Teleprompters are actually something that most people only know from television at best. And this is actually where these practical little helpers originated. The idea is extremely simple: a small screen in front of the camera on which text is displayed, which can then be read by the presenter without taking their eyes off the camera. With the Elgato Prompter, the well-known manufacturer now offers a practical solution aimed at all creators or streamers – and in doing so, delivers the best teleprompter for home and studio applications, as our test proves.
https://youtu.be/zBh1MPKJhp0
Technical data
| The product | Prompter |
| weight | 690g |
| dimensions | 224 mm x 219 mm x 282 mm |
| Display | 9 inch; 1,024 x 600 pixels |
| Modes | Text; Monitor; Chat |
| Connection port | USB-C |
| OS compatibility | Windows; macOS |
| Camera compatibility | Facecam Pro; Universal for webcams and cameras; DSLR/DSLM |
| Adapter rings system cameras | 9 (49, 52, 55, 58, 62, 67, 72, 77, 82 mm) |
| price | € 256.99 * |
Elgato Prompter Review: Inconspicuous plastic box
- integrated display
- Versatile compatibility
- plastic construction
If you search for teleprompters at well-known online retailers, you will quickly find what you are looking for. However, most of them use a tablet or smartphone display – which you have to bring and provide yourself.
The Elgato Prompter is completely different – the first of its kind with an integrated display. There is a 9-inch screen on the underside with a resolution of 1,024 x 600 pixels. The content displayed there is reflected by the angled beamsplitter glass above and is then perfectly readable from the front or the side.
An ingenious concept that works perfectly in practice. But what also makes the Elgato Prompter so special is its broad compatibility. Whether with the in-house Facecam Pro, all other webcams and cameras or large and bulky DSLM system cameras: almost all recording devices can be used with the Prompter.
To ensure that this works, the manufacturer includes a whole range of accessories. The most important of these are the apertures for the rear. In addition to a Facecam Pro mount, there is a universal mount with a black cover cloth for various cameras, as well as a clip-on mount for system cameras.
They are simply screwed onto the back and are quick and easy to replace. There is also a hot shoe mount on the top of the Elgato Prompter to which you can attach directional microphones, flashes or lights.
The only downside is the build quality. Elgato relies almost exclusively on black plastic, which sometimes seems more and sometimes less robust. This could have been made a little more valuable, but in practice there is not much to complain about – at least if you treat the prompter with care.
Quick and easy to set up
- Quickly ready for use; simple assembly
- Stream Deck integration
- No power button
As you would expect from Elgato, setting up the prompter is child’s play. First of all, you need to find out which camera you want to use the teleprompter with. With the Facecam Pro and other webcams, you also use the included L-bracket, to which the cam is attached using a 1/4-inch thread.
The second attachment is then made to the underside of the L-Bracket with the back of the Elgato Prompter. Simply insert, screw on both sides and you’re ready to go.
The situation is slightly different, but no more complicated, when used with system cameras. In this case, the prompter is pushed onto the camera using the ring mount. The camera is mounted on a tripod or similar holder. To make this possible, Elgato includes a huge selection of so-called “step-up rings” in the package.
Like filters, these are screwed onto the screw thread of the camera. The filter size you need is indicated on the respective lens. These adapter rings are available in the sizes 49 mm, 52 mm, 55 mm, 58 mm, 62 mm, 67 mm, 72 mm, 77 mm and 82 mm and therefore guarantee compatibility with almost every lens from every camera manufacturer.
The only thing to note is that the lens should not have a focal length smaller than 24 mm (full-frame equivalent), otherwise vignetting will be visible. This results in dark edges in the image.
Zoom lenses can also be used without any problems. For example, I tested the prompter with the Fujifilm XT50 APS-C camera with a 16-50 mm lens, which worked perfectly.
The only problem when using it with a system camera is that the prompter sits quite loosely on the lens and can therefore slip quickly. However, this is not a problem if you pay a little attention.
