and integration with News Room (update

the text from a file News Room). Control via keyboard, Bluetooth and wireless USB mouse. Additional remote control, support multiple sets of control (hand remote

control and pedals) for different anchormans and desktop hand control for the assistant of the anchorman.

Auto adjustment of the text scroll speed to the temp readings.

2. Computer settings

Software TwinRoll Live Pro use primary and secondary monitors connected to computer. Primary monitor is Windows desktop, and it runs the program. The secondary monitor is on-camera teleprompter monitor, and it displays mirror image text in full screen mode. The same text is synchronously displayed in the working window of the program on the primary monitor. Setting graphics options for extended displays: right-click on an empty area of the desktop -> Display settings, in the Multiple displays option select Extend these displays Monitors: The primary and secondary monitor can have any resolution, 32-bit color, the same 60Hz frequency for both monitors.


If you have Windows 10, you can change the size of text, applications, and other items for small screens of tablets or notebook (zoom level, Display settings):

The zoom level must be the same for all screens. If the zoom level is different, the text on the prompter screen will be displayed incorrectly:

3. Working screen Main window of program:

The central part of the main window contains a preview field, top of window - tool bar, bottom - status bar.


The window has 2 fixed size: 1/2 resolution of the secondary monitor (the monitor of a prompter) or full size (menu Tools->Settings, tab Screen item Preview window size). The moving window is limited by the desktop of primary monitor. Toolbar buttons:

Text menu: - New (Ctrl+N) - Open (Ctrl+O) - Save (Ctrl+S) - Save as (Shift+Ctrl+S)

Prompter monitor (F12): In single monitor mode (on a tablet PC) this button turns the text output on full screen; in two-monitor mode, the button enables or disables the prompter screen.

Tools menu: - Font (font select, Ctrl+F) - Mouse capture (Ctrl+M) - Timer (auto run timer, Ctrl+T) Provides delay of start scrolling. Start the timer by the ENTER key or the middle mouse button - Run order (F3) - Control panel (F7) - Prompting setting (F8) - Toolbar (toolbar on/off, Ctrl+B) - Edit text (F4) - Settings (Ctrl+F10)

Profile menu (Ctrl+P): The program has 5 profiles, each of which contains individual speed settings, fonts options, working directory, etc.

Help menu: - Manual - Hardware info - License (user data) - About TwinRoll (Ctrl+I)


Status bar:

Icons of used monitors

Mouse capture mode

Auto run timer

Additional remote control

Desktop hand control. The program automatically finds, configures, and activates the remote control, connected to the computer.

4. Loading, editing and saving text

Load text. Text for prompter loading from file by menu Text->Open. Support next file formats: .txt - text format using special symbols (markers) markup of text:

breakdown on stories, bookmarks, markers of text highlight, markers of text blocks inversion colors. Supported text encodings: ANSI, UTF-8, Unicode, Unicode BE;

.rtf, .doc и .docx - import text from files of Microsoft Word; .xml - import text from a file with XML markup. Additional ways to load text: A manual reload text from a file (menu File->Reload or Reload button on

the toolbar). Overloads the text from a previously opened file after editing this text in an external text editor (Notepad).

Text auto reload from the file (menu Tools->Settings, tab Text). The program monitors the file and if you change this file immediately reloads text from it.

External loading and updating text via the optional remote access module TwinRoll GateWay. This module integrates the program into the NewsRoom system and provides external control of the prompter.

*Note: import text from files .rtf, .doc and .docx possible if your computer has Microsoft Word. Output text is formatted additionally, from it removes unnecessary characters, spaces, etc., then the text splits in strings, depending on the size of the font and size of the prompter screen.


Menu item Text->New (Ctrl+N) creates a new script template:

In this case, the text is created with 7 empty stories, the author of "Bill", same headers ("Story header ") and text (the"Story text"). Then automatically starts Notepad with the generated script template:

text in Notepad text in preview window Each story is marked by story marker. Story marker has a header with the name of story, author and identifier, and the text following immediately after the header row. More detail about text markup in the following section. Text editing is possible in a text editor Notepad; return text into the program is as follows: the file is saved in the Notepad (menu File->Save or Ctrl+S), then the text is reloaded into the program (menu File->Reload, F5) or button on the toolbar. The text is updated immediately after you save the file from Notepad.


