EXPLAINER
Teleprompter Meaning
The teleprompter meaning is straightforward: a display that scrolls a script near the camera lens, so a speaker can read while appearing to look at the audience.
Teleprompter meaning and origin
A teleprompter is a device that shows scrolling text close to a camera lens. The word joins tele, meaning at a distance, with prompter, the theatre role of feeding forgotten lines to an actor.
The technology dates to 1950s American television, where a mechanical paper scroll was operated beside the camera. The purpose has not changed since: the words must sit where the eyes already are.
Autocue, cue card and confidence monitor
- Autocue — a brand name used generically, the way “hoover” is. Same meaning as teleprompter.
- Cue card — a physical card held beside the lens. The pre-electronic version.
- Confidence monitor — a screen facing the stage showing slides or notes, for the speaker rather than the camera.
How a teleprompter works
Two arrangements dominate. A screen placed directly under or beside the lens is the simple version, and at normal distances the eyeline difference is invisible. A beam-splitter rig places angled glass in front of the lens so the reflected text appears exactly over it.
The autocue teleprompter runs the first arrangement in a browser, with nothing to install.
Teleprompter Meaning FAQ
Is a teleprompter the same as an autocue?
Yes. Autocue is a manufacturer’s name that entered general use, in the same way as many trademarks.
Can viewers tell when someone uses a teleprompter?
Only when the text is badly placed or scrolls too fast. Positioned near the lens at a comfortable speed, it is invisible.