How it works | Text2screen

TEXT2SCREEN is a versatile web based service with many different setup options and configurations. The setup you use will depend on your current or desired hardware, and your usage requirements. Read on to discover more about different hardware and setup configurations!

HOW IT WORKS

At the heart of the service are the Text2screen web servers which are hosted by industry leading partners.

Your customers can send text messages to Text2screen using our WebChat feature, or their usual messaging services using a phone number you set up. The messages are then forwarded to the administrator page to censor bad language, discard, block user, format text etc. Text2screen then sends the message to an output page which can be displayed on a large screen.

The devices required to implement the service are varied, and will depend on the type of hardware setup that suits your needs.

CUSTOMER MESSAGING DEVICE

In most instances this would be a mobile phone but could just as easily be a laptop, tablet or PC (especially in a workplace environment). At present customers can log into a WebChat screen to send a message through their usual web browser, or send a message using SMS or WhatsApp.

MESSAGE RECEIVING DEVICE

This will be any device capable of receiving messages sent to your phone number. This will usually be a mobile phone, but you could use also a laptop or tablet with a data SIM. We currently use Pushbullet to manage message receiving so this device will need to be compatible. Unfortunately, iOS is not currently compatible with Pushbullet. Your system would still be able to use WebChat however, as a receiving device is not required to use it. It would be worth considering purchasing a cheap android phone if you require the SMS/WhatsApp connectivity.

ADMIN CONTROL DEVICE

This device is used to display the controller page from which you would administer the submitted messages prior to their display. Ideally this would be a laptop or tablet. Although you could use the same device as the message receiving device as this is a web page, if you are using a phone then workspace would be limited.

OUPUT SCREEN DEVICE

This is the screen which will display the approved messages in a list. This device could be a single SMART TV connected to text2screen through its web browser; or any TV with a HDMI input which would be connected to a web browser on the Admin control device.

The output screen device could also be a video matrix which would forward the output to many TV monitors.

The minimum requirements to implement Text2screen would be an android phone/tablet/laptop (with SIM card) and a TV/smartTV.

HARDWARE OPTIONS

Any of the following hardware arrangements will work with TEXT2SCREEN. If you would like further advice on hardware selection or installation please check out the COMMUNITY GROUPS, or contact us by EMAIL for a personal assistance.

For detailed Text2screen/software setup and configuration please see the relevant pages in the manual, which is available directly from the controller page.

PHONE & SMART TV

This is the most basic hardware arrangement which can harness the power of Text2screen. If you have an android phone you can use both the WebChat and Pushbullet inputs; but unfortunately iPhones are incompatible with Pushbullet at present so WebChat is the only input option AS AN ADMINISTRATOR.

This limitation does not affect customers who are texting to the screen; they are only limited by the communication apps on their device. Both Android and iPhone devices can support SMS, WhatsApp and web browsers for WebChat input.

ANDROID PHONE & TV

This hardware option is very easy to setup if you have an Android phone and a TV very close by. It also excels where there is limited or no Wi-Fi available.

Most modern Android phones can support an external monitor by using a USB-C to HDMI adapter, allowing you to mirror your phone's screen onto a larger display; however, compatibility depends on your specific device model and whether it supports the necessary "Alt Mode" feature on the USB-C port. On your phone, access the display settings to choose whether you want to mirror or extend your screen.

TABLET OR LAPTOP & TV

This hardware option expands on the first illustration, but by using a laptop or tablet you can increase the useable screen space available for the controller page. It also enables easier navigation and with a data SIM it can use the cellular network for connectivity.

PHONE & LAPTOP & TV

In this configuration the phone receives the messages from the customer which it sends to the TEXT2SCREEN cloud server for processing. The laptop connects directly to the server also to display the Admin Control page and the Output page. The Output page is displayed on a TV which is setup as an external laptop monitor, connected with a HDMI cable.