5. Markup of text -Breakdown on stories. The text can be split on stories by story markers. Default is characters //(story markers setting in menu Settings, tab Text). Story marker is at the beginning of the header row. The text, following the story marker is the name of story (can be displayed or not on the screen depending on settings). Story header can contain the author's name (marker /a=, followed by the name) and story's identifier (marker /n= and alphanumeric code of any length). ID of the story you need when insert - move - delete stories. It allows the program to output the correct story on the prompter screen. After story's header on the next row starts the prompter text. Run order. Run order window (menu Tools->Run order, F3) line displays all stories of the text, notes on-screen stories and displays the total duration of all stories:

-Bookmarks. The text can have bookmarks - markers /b1 ... /b9 (bookmarks with numbers 1...9). Jump to bookmark - Space bar+ bookmark's number (buttons 1...9). Bookmarks are automatically set on center screen string when you press the buttons 1...9.


-Text highlight. When simultaneous prompting for the 2 anchormans there is the possibility of highlighting different text blocks for different anchormans with the following markers: /h+ - start of highlight. Following text is displayed in inversion /h- - end of highlight. Highlight's marker is set/removed on text string while holding Ctrl and click by left mouse button on this text string. - Selection of text blocks by characters Text bloks can be highlighted with text characters (select the text characters to highlight in the menu Tools->Settings, tab Text, dropdown menu Highlight text marker). Available next characters: [ ... ] { ... } < ... > or highlight disabled. All text between this characters is displayed by inverted colors in the new line. How looks markup in the Notepad and in the prompter's window:

text in Notepad text in preview window Story with header "1 IOWA VO 9" has bookmark 1 (marker /b1) on first string. 2 and 3 string between highlight markers /h+ и /h-, on prompter's screen this text block appears in the inversion. String "--V/O--" between characters [ ... ] and also appears in the inversion.


6. Navigation in the text, on-screen navigation menu Navigation in the text with stories is available via the Text menu (or click the right mouse button on the field preview - shortcut menu): - Prev story (F1, PgUp) - go to previous story * - Next story (F2, PgDown) - go to next story * - Start of text (Home) - go to start of text - End of text (End) - go to end of text - Go to bookmark (Space+1...9) - go to bookmark with number 1...9 - Set/remove bookmark (Ctrl+1...9) - set/remove bookmark 1...9 - Go to air mark -переход на эфирную метку* - Highlight text (Ctrl+Mouse) - Unhighlight all For the anchormans, located at a distance from the prompter's monitor, provides on-screen navigation menu:

On-screen menu has the following items: - go to previous/next story - go to start/end of text - go to bookmark 1, set bookmark 1 How to call on-screen navigation menu: remote control: button remote control Menu (for all modes and all

configurations) for one-monitor system in full screen mode (tablet PC): click the right

mouse button for 2-monitor system: only in mouse capture mode* - click right mouse

button


( permission mouse capture mode - menu Tools->Mouse capture (Ctrl+M). Activation of mouse capture mode - menu keyboard shortcut Ctrl+spacebar or click the left mouse button on the mouse capture icon in the preview window). Control on-screen navigation menu: by scroll remote control, mouse wheel or touch menu items on a touch screen tablet computer. Exit from on-svreen navigation menu: by remote control, Esc button of the keyboard, right mouse button or touching the screen outside the menu in tablet PC. 7. On-screen dialogs of tablet PC In full screen mode on the tablet PC, you can call up additional functions by touching the screen in next areas:

The upper left corner of the screen – a stories navigation dialog:

Stories navigation dialog has a touch of a button with following features: - go to previous/next story - go to start/end of text - go to bookmark 1, set bookmark 1 -exit from full-screen mode Touch screen in free space closes this dialog.


central area – call autorun timer or start scrolling, if autorun timer disable

The upper right corner - displays the prompting setting dialog:

Buttons "+" and "-" increase/decrease value of the selected item (highlighted in red). The lower left button starts/stops the scrolling. Keybord key for this dialog: SPACE or Enter -starts/stops the scrolling Right or "+" -increase value of selected Left or "-" -decrease value UP, DOWN, TAB -item select "C" -speed auto correction ON/OFF

8. Text settings

Text settings are in the menu Tools->Settings, tab Text:


