Trial Tech Tips - Courtroom Equipment Specs for Large Venues

If you were assembling a new trial presentation equipment set today, it wouldn’t be all that much different from what would have been done several years ago. Even with advances in video format and display technologies, it often comes to the lowest common denominator – which is still, by the way, 4:3 standard format video. Most trial presentation providers can now connect to and accommodate a wide-screen 16:9 HDMI system, and that is what you’ll likely find in a recently updated courtroom. Even in these new installations, you are likely to find “legacy” 4:3 VGA connections, to ensure that everyone truly has equal access to anything installed in the courts.

With the exception of “special” videos, such as “Day-In-the Life,” Visibility Studies, Site Inspections or other animations, the real need for the extra video width doesn’t really exist. For the most part, we’re not watching movies in court. For example, the only thing gained by watching a wide-screen video deposition would be the extra space covered on the table. This might include such items as coffee cups, water or soft drinks. During trial, it might also include exhibits which have not yet been admitted – which could be a serious issue.

This article is number 6 in a series entitled “Trial Tech Tips.” Focused on the crossroads of law and technology, and in no particular order, we will share a collection of proven and tested methods for accomplishing a wide variety of common and/or critical tasks encountered during trial preparation or presentation. We will also try to rank them from one to ten on a “geek scale,” with one being not too technical, and 10 being very technical.

On a geek scale of one to ten, this article would be rated at about a 7 or 8.

There are many excellent choices for equipment, and you are free and encouraged to share some of your favorites at the end of this article. I will offer is a few examples of equipment we are currently using regularly in our Los Angeles and San Francisco Bay Area courtrooms, all of which I would gladly recommend.

• Projector – We used to follow a 3000 lumens rule – anything lower than that would not be sufficient in a “typical” courtroom with lights on and/or windows. Although that is still a reasonable low-end brightness, you should consider going with at least 6000 lumens for larger venues. This will allow you to present a clear, bright image with normal lighting. For special videos (not deposition video), you might still want to request that the lights be dimmed. This should be done sparingly, however, and only when really needed. Don’t bother the clerk or bailiff when you just want to display documents. A couple of 6000 lumens projector models we currently use are the InFocus IN5142 and the Eiki LC-XL200A.

  

  XL200A

  

  IN5142

  
  

• Screen – The Da-Lite 100” Deluxe Insta-Theater is still my favorite screen for a quick and easy install in most courtrooms. At 7 feet wide, it’s large enough to do the job nicely. A larger courtroom will benefit by additional screen size, such as 10 or even 12 feet wide. The Da-Lite Floor Model C works nicely, and doesn’t require a tripod. A separate floor stand base is used, taking up a smaller footprint. These large screens really make it easy for your jury to view the evidence clearly. 

  

  Insta-Theater

  

  Floor Model C
   

  
  

• Audio – There are a good number of amplified speaker sets on the market, and we’ve had a few over the years. One we’ve been recently using is the Samson Expedition XP150. It is a portable PA set that has enough power for normal trial use (150 watts), and includes a mixer for easy connections and control. You can place these on the floor, or on stands if you prefer.

  

  Expedition XP150

  
  
• Tech Table – In most cases, one thing that hasn’t really changed much over the years is the limited amount of space we have available to set up our work area. You’ll need as much room as possible to accommodate laptops, switchers, and a preview monitor. The nicest thing I’ve found recently is the Iceberg Resin Folding Table, measuring 29"H x 60"W x 18"D. This fits comfortably behind the gallery rail in Los Angeles and San Francisco Bay Area courtrooms, with enough room to slide in and out, using the installed gallery seating. I’ve used Project-O-Stands and have seen some nice custom-built tables, but this is lightweight and simple.

