Companies

See the Resources Page for downloadable instructions, troubleshooting document, and useful notices to print for front of house use.

How do I set up the Difference Engine with a new script?
> See the operating instructions on the Resources page for details
> How long this takes depends on how long the script is. It’s not very complicated, but it can take a couple of hours, so make sure to factor this in.

The captions aren’t showing on mobile devices
> Check the laptop is connected to the ‘DifferenceEngine’ WiFi network
> Check the devices are connected to the ‘DifferenceEngine’ WiFi network.
> Have you switched to Broadcast mode?  Captions won’t display if you are in Edit mode. Press S to switch between Edit and Broadcast modes.
> Check that the cell you have selected is in the CH1 column.
> Make sure to try the classic IT troubleshooting routine – try closing the software and app and then reopening. Try shuttign down the Difference Engine laptop completely. If you have been using the system – e.g. on and off over a few days of rehearsals – you might need to completely restart your phone at some point.  It’s best to always completely close the software and the app at the end of each session, to make sure it doesn’t go on running any old processes in the background.
> If the app won’t connect on a device, try accessing via a browser, using the url 192.168.0.105

The captions aren’t working via the browser option
> See Operating instructions on the Resources page.

How much does it cost?
> Hire fees vary according to length of time you need it for and the size of your organisation. Fill in this booking request form and email the completed form to birdmail@talkingbirds.co.uk and we will be able let you know the cost of hiring the Difference Engine. This will also enable us to reserve a kit for you, assuming we have one available, so it’s best to do this as soon as possible as the limited number of kits we have are liable to get booked up very quickly.
> Other costs to bear in mind – someone will need to prepare the captions beforehand and run the captions during the event. You will also need to post the Difference Engine back to us at the end of the hire (we use Royal Mail Special Delivery  by 1pm next day, which is about £17.50, and has the right level of insurance cover).

Can Talking Birds provide a Difference Engine Operator?
> We just hire out the kit to you, and as a small theatre company ourselves, unfortunately we don’t have the capacity to organise operators. However, the system is simple to operate: we have had stage managers, producers, directors, administrators and people from various other roles operate captions, just using the written instructions.

Can we use our own laptop and router to run the Difference Engine?
> Not at the moment – in due course we expect to turn it into a downloadable software package, but as things are changing so rapidly at the moment, as we continue to develop it, and to ensure any problems encountered are not due to hardware, we’re only making it available on our kits for now.

Can we buy our own Difference Engine system?
> The Difference Engine is only available to hire. In due course we hope to turn it into a downloadable software package, probably made available on a subscription model, to run on your own hardware.