# Zip Solutions Resources We have created a range of resources to help you with a variety of Assistive Listening scenarios. Our experience lies with using these resources in the Classroom and in a theatre setting. #### Assistive Listening Scenarios: * **Assistive Listening in the Classroom:** Enhances the learning experience for students with hearing impairments, ensuring they can clearly hear lectures and discussions. * **Theatre Based Assistive Listening:** Provides an immersive audio experience for audience members with hearing loss, enabling them to enjoy performances to the fullest. * **SMART Technologies Products & Assistive Listening:** Integrates cutting-edge technology with assistive listening devices to improve accessibility in educational and entertainment environments. Click the panels below, to visit that section of our resources.


Assistive Listening in the Classroom	/pages/nEjSdUduHIL1xmnpeqgW	/files/BhYxHH3rDWiKEstEyh5v
Theatre Based Assistive Listening	/pages/We7enAKEDZDxXiUwk90O	/files/rWvg7naUv77cxXwtRTQ5
SMART Technologies Products & Assistive Listening	/pages/6TvidCBx7dwEiZ5zZ274	/files/Y1JshZTV5USW7knwPTgq

# Live Captioning Live Captioning is what we do. If you want to provide live captions in any environment we have resources for you. {% hint style="info" %} If you're looking for resources on integrating live captions, or getting started with Zip Captions visit our site at [help.zipcaptions.app](https://help.zipcaptions.app) {% endhint %} There are number of ways of Live Captioning Events: * Using Open Captions which are overlayed on the video * Using Closed Captions which can be turned on and off on the video * Using Subtitles to translate to another language

# Phonak Roger Touchscreen & BenQ TVs

{% embed url="" %} # Phonak Roger Touchscreen Mic & Smart TVs

{% embed url="" fullWidth="false" %} # Phonak Roger Touchscreen & Smart Board

{% embed url="" %} # Roger Touchscreen with the Roger Media Hub in the Classroom

{% embed url="" %} # Getting to Know the Roger Touchscreen Poster

{% embed url="" %} # Roger Inspiro Resources

Quick Start Guide

![](/files/mtGIIQ5MfcrD2NSC0A48)

Poster

![](/files/BhYxHH3rDWiKEstEyh5v)

# Surtitles (Captions for Theatre) Captioning Live Theatre can be a challenge, especially if actors are not using microphones. The simple way around this is to use software which supports generating Surtitles. {% hint style="info" %} Surtitles are captions which appear above, or beside the stage in live theatre productions. You can read more about Surtitles [here](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surtitles). {% endhint %} A variety of software exists to create Surtitles, this includes, but is not limited to: * [Qstit](https://subtitles.nova-cinema.org/home.en.php) (free) * [Glypheo](http://www.glypheo.com/) (free) * [Panthea](https://panthea.com/software/) ($110 per show) * [Captitles](https://www.captitles.com/) (free) * [Subtivals](http://subtivals.org/) ($150 lifetime - free linux) To use Surtitle software you will need to have access to your script as a line by line text file, or you will need to scan and edit your script. If you are interested in learning more about surtitles, please reach out to us using our [Contact Form](https://kfovfnyc9qy.typeform.com/to/JPFbfyjp). # WiFi Based Assisitive Listening Systems # Case Study - High School Theatre Written by Chris Webb Our theatre space at school is a two storey 1960’s construction space with a lot of concrete. It’s a fantastic space for performing arts, but not a great space for listening. High ceilings, hard surfaces and few soft furnishings make listening hard work. I went to help out a teacher turn on captions for a movie that was being shown in class, and I questioned why we were not able to connect the student’s remote microphone to the computer. After some asking around, and for support from our Itinerant Specialist, we were told that we could indeed plug it in, but this was the end of the conversation that I was involved in. The Pandemic struck and other things became a priority. ![](/files/TCWnVPv1thbwvXRWR6C6) Fast forward 18 months, and a student mentioned that they didn’t have much access to assemblies that were held in that space. Knowing that we could plug in the remote microphone, we tried this out. Our mixer (a Behringer X32 ) is digital, and allows us to create custom outputs using any of the inputs, therefore allowing us to output just what our students with hearing loss need. Plugging in the remote microphone worked, but it only allowed our students to benefit, and not our parents, staff, and other visitors to the space, who don’t necessarily have expensive Roger receivers to connect to a remote microphone. We started to talk with our equipment supplier and we were advised to explore a WiFi based assistive listening system. At the same time, we installed 6 hanging microphones above the stage to amplify the voice on the stage during a drama performance. Getting nerdy for a minute, this caused a whole new challenge as it requires so much cabling. We used XLR to Ethercon adapters to allow us to transmit the sound via a single shielded ethernet cable, instead of multiple XLR cables. Ok, back to the regular programming. Listen Technologies kindly loaned us a WiFi Assistive Listening unit to try out for our winter play, which proved to be a success. It was easy to connect, use and promote. The students who tried it out liked it, and we found that connecting it to a phone was fairly easy. The students who had bluetooth devices could stream from their phones directly, others could use their remote microphones, or personal remote mic. Now we were able to provide a clear and direct stream right to the listener. We ordered a unit and had it installed.

