British design and manufacturer PrimeLight Design has launched a next-generation professional teleprompter called the ZeePrompt.
PrimeLight Design is the same company that makes the excellent VoxBox Pro. Their small team is made up of experts with hands-on experience in the television industry, backed by in-house mechanical design and engineering personnel.
The ZeePrompt combines an ultra-fast setup, lightweight one-piece design, and user-friendly prompting software. The whole aim behind the ZeePrompt was to deliver an easy-to-use, portable teleprompt system.
Key features
- One-piece folding system, fully assembled within 10 seconds – no tools needed.
- Fits direct to your existing 15mm rods or to a light stand (rods not supplied).
- Integrated 10.1 inch HDMI monitor with built-in text-reverse feature.
- Fitted 12″ beamsplitter glass folds neatly into the unit for transportation.
- Designed and built in Britain using lightweight carbon fibre.
- Enclosed box design helps eliminate light from entering the display.
- Includes our ZeeCue teleprompting software for PC and Mac.
PrimeLight Design found that most teleprompters on the market are quite fiddly to setup and use. Most involve rigging onto a cumbersome tripod adaptor, and the use of fabric hoods which aren’t very effective. They are also usually shipped with software that doesn’t perform as expected. The ZeePrompt was designed to address all of these issues.
While tablet-based teleprompters are quite popular, using the apps on a shoot can be quite frustrating. PrimeLight Design opted for an HDMI monitor system and developed its own software, ZeeCue, which runs on PC and Mac. This allows an operator to control the prompter leaving the talent to concentrate on delivering the best performance.
One-piece folding system
Assembling the ZeePrompt is an easy process. There is no need for tools, hook-and-loop tape, and there are no parts to lose. The entire system – including the monitor is integrated into one compact unit. Even the glass folds within the unit, eliminating handling and damage. It can be fully assembled in under 10 seconds and fully rigged within a minute. It packs away completely flat making it easy to transport.
This is why people who have worked in the industry understand how to design products for it. They know what is required and what the frustrations of using certain products are.
Flexible mounting options
There is no need to use a large, cumbersome tripod base plate. The ZeePrompt slides onto your existing 15mm rods.
Hold on, what if you don’t have a camera with 15mm rods? Well, there are also threaded holes on the base that allow it to be mounted to a light stand using the supplied adaptor.
How much does it weigh?
The ZeePrompt weighs 1.5kg / 3.3lbs including the monitor. This low weight is primarily to do with the carbon fibre construction. This low weight also means it is suitable to be used with a steadicam, slider, or jib.
The foldaway design packs into the case with room for a laptop. The whole kit is small enough for carry-on.
Other features
The unique (Patent Pending) design eliminates the poorly-conceived black drawstring cloth found on other teleprompters. The ZeePrompt’s solid carbon fibre back panel ensures no interference with the lens.
The ZeePrompt has a built-in 10.1 inch 16:9 LCD monitor with HDMI and VGA video inputs. The screen features a 1000:1 contrast ratio so it can be used in bright conditions. You also get a 10 metre HDMI cable in the kit.
The system can be powered from mains (PSU included) or D-tap (optional extra) 7-24VDC.
There is a built-in image flip/text reverse feature, and PowerPoint presentations can be displayed instead of using the teleprompting software.
What’s in the box?
- ZeePrompt main unit
- Fitted 12″ beamsplitter glass (60/40)
- Integrated 10.1 inch HD monitor
- Foam doughnuts to eliminate light
- 16mm female adaptor for mounting to a light stand
- 10 metre full-size HDMI cable
- Mains power adaptor with UK, US, EU, AU heads
- ZeeCue teleprompting software licence for PC & Mac
- Compact case with laser cut foam (optional hard case available).
- Printed instruction manual
Price & availability
The ZeePrompt retails for £1395 + VAT and it is now available to purchase.
