The word " TelePrompTer " , with internal capitalization , originated as a trade name used by the TelePrompTer Company , which first developed the device in the 1950s . The word " teleprompter " , with no capitalization , has become a genericized trademark , because it is used to refer to similar systems manufactured by many different companies . The United States Patent Office does not have any live trademarks registered for the word '' teleprompter '' , but this does not rule out the possibility of a company enforcing the trademark without registering it . Some other common terms for this type of device are : Modern teleprompters for news programs consist of a personal computer , connected to video monitors on each professional video camera . In certain systems , the PC connects to a separate display device to offer greater flexibility in setup , distances and cabling . The monitors are often black-and-white and have the scanning reversed to compensate for the reflection of the mirror . A peripheral device attached has a knob that can be turned to speed up , slow down , or even reverse the scrolling of the text . The text is usually displayed in white letters on a black background for the best readability , while cues are in inverse video ( black on white ) . Difficult words ( mainly international names ) are spelled out phonetically , as are other particulars like " Nine-eleven " ( to specify that the event 9/11 should not be pronounced " nine-one-one " , for example )
9/11
September 11 attacks
Teleprompter