        Iceberg Resin Table

Now you don’t need to run out right away and purchase all of this, since we’re talking several thousand dollars for just the basics. We haven’t even covered things like switchers, distribution amps, video cables, monitors or power strips. Unless you’re using this equipment on a full-time basis, you may want to consider an equipment rental outfit such as Aquipt, SmartSource, Visual Word or Connect Litigation. These are a few we've had good results with. There are others – running a Google search in your desired area may be helpful. 

Feel free to share what you’re using in the Comments section below.

Also see:

Best Projectors for Courtroom Trial Presentations

Courtroom Projectors, Screens, and Monitors

HDMI v. VGA: Time to Upgrade?

Trial Tech Tips -- Equipment Failures

Trial Tech Tips - Trial Presentation Shortcuts

Those of us who use computers frequently in our work use a handful of software programs on a regular basis. A few of the most common applications for Windows include Word, Excel and Outlook. Those are just a few of the tools we use most and know best. Many also take advantage of a series of “shortcuts” for handling repetitive functions. Using special keystroke combinations such as CTRL + C to copy a selection or CTRL + V to paste the clipboard contents takes just a fraction of the time it would require to use the toolbar menu, or to right-click and select the desired function from the popup menu. While we could cover a number of shortcuts for common software, we’re going to stick with the “Trial Tips” theme here, and focus a bit on TrialDirector. I will include a link to download a handy TrialDirector shortcut guide at the end of this article. No signup, no fee, no registration required. Just yours free to download.

This article is number 5 in a series entitled “Trial Tech Tips.” Focused on the crossroads of law and technology, and in no particular order, we will share a collection of proven and tested methods for accomplishing a wide variety of common and/or critical tasks encountered during trial preparation or presentation. We will also try to rank them from one to ten on a “geek scale,” with one being not too technical, and 10 being very technical.

On a geek scale of one to ten, this article would be rated at about a 9 or 10.

We develop a comfort zone with programs we use on a daily basis, but it can be a different story when using applications we don’t use regularly – perhaps like PowerPoint or even TrialDirector. While nothing beats frequent use and familiarity when it comes to using complex software, you can spend some time learning a few tricks for the tasks you expect to use a lot. For PowerPoint, it might be learning how to quickly access image properties so you can add a drop-shadow and outline, or adding slide numbers. For TrialDirector, you should know how to immediately access the most common presentation tools, including projection zoom (callout) and highlighter. For more on using these two features, also see Trial Tech Tips – Zoom and Highlighter.

Here are several shortcuts you can use to quickly access a few features used often in trial.

Projection Zoom – ALT + I

Highlighter – ALT + H

Full Screen Top of Exhibit (additional zoom if repeated) – CTRL + INS

Return to Normal from Full Screen – CTRL + DEL

Undo Last Action (may be repeated for multiple Undo) – CTRL + Z

Next, we'll share some extremely helpful exhibit screen placement shortcuts. The “F” keys on the top of your keyboard must be set up to operate as normal Windows keys. Some newer keyboards will override the standard functions, but they can be set back to the standard format.

F1 through F9 are screen “zone” keys, although you will usually use the full screen, or perhaps a side-by-side arrangement.

F1 – Left

F2 – Right

F3 – Top

F4 – Bottom

F5 – Top Left 

F6 – Top Right

F7 – Bottom Left

F8 – Bottom Right

F9 – Full Screen

One easy way to remember how to transfer, add or replace an exhibit in a zone is by using the word “TAR.” I actually used to put a “TAR” sticker on the top of my keyboard.

F10 – “T” for Transfer

F11 – “A” for Add

F12 – “R” for Replace

This is a sampling of some very useful shortcuts. If you use TrialDirector regularly, having an extra set of quick-access tools can be very helpful. If you only use it once or twice a year in trial, when it comes to crunch time you may find you've forgotten them. Under pressure, they need to flow automatically. For a smaller trial, it may not matter if you take a little extra time. If it is a large or complex trial, you may want to consider bringing in someone who does this stuff on a daily basis. Here is a link to download your own TrialDirector Shortcuts sheet in PDF format.