PHONE & LAPTOP & VIDEO MATRIX & MANY TVS

This configuration is setup the same as the previous one except that the output page connects to a video matrix box, which then distributes the video signal to many TVs. In this case the video matrix is 1in & 4out, but there are many types available. If you subscribe to the ULTIMATE package which has different output pages for messages, voting etc. then you could use a 2in 4out and have half the screens displaying messages and half displaying a survey... the possibilities are endless!

CONTROLLER PAGE

As the system administrator you will control all incoming/outgoing messages, admin/direct messages, settings, formatting etc from this page. When you first open this page you will have a couple of brief notifications pop up in the bottom left depending on what INPUTS you have set up.

PLEASE NOTE: You will not be able to access this page unless you have purchased a SUBSCRIPTION PLAN.

The manual describes all features found in the ADVANCED subscription. The STANDARD subscription will not have every option available; although you can see what options are available they will be disabled.

ULTIMATE subscribers will have access to a dedicated manual for their features!

Clicking on the logo will take you back to the main website. You will see a confirmation box as this action will close the controller page.
This is a link to the manual. It will open in a separate tab in your browser, leaving the controller page accessible.
From here you can access all the settings and set up of Text2screen. All the available settings are explained in detail in the SETTINGS part of the manual.
Message preview area (see below).
Type your chosen UserID here.
Type a message into this box. If previous messages have been saved when you will see a drop-down menu to re-select the original message (see below).
Save message typed in box, so it can be recalled using the drop-down menu.
Send message to the preview area, for formatting. Admin messages can also be set to be automatically sent to the display screen, in settings.

MESSAGE PREVIEW AREA

The message previews can be comprehensively formatted before being sent to the output display. The icons to the left of the individual message can be clicked to perform certain actions.

Send message to the display screen.

Delete message.

Message is NOT censored.

Message is censored.

Block the message sender.

Format this message.

The message icon immediately to the left of the UserID/4-digit number shows where the message has come from.

Message sent by customer using SMS.

Message sent by customer using WhatsApp.

Message sent by customer using WebChat.

Message sent by Admin directly from controller page.

SAVED MESSAGES

When you click SAVE after typing a message in the box it will save it for recalling at a later date. This saves time communicating general messages to customers, especially if you are multitasking (e.g. DJing, tending the bar, managing venue...)

You can also access and edit your saved messages through the CUSTOM MESSAGES tab in settings.

OUTPUT PAGE

After you have moderated and/or formatted messages on the controller page they will be sent here. Depending on your chosen hardware setup there are a number of ways to display the output page. The URL for the output page is shown in the OUTPUTS tab of the settings window, and is unique to your subscription account. At present you can only direct to ONE output page. This can be connected to many screens, of course!

If you subscribe to the ULTIMATE plan, you can direct messages, photos, votes etc to different output pages.

There are many different ways to format the output page; please see the outputs tab in settings for detailed guidance/options.

EXAMPLE SCREEN 1

In this example we have a graduated background of three colors, a logo in the top left of the screen, and a phone number in the bottom left. The message box can be resized and positioned anywhere on the screen, and it's background can be set from black to totally transparent.

The formatting of the message text; color, size, style etc are all set in the Admin page.

EXAMPLE SCREEN 2

In this example there is a background image instead of colors. This opens up the possibilities of customising the logo, phone number and other text shown. The Text2screen logo is always shown on the STANDARD subscription, but can be removed on the other plans.

EXAMPLE SCREEN 3

This example shows a venue photo which has been edited to include the venues own logo, additional text and customised phone number. It also includes the custom chat background as part of the image, with the transparency of the chatbox set at 100% in settings.

As you can see the possibilities are vast, even with a simple hardware setup.

EXAMPLE SCREEN 4

The final example shows what can be done with a little creativity and video editing/broadcast software.

If you display the output window in something like VIRTUAL DJ (excellent DJ software) or OBS (excellent FREE broadcasting software) you could use a live video feed of your venue, or run video/photo slideshow promotions as the background!

If you are a DJ/VJ who mixes music videos or has personalise sound-to-light visuals you could use these also.

THE ONLY LIMIT IS YOUR OWN CREATIVITY...