A photo showing the listen everywhere server with the rack ears attached — The Listen Everywhere Unit from Listen Technologies

While providing an audio stream is part of the challenge, this only gives access to some of the sounds and spoken language. To make listening easier, and to ensure that everyone has access we wanted to provide captioning -making use of two TVs that had been installed during the Pandemic to overcome issues with the positioning of our projector screen. This is still an ongoing challenge, and one that we need to overcome. However, we have found that automatic captioning works well provided we are able to identify who is talking and when. We also have the ability to choose the display to send the captions to, to move them closer to a particular student or group, or to display them for all.

We’ve done a lot of work in making this space more accessible, from flexible captions, assistive listening and more. However, there is still far more to be done, and this is just the start of an adventure in assistive listening, not the end. # Introduction We have struggled through getting devices connected up to our SMART Interactive products, including SMART Boards and TV’s. This guide is designed to help you to get started in connecting either, the **Roger Touchscreen Microphone**, the **Roger Inspiro Microphone** or the [**Roger Multimedia Hub**](https://www.listeningaccessability.ca/portfolio/the-roger-multimedia-hub/) directly to a SMART device. These instructions will also work for other assistive listening devices which have a 3.5mm aux input. {% hint style="info" %} #### Digimaster or Roger On *If you are using a **Roger Digimaster**, we would recommend that you connect the Digimaster to the computer, and circumvent the speakers on your SMART hardware.*\ \ *If you are using the Roger On, this can be connected via USB, or via the USB-C to AUX cable which Phonak provide in the box.* {% endhint %} To get started, choose the heading of the SMART product that you use in your classroom, and then choose the connection type that you use. * [Traditional Smart Boards](https://www.listeningaccessability.ca/portfolio/connecting-assistive-listening-devices-to-smart-products/#0-traditional-smart-boards) * [Smart TV](https://www.listeningaccessability.ca/portfolio/connecting-assistive-listening-devices-to-smart-products/#6-smart-tv) # Smart Boards This includes any of the traditional projector based boards * [HDMI Connections](#hdmi-connections) * [VGA Connections](#vga-connections)

#### HDMI Connections {% tabs %} {% tab title="HDMI & HDMI Audio" %} ### **HDMI Audio (You only plug in a HDMI Cable)** More than likely your setup has a cable plugged into the **Audio Out** port on your projector which takes the HDMI audio in, and sends it to your speakers. You will need to split your audio at this point using a 3.5mm Audio splitter. You will: 1. Remove the audio cable from the **Audio Out** port on your projector 2. Plug the splitter into this port 3. Plug the audio cable that you removed into the splitter – this will reconnect your speakers to the projector 4. Connect your audio cable for the FM/DM system to the splitter 5. Plug the audio cable into the FM/DM transmitter. You may need a longer cable than normal for this, especially if this is a permanent installation.

{% endtab %} {% tab title="HDMI & 3.5mm Audio" %} ### 3.5mm Audio (You plug in an audio cable and a HDMI) If you plug a 3.5mm audio cable into your computer, you have the easiest setup. You will need: * 2 x audio cables * 1 x FM/DM Transmitter * 1 x 3.5mm audio splitter **Instructions:** 1. Connect the male part of the splitter to your computer audio jack 2. Connect the cable from your speakers that used to go to your computer into one of the female splitter jacks 3. Connect the additional audio cable to the other female splitter jack 4. Finally plug in the other end of the audio cable into the FM/DM transmitter unit