-Text encoding. Text files have different text encoding. The encoding type determined by the signature. If the files have the signature in the drop-down list to select the item Auto (automatic encoding). If the text file does not use the signature, the type of encoding is selected manually: ANSI, UTF8, Unicode, Unicode BE. -Text auto update. The program continuously checks the open file with the text. If there are changes to that file, the program reloads new text in the prompter window. Auto update allows you to change the text for the teleprompter during live prompting by NewsRoom or chief Editor (from a remote computer). For the correct placement of text on the prompter screen after update, it is recommended to use text with stories. Stories must have the names and IDs (part 5 Markup of text). If you delete, move or insert new stories, on screen is the story, which was before the auto reload. The poll time of checking for auto update is specified in the drop-down list Poll time and can have values of 0.5, 1, 3, 5, 10 seconds*. The drop-down list Jump after reload has the following items: - Keep on (text on the screen remains in place); - Top of story (go to beginning of current story) - Top of text (go to beginning of the text) - Air mark (go to air mark) Text auto update provide function "Smart reload delays". Its allows the anchorman before reloding to read the text of the current story. In this mode the preview window displays the sign of the text update request:

The text will update on the next story or a few seconds after you stop scrolling. Also the text will be updated after click the mouse on the sign of the text update request.


-Stories setting. Field Story marker allows setting character sequence (max 14 chars) for

define of story marker. By default it is //. Drop down list Show story marker as allows you to select the markup of the stories on the screen:

inversion line

underline

line marker "> "

The font color and background color of header of the stories can be changed in the settings screen (menu Tools->Settings, tab Screen). Option Show story header displays in the first line the name of the story (the text following the marker of story //). Option Story number adds story number in the header. Option Stop after story automatically stops scroll after the current story. Drop down list Highlight text marker - select a marker to highlight the text block. The following markers: [ ... ] { ... } < ... > or markers disabled. All text between the markers is displayed by inverted colors in the new line.


9. Fonts installing and selecting To display text on the prompter screen, the program uses 10 font. Every font set has 10 dimensions (output is from 4 to 9 text lines on the screen). By default, the program has Arial font only. Add and configure additional fonts - menu Tools->Settings, tab Fonts:

Field Installed fonts shows the list of connected fonts (10 fonts). Fonts select from the system fonts. Option and the slider Condense to adjust the average character width (in %). Uncondensed font has a width of 40%. If you using large font, then you need condesed of the font. Condensed font allows you to place the screen 2 times more text information. The Bold option allows you to select thickening of the font. Parameters of the thickening contain in the font. -Select the current font - menu Tools->Font (Ctrl+F)


10. Profile settings Different users have their profiles in the program settings. The profile settings contain the following parameters: path to the working folder, the font settings, the speed of reading, etc. The Program has 5 settings profiles. -Select current profile: shortcut key Ctrl+F or key on toolbar. -Profile setting: - menu Tools->Setting, tab Profile:

Using the drop-down list Profile select the profile to set (the program has 5 profiles). In the field Profile name set the name that appears on the toolbar of the program. The field Folder contains the path to the working folder of the profile from which to open and which files are saved (defaults to My Documents). Section Speed and inertia (setting the speed and inertia). The drop-down list Speed (speed reading) contains the following values: Low, Normal, High and Manual. Setting of inertia (drop down list Inertia) configures the inertia of scrolling. Inertia allows you to simulate smooth scrolling "text tape" and provides better tracking read text by anchorman.

11. Speed and inertia settings Speed setting. The speed reading is set separately for each font size (10 values). Speed has 3 parameters: value for work scroll, for fast sroll and for rewind. In the program to adjust the speed used 4 the tables configured on your reading speed: Low, Normal, High and Manual. Setting of manual speed from Profile dialog:


menu Tools->Settings, tab Profile, section Speed and inertia, drop-down list Speed - Manual, button Manual speed. Speeds table for the first 3 speeds of the reading are presets in program. Manual setting allows you to edit the manual speed table:

Each row in the table contains a set of 3 speeds for the relevant font size (1-10). Row selection allows you to change the values of these speeds. The program has a "hot" speed setting: while text scroll, keyboard key "+" increases the current scroll speed (work, fast or rewind - what scroll speed is currently active), keyboard key "-" decreases current scroll speed. Inertia setting. Inertia does not depend on the font size. It has 4 presets (no inertia, low, medium and high) and manual setting. Manual setting allows you to edit the values of inertias to change its for keyboard, foot pedal and rewind. Setting of manual inertia from Profile dialog: menu Tools->Settings, tab Profile, section Speed and inertia, drop-down list Inertia - Manual, button Manual inertia):


Setting of speed auto correction. When using large fonts (sizes 8-10) small screen of tablet PC has 4-5 lines of text. In this case, it is recommended to use speed auto correction (automatic work speed adjustment depending on the width of current text string):

Drop down lists Speed-UP and Speed-DOWN sets restriction of change of speed (3, 2, 1 - step of changes or disable change). The drop-down list Intensity - time changed speed. Combining the value of the work speed, the parametrs of speed auto correction, the size and condensed of the font, you may have the scroll speed for any speed readings of different anchormans. Speed and auto-correction of speed can be adjusted in a floating window Prompting setting (F8). *Note: all settings for speeds, inertias and speed auto correction is stored individually in their profiles. When selecting a new profile will be downloaded the sets of the tables for speeds and inertias.


