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Courtroom Technology: Evidence Presentation

The United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Utah has installed electronic evidence presentation systems for displaying both digital and hard-copy evidence on various monitors located throughout the courtroom. Presenters may use the cables located at the lectern and all attorney tables to connect digital devices to the system..

Utilizing the evidence presentaton system creates a streamlined hearing whereby all parties view the exact same document without taking time to search for documents in physical binders. In addition, the system has a robust set of digital annotation tools that can enhance any evidence presentation.

There are links to training videos below and the Courtroom Digital Evidence Presentation System User's Guide provides step-by-step instructions on using the evidence presentation system and annotation tools.

For hands-on training, trial preparation, or to answer any questions regarding the use of any of the technology found in the courtroom, please contact Tina Coates at (801) 524-6625 or tina_coates@utb.uscourts.gov.

Evidence Presentation Equipment

For ease of use, the electronic presentation equipment set up is exactly the same in each courtroom.

  1. Evidence monitors with touch-screen technology that allows parties to annotate documents on the display using a finger to “write” on the screen.
  2. Standard cables to present evidence via laptop (or any digital device) from the lectern or any attorney table.
    1. HDMI and Mini DisplayPort (digital video and audio)
    2. VGA (analog video)
    3. 1/8 in./3.5 mm. Jack (analog audio)
  3. Power
  4. A document camera is located in a drawer on the right side of the lectern for presenting hard-copy documentary evidence. All hard-copy documentary evidence can also be annotated using the digital annotation software tools.

Training Videos

Annotation tools

The annotation tools allow parties to annotate anything that is displayed on the evidence monitor regardless of the source (laptop, android device, IOS device or document camera). It is possible to annotate any digital PDF document, a digital photograph, a video scene after the video has been paused, or any hard-copy document or photograph displayed using the document camera.

Click on the link or picture to view the videos.

Highlighter tool video

Annotation software, highlighter tool image

Rectangle tool video (plus adjusting line size)

Rectangle tool image

Zoom tool videos

Zoom tool image

Undo/Redo and Clear tools videos

Undo, redo, clear tools image

Other parties video

Other parties image

Capture annotation video

Capture annotation tool image

Document camera

It may seem like document cameras have no use in the modern courtroom, but they can be useful to enhance evidence presentations when only hard copy documents are available. Using the document camera allows all parties to view the document on the evidence monitors in front of them and reduces time looking for documents in a binder. The built-in annotation tools can be used to highlight, circle, or mark any annotation on images shown in the evidence monitors in the same manner as digital evidence shown from a laptop.

Training videos show how to set up the document camera and place documents under the document camera. The annotation tools videos show how to annotate the documents on the evidence monitors.

Click on the link or picture to view the videos.

Document camera videos

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