{% endtab %} {% tab title="HDMI & USB Audio" %} ### USB Audio (Your sound doesn’t work without the USB Cable) To use a splitter in your setup with USB audio, you will need to replace your USB cable with a 3.5mm to RCA cable. This has one end which looks like a headphone cable and then two larger round ends which can connect to your SMART Board USB Speakers. You will need: * 1 x 3.5mm to RCA Cable * 1 x audio cables (3.5mm to 3.5mm) * 1 x FM/DM Transmitter * 1 x 3.5mm audio splitter **Instructions:** 1. Connect the male part of the splitter to your computer audio jack 2. Connect the 3.5mm end of the RCA cable to the splitter 3. Connect the RCA end of the cable into the **Dual RCA** input in the speaker (as shown in the second image on the left) 4. Connect the additional 3.5mm audio cable to the other female splitter jack 5. Plug in the other end of the audio cable into the FM/DM transmitter unit You are now sending audio to the speakers via the RCA cable instead of using the USB audio which we cannot split and send to the FM/DM Transmitter. You will still need to connect the USB cable to your computer, as it is required to connect the touch aspect of your SMART Board. You will need to change the audio output of your computer to the headphone port instead of the USB audio.

{% endtab %} {% endtabs %} #### VGA Connections {% tabs %} {% tab title="VGA & 3.5mm Audio" %} ### 3.5mm Audio (You plug in an audio cable and a VGA) If you plug a 3.5mm audio cable into your computer, you have the easiest setup. You will need: * 2 x audio cables * 1 x FM/DM Transmitter * 1 x 3.5mm audio splitter **Instructions:** 1. Connect the male part of the splitter to your computer audio jack 2. Connect the cable from your speakers that used to go to your computer into one of the female splitter jacks 3. Connect the additional audio cable to the other female splitter jack 4. Finally plug in the other end of the audio cable into the FM/DM transmitter unit

{% endtab %} {% tab title="Second Tab" %} ### USB Audio (Your sound doesn’t work without the USB Cable) To use a splitter in your setup with USB audio, you will need to replace your USB cable with a 3.5mm to RCA cable. This has one end which looks like a headphone cable and then two larger round ends which can connect to your SMART Board USB Speakers. You will need: * 1 x 3.5mm to RCA Cable * 1 x audio cables (3.5mm to 3.5mm) * 1 x FM/DM Transmitter * 1 x 3.5mm audio splitter **Instructions:** 1. Connect the male part of the splitter to your computer audio jack 2. Connect the 3.5mm end of the RCA cable to the splitter 3. Connect the RCA end of the cable into the **Dual RCA** input in the speaker (as shown in the second image on the left) 4. Connect the additional 3.5mm audio cable to the other female splitter jack 5. Plug in the other end of the audio cable into the FM/DM transmitter unit You are now sending audio to the speakers via the RCA cable instead of using the USB audio which we cannot split and send to the FM/DM Transmitter. You will still need to connect the USB cable to your computer, as it is required to connect the touch aspect of your SMART Board. You will need to change the audio output of your computer to the headphone port instead of the USB audio.

{% endtab %} {% endtabs %} # Interactive TVs This applies to all of the major brands of interactive flat panel displays.

There are three main options: {% tabs %} {% tab title="HDMI Audio" %} ### HDMI Audio (You only plug in a HDMI Cable) For the SMART TV Series TVs and the BenQ TVs you will need to use an [Optical (SPDIF) to Analogue audio converter](https://www.google.com/url?q=https%3A%2F%2Famzn.to%2F3HbOCwW\&sa=D\&sntz=1\&usg=AOvVaw1Mh_RR6x7GaRSd0FOvu_Kk). This is an affiliate link, but it’s the unit that we have used. To use this unit: 1. Plug the SPDIF optical cable into the SMART TV 2. Plug the other end of the SPDIF cable into the Optical input on the converter 3. Plug the 3.5mm audio cable into the headphone jack in the converter 4. Plug the USB cable into the peripheral port on the SMART TV as this will provide 5v 5. Plug the other end of the USB cable into the DC5V socket on the adapter. 6. Plug the other end of the 3.5mm audio cable into the FM/DM transmitter. The TV will now automatically output audio via the SPDIF port to the converter {% hint style="info" %} The resources below are desgined to support teachers and Information Services departments to connect devices to different display panels. Click on the link below the images to access the pages dedicated to these resources. {% endhint %}

{% endtab %} {% tab title="Audio Cable Only" %} You told us that you’re using an audio cable. For assistive listening this is the easiest option. This means that you’re going to need to use an audio splitter no matter the device. This plugs into the side of your computer.

You will need: * 2 x audio cables * 1 x FM/DM Transmitter * 1 x 3.5mm audio splitter **Instructions:** 1. Connect the male part of the splitter to your computer audio jack 2. Connect the cable from your speakers that used to go to your computer into one of the female splitter jacks 3. Connect the additional audio cable to the other female splitter jack 4. Finally plug in the other end of the audio cable into the FM/DM transmitter unit {% endtab %} {% endtabs %}