12. Screen settings Menu Tools->Settings, tab Prompter monitor:

Section Prompter has next settings: -Prompter monitor. Primary or Secondary - prompter's text output to primary or secondary monitor. -Output (the type of text output to the screen): Direct, Mirror or Direct & Mirror. The last type of text output requires the use of additional hardware (more see Appendix 4 "Combined text output"). -Preview window size: Full (1:1) or Half (1:2) - pPreview window size relative to the size prompter's screen. -Left/right offset: left and right indent from the screen border, in pixels. -4:3 aspect ratio output: Prompter output to area with 4:3 aspect ratio. Section Color: Black text - black text and white background; White text -white text and black background. Color of the Story headers and of the bookmarks: button F - select color of text; button B - select color of background B/W prompter screen (black and white prompter screen) - turn off header's and bookmark's color.


13. Mouse capture mode

Text scrolling control by a system mouse. Enabling the mode in the menu Tools->Mouse capture (Ctrl+M). In this mode the mouse locks and removed from the screen. The mouse's pointer movement is limited to the program window. Mode mouse capture mode holds the control using the mouse in live prompting. If the anchorman herself controls scrolling by using the remote wireless mouse, you must use the capture mode of the mouse! When enable this mode, on the prompter's and prewiew's screen displays a warning sign on enabled but not activated mode mouse capture:

Mouse capture activation - click on the warning sign of the mouse capture or Ctrl+spacebar. For exit the mouse capture press Esc or Ctrl+space.

14. Text scroll control Keyboard. Keys UP and DOWN to change the scroll speed, SPACE and ENTER - start/stop. Hold the SPACE + UP/DOWN keys provides to text rewinde. Press HOME - jump to start of text, key END - jump to end of text. Jump to previous story - key F1 or Page UP. Jump to next story – key F2 or Page DOWN. Keys 1...9 - jump to stories with numbers 1...9, jump to stories with numbers 10...99 by quickly pressing (within 1 second) the number of the story (for example, go to the story of 28 - press consistently within 1 second keys 2 and 8). The CTRL and keys 1...9 - setting bookmarks with the numbers 1...9, the combination of the SPACE and the keys 1...9 - switch to bookmarks.


Mouse. The main control of the scrolling with mouse wheel. If wheel scroll forward (from youself) then increases the scroll speed, the scroll back (to youself) decreases the speed up to stop and reverse scrolling. Pressing and holding the wheel and its simultaneous scrolling forward and backward is a quick rewind of text in corresponding direction. Mouse move with the pressed left button causes a corresponding movement of the text. Click with the left mouse button hold CTRL - highlight/unhighlight of the text block. Touch screen of the tablet PC. Double touch the screen in the preview window causes to scrolling in full screen mode (in full screen mode - return to preview screen). Start-stop of scrolling - single touch of screen's center arrea. On-screen navigation menu - single touch in the upper left corner of the screen. On-screen speed setting menu - single touch in the lower right corner of the screen. Mirror flip of the screen is a long horizontal movement of the finger on the screen (from left to right or right to left). Hand remote control. Press and hold the UP button increases the scrolling speed, release the UP button for to working scroll speed. Press and hold the DOWN button causes revers of scrolling, after releasing this button will resume scrolling with working speed. STOP button - start/stop of the text scroll. While you press and hold the STOP, UP and DOWN buttons causes up and down rewind the text. If you stopped scrolling and hold the STOP button for 3 seconds turns the hand remote control to mode transitions on the stories (the led on the remote blinks slowly). In this mode, press UP button for go to previous story, the DOWN button – the next story. Press and hold the UP button for go to start of the text, DOWN button - for go to end of the text. Foot pedals of remote control. Program supports two pedals of remote control – forward and revers pedals of text scrolling. Pressing the forward pedal increases the scroll speed of the text, releasing this pedal causes to working speed. If you hold the forward scroll pedal, pressing of revers pedal causes to forward rewind. If you hold the revers scroll pedal, pressing of forward pedal causes to revers rewind. Desktop hand control. The program support three-button desktop hand control with rotary control of scroll. It provide smooth adjustment of scroll speed and jumps to prev/next stories by UP/DOWN buttons. While you hold STOP button, pressing of UP/DOWN allows to jump to start or end of the text.


