VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

Tom Test · DC Joined: 23 Jan 2007 Posts: 629 Location: Chicago, IL

Hey there,

I often will get scripts in a Hobo Laughing

F format, which is not ideal for me. It often is wasteful of ink and paper, and I much prefer to be able to format a script to suit my tastes (eg, font style and size, margins, line spacing). I'd like to find an easy and free way to convert Hobo Laughing

F files to a Word doc. Any suggestions?

I've been looking at places like CNET's download.com and Gizmo's freeware for suggestions, so I do have some possibilities. But if someone else has already figured this out, I'm all ears!

....or, can someone suggest a CHEAP tablet-based solution (i.e., not a $700 iPad2)? I would think that a Kindle is just a little too small. I have a new Dell Mini 10" netbook that is totally silent, but it's still relatively big and clunky. It would be great to eventually be able to stop printing out all my scripts. Is there some crippled cheap-o iPad knockoff that is fairly useless except for displaying text that I could use?
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Kristin Lennox · Flight Attendant Joined: 30 Apr 2011 Posts: 858

Zamzar.com

I use them to convert all sorts of strange files to something I can actually open.

I just experimented for you, and turned a .pdf into a .doc, no problem.

It's free and very reliable.
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heyguido · Posted: Fri Oct 14, 2011 9:04 am Post subject:

Tom.... I use a Samsung Galaxy Tab. Good screen resolution, WIFI, and totally silent. Touchpad screen for effortless scrolling, just flick your finger. Android based, so you can use Google Docs for file conversion and storage. Pick one up on Craigslist for $200 or so. HP's Touchpad recently went on firesale for only $99, though they're hard to find. Most of the Android based pads can be had for less than $300 on CL. Archos makes a few that can be picked up for even less, but their functionality is poor. Gear Acquisition Syndrome.... Isn't it great?
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Tom Test · DC Joined: 23 Jan 2007 Posts: 629 Location: Chicago, IL

Hey Kristin,

Nice to meet you at Faffcon, by the way! Your smiling face was the first I saw and spoke to that weekend, which was a nice way to kick it off. Zamzar was one of the options mentioned on Gizmo, so I will give that a try for sure. Thanks!

And Dan, thanks for your suggestions. I'm concerned about screen size. I worry that having to scroll too much may interfere with my performance. I'm hoping for something at least 8 x 10-ish, so I can read a :60 script (at a font-size readable by my middle-aged eyes, like 12), without having to scroll. Is that possible with the tablets you mentioned? If the HP oad had worked size-wise, I wish I would have bitten on that when they came up on WOOT awhile back...
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Tom Test
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heyguido · Posted: Fri Oct 14, 2011 9:23 am Post subject:

Most of the android tablets, like the iPad, are 10" screens, approximately the size of a sheet of paper. Scrolling can also be set up like a teleprompter, at a rate you're comfortable with. I'd recommend a visit to BestBuy, or your neighborhood equivalent, to play with a few, and see what you think of them. Some screens are better than others.... brightness, pixel density, and color saturation vary. I personally prefer the Samsung, which I find to be the most brilliant of the lot. Find one you like, and then troll CL for a used one. A used iPad 1 gets cheaper by the day, too....
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Don Brookshire
"Wait.... They wanna PAY me for this?"

Lizden · Posted: Fri Oct 14, 2011 10:02 am Post subject:

What about a monitor in your booth?
Are you close enough so that you can connect that 2nd monitor from your booth to your computer.
I got an 18" monitor for $99 at Staples, and then got a wireless mouse & keyboard that I keep in the booth.
I will admit I don't use it all the time, but it is invaluable with Word2Wav & when I have a certain client that phone patches in & has the script on GoToMeeting.
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Tom Test · DC Joined: 23 Jan 2007 Posts: 629 Location: Chicago, IL

Hello Liz!

Yes, that is certainly one of my options. I have a thread going on FB right now about this very issue in fact. It certainly is a cheap option, and I do have an extra 19" monitor, would just need a wireless mouse. My concern is that drilling an extra hole in my booth may compromise its ability to keep our unwanted noise. Right now it is great at high-frequency noise (rain, computer fans, etc)., but not so good for low-frequency noise (like my condo neighbor's a/c compressor). I'm afraid of making that issue worse. My fear may be overblown - I'll ask Mike Sommers.
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Tom Test
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Lisa · Posted: Fri Oct 14, 2011 11:51 am Post subject:

I've been reading all of this with great interest. Glad to know I'm not the only one who prefers a larger font. I also find myself breaking up the script by double-spacing or isolating phrases. Not having to think about the words on the page allows me to concentrate more on delivery.
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Lisa

Lee Gordon · Posted: Fri Oct 14, 2011 3:44 pm Post subject:

Yonie · CM Joined: 31 Aug 2011 Posts: 906

Adam Verner · Posted: Tue Nov 01, 2011 1:13 pm Post subject:

Just want to throw in a plug for the Samsung Galaxy Tab - I have the 10.1 4g version, new in September or so. The size is great for reading PDFs, and I use a program called Repligo that allows me to mark up audio book scripts, etc...then transfer them easily to my computer to read off the monitor in the booth.

The 4g speed is fantastic as well....often faster than my DSL line at home. I have the 2 gig per month service for $30...enough for email and basic internet use as long as I'm not streaming movies or anything crazy. My only complaint is the battery life...I have to charge it every night, and if I were to be using it all day it might conk out by the end. Otherwise I love it!

And don't forget....AngryBirds....
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ccpetersen · Posted: Tue Nov 01, 2011 3:30 pm Post subject:

If you have the full Acrobat program, it will let you "save as" any format you want, including a Word doc.

If you're using the Acrobat reader (which is free), there's an option under the "File" dropdown to save as TXT, which you can then import into Word and resize as you wish.

georgethetech · Posted: Tue Nov 01, 2011 11:13 pm Post subject:

I've mounted LCD monitors on the walls of many studios, it's not a concern. Ever get a nail in your tire and it doesn't go flat til you remove the nail?
Same idea... I say go with the LCD monitor and get a 15' USB cable for mouse/keyboard. Wireless is annoying when the batteries die mid session.
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