Text on Tap

Technical details and capabilities of Text on Tap

Text on Tap is the streaming platform of Text on Top. Where Text on Top is created to work on-site where the event takes place, Text on Tap allows remote viewers/participants to access the event. Examples of events are conferences, in church, at a funeral, (online) classes, (online) meetings, etc...

The Text on Tap streaming platform is not limited to one particular setup for a particular event. It is designed to combine and connect all kind of features and services. The downside of such powerful flexible tool is that it is hard to explain what it does and how it can be used :-) But let's try it anyway...

First some key features:

• The text on Tap server is hosted on a Tilaa server in Europe/Amsterdam.
• We care about confidentiality! No text, in any form (no transcripts, no SRT, ...), is stored on the server! Of course Text on Tap does offer solutions for post production applications.
• The Text on Top Reporter software is used by the captioner to manage/configure Text on Tap events and to stream the text to the server. The server will distribute the text to the online audience.
• By sharing the unique URL/link for the event with your client(s) or conference organizing bureau, accessing the event is plain simple!
• To add security, an optional Access Code can be specified. A viewer need to enter this code first to pass.
• Although the Reporter software by itself is a useful tool for text production, a captioner can seamlessly connect their preferred CAT or respeaking software to it.
• When the captioner works on-site, Text on Top can still be used at the same time: providing captions on the PowerPoint, handing out tablets to visual impaired persons or those who need a real-time translation.
• Yes, you need Text on Top to use Text on Tap: visit the Text on Top website. Dissapointing? No, you'll love it!
• 2 (or more) captioners can co-work separately, on-site or remotely. The 'creator' of an event basically assigns colleague(s) for that particular job.
• With a single key stroke, the active captioner can signal his/her colleagues that he/she likes to take a break. The other captioner simply starts typing.
• Captioners can see the amount of viewers watching. This is especially useful to see if your client is actually present.
• Job statistics give (real-time) insight in text production, speed, time and (type of) viewers.
• Billing is done by buying 'credits' in advance. Credits are basically typed letters. Fair play: purchased credits never expire!
• Credits are linked to a Text on Top User Account. This user account is easily created in the Reporter. You get 100000 credits for free when you register so you can discover the system.
• New credits can be bought in the Reporter: the credits are added to your account immediately. No online payment stuff slowing you down, I'll send you an invoice later.
• The costs depend on the amount of text you produce. On an average job it's about 2-4 EUR per hour. When you order a larger credits package, you get up to 26% discount.
• By default, when co-working, each captioner pays their own share. So when captioner A is typing, the credits balance for captioner A will decrease. When captioner B takes over, the credits balance for captioner B will decrease.
• The creator of an event can toggle a switch to tell the system he/she will pay for the event. So assigned colleagues will not be charged.
• Account sharing: Simultaneous logins is supported. When running a business with multiple captioners on your payroll, you might want to have just one user account. That Text on Top User Account can be shared by your employees. You sit back and relax and make sure the credits don't run out ;-)
• Text on Top Reporter can provide real-time translations on-site, through the Text on Top wireless system.
• Text on Tap can provide real-time translations as well! Just tell which target languages are needed for your online audience. Each individual can select their preferred language.
• The translation system is not free (I get bills from Google). For each additional language, your account is charged.
• When co-working in a multilingual setup, one captioner can caption the English speaker and the other the Spanish speaker for example. The translation system will either provide the original (non-translated) text or output according the user's selected language.
• By creating multiple events, as if they are 'rooms', it is possible for a captioner to stream text to each indidual room. Nothing magic here as they are all separate events. You need at least 1 captioner for each room of course. It is however possible to create one 'main' event for the plenary sessions of the conference: all participants (regardless their room) will then receive the plenary session text.
• Additionally it is possible for these rooms to have their own specific (additional) translations when needed.
• Audience can read the produced text in a browser, by simply clicking on a link.
• Optionally, with the Text on Tap Overlay application it is possible to overlay the captions on any application on your PC or Mac.
• Captions can also be inserted into a Zoom Meeting or Microsoft Teams Meeting. Personally I would advice the Overlay tool since the captions are much clearer to read and customizable.
• When an event is video streamed through YouTube or Facebook, that live video can be embedded in this Text on Tap website. Again the captions are much clearer to read and customizable in comparison to the captions of YouTube for example. See the example links on the homepage.
• Website owners can embed Text on Tap captions in their website. If you have a live video stream embedded in your site, place the captions underneath on your site.
• Last but not least, Text on Tap seamlessly integrates with live Video Production applications, available for both PC and Mac.