15. Control panel Displays by menu Tools->Control panel (F7) The control panel has 4 modes of operation. Switching between modes by: - mouse right click on the central button of the control panel - mouse right click on the title bar of the control panel - SHIFT key for stories navigation mode.

Scroll control - rewind forward / go to top of the text* - roll forward / go to previous story* - START STOP / speed setting mode* - roll revers / go to next story * - roll revers / go to end of the text*

* Additional functions - mouse right click, for the touch screen - touch and hold your finger on the buttons.

Speed setting -rewind speed / go to top of the text* -roll speed / go to previous story* -work speed / font setting mode* -speed increase -speed decrease


Font setting -font condenssion / go to top of the text * -bold / go to previous story * -font size / scroll controll mode* - increase parameter - decrease parameter

Stories navigation (activation by SHIFT key) -go to top of the text -go to previous story -scroll start/stop -go to next story -go to end of the text


16. Hardware info Call hardware info from menu Help ->Hardware info. If to your computer connects the remote controlls, the panel information about the hardware has tab Remote control.

On the Video adapter tab displays information about the first and second displays: video driver name, memory size and screen mode:


Appendix 1. Keyboard shortcuts Ctrl+N New text Ctrl+O Open text Ctrl+S Save text Shift+Ctrl+S Save text as... Ctrl+F Font select Ctrl+P Profile select Ctrl+M Mouse capture Ctrl+T Auto run timer Ctrl+B Toolbar on/off Ctrl+F10 Settings TAB Switch to Run order window F3 Run order F4 Edit text F5 Update text from file F7 Control panel F8 Prompting setting F12 Prompter screen on/off PgUp Go to prev story PgDown Go to next story Home Go to start of text End Go to end of text Shift Control panel stories navigation Ctrl+Mouse Highlight/unhighlight text Ctrl+1...9 Set bookmark with number 1...9 Space+1...9 Go to bookmark with number 1...9 1...9 Go to story with number 1...9.

Short-term sequential 2-digit - to the story a 2-d number + Step-by-step work speed increase - Step-by-step work work speed decrease Up Speed increase (on hold) Down Speed decrease (on hold) Space+Up Rewind forward (from bottom to up) Space+Down Rewind revers (from up to bottom) Space Scroll start/stop Enter Scroll start/stop, auto run timer Ctrl+Space Activation/exit from mouse capture mode Esc Exit from mouse capture mode


Appendix 2. Import text from XML and network files Loading text from XML and network files by additional utilities XMLTranslator. When opening the XML file, the program automatically starts a XMLTranslator, which generates text file from an XML file. Generated text file with breakdown by storyes load to the prompter. The program applies a simplified XML markup: <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?> XML defination <root> Root element <data>WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20</data> Header of first story,

contains the date <tag>1 IOWA VO 9</tag> Story header <text> Text of story TODAY, VOTERS IN IOWA BEGIN ... THE PROCESS OF CHOOSING ... THE NEXT PRESIDENT. ... </text> End text of story </root>


Appendix 3. Combined text output

Splitting VGA signals on direct and mirror provides video splitter/separator SPC-205D2 (http://sufpro.com/catalog.html#remote). It provides 2-stream text output to the preview monitor (direct text) and prompters (mirrored text) using one of the VGA output of the computer.


Appendix 4. Remote control connect

PC-200 (http://sufpro.com/catalog.html#remote) Kit of the remote control for the anchorman. Install remote control driver- driver virtual USB COM port FTDI Chip (http://sufpro.com/download/Remote_drivers.zip) Remote control driver set manually from Remote drivers folder (included on the installation disk or in the folder Program Files[x86]\TwinRoll) before connect remote to the USB port. After installing the driver and connect the remote control to USB in the status bar of the program appear remote control icons: hand control, foot pedal, desktop hand control. On the remote control illuminates air led. If the program did not find remote control, you should check and correct the COM port number of the controller: go to Device manager, under Ports (COM & LPT) to find an item USB Serial Port(COMxx), right-click context menu-Properties option label Port Settings - Advanced button... and select the COM port number from COM1 to COM20.


Appendix 5. Desktop hand control

DC-1201 (http://sufpro.com/catalog.html#remote) Desktop hand control for the assistant of the anchorman. It is three-button desktop control panel with rotary control of scroll. It provide smooth adjustment of scroll speed and jumps to prev/next stories by UP/DOWN buttons. While you hold STOP button, pressing of UP/DOWN allows to jump to start or end of the text.


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