Now all you have to do is connect the prompter via USB-C to USB-A cable and the camera to your PC and notebook and you’re ready to go. The Elgato Prompter also has a 1/4-inch thread on the underside, which can be used to mount it on a tripod, telescopic pole or low profile arm, for example.
The only thing I really miss is a power button. There is no way to switch the teleprompter off. Unless you unplug the USB cable.
But then again, there are plus points for the Stream Deck integration. This is because the entire control of the teleprompter is also possible via the Stream Deck if desired. Simply install the “Camera Hub” plugin and you can adjust the font size, scroll through texts using the dials or switch between the different modes at the touch of a button. There is also an option to switch on and off, but somehow this didn’t work for me.
Versatile use: The Elgato Prompter in practice
- Clear, intuitive software
- rudimentary text customization
- Ingenious voice sync function
In order to use the Elgato Prompter, you will need the Elgato Camera Hub software, which can be downloaded free of charge from the manufacturer’s website. Once this is installed, you can select the “Prompter” menu item at the top left and make further settings there.
Here, for example, you can adjust the brightness and contrast of the integrated display, adjust the font type and size, add borders and change the text and background color. The scrolling of the text on the teleprompter can also be fine-tuned: In addition to the reading position, you can also adjust the speed and activate a text marker that shows where you are in the text.
The script or the text to be displayed on the prompter can then be found on the right-hand side. And this is where the limitations of the Elgato solution quickly become apparent. On the one hand, it is not possible to mark text passages in bold or italics.
On the other hand, inserting scripts already prescribed in other programs proves to be somewhat annoying. This is mainly due to the sections that Elgato adds to the texts. This means you have to make some adjustments after inserting. Other teleprompters manage this more intuitively, but with a little fine-tuning it also works without any problems in the Elgato Prompter.
I find the “Voice Sync” function particularly ingenious. However, this requires the use of an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 graphics card or newer under Windows. What this does is that it synchronizes the text and text position with your voice using your microphone. In practice, this means that the text scrolls automatically at the speed at which you speak.
The Elgato Prompter can do even more
- Use as a second monitor
- Chat display for Twitch
The display of texts is the main area of application. But the Elgato Prompter can do much more – thanks to the integrated display. The teleprompter acts as an additional monitor onto which applications, websites and much more can be simply dragged and dropped.
A 9-inch display as an additional monitor? Really cool and practical.
The chat function is particularly interesting for streamers. Here you simply enter your Twitch channel in the Camera Hub and can then display chat messages from your viewers directly on the prompter. I don’t have a Twitch channel, so I couldn’t really test the feature, but I imagine it would be very practical.
Elgato Prompter Review: Conclusion
The Elgato Prompter is simply brilliant. All those who create videos will be delighted with its versatile possibilities. Whether you need a teleprompter or not remains to be seen.
But a teleprompter is indispensable for reading text while constantly looking into the camera and thus also at the viewers. Elgato’s solution not only impresses with its almost infinite compatibility, but also with its simple operation and the AI voice sync function, which is simply ingenious.
Streamers will also get their money’s worth with this device, while the option of using the prompter as a secondary monitor is also extremely practical. Thanks to the integrated display in particular, the Elgato Prompter is clearly superior to most teleprompter solutions and therefore justifies the higher price.
So is the prompter perfect? No. The adaptations for texts are rather rudimentary, the insertion of prescribed scripts is somewhat cumbersome and the workmanship should also be of a higher quality. But in my opinion, I can get over that because of the excellent practicality.
- Intuitive operation
- Broad compatibility
- Integrated display
- Exciting additional functions
- Voice Sync
- Stream Deck integration
- Plastic construction
- Text customization rudimentary
Elgato Prompter
Design & Workmanship
Compatibility
Software
Practice & functions
Value For Money
95/100
Ingenious teleprompter with integrated display, versatile compatibility and ingenious features. A must-have for creators and streamers.
