A tally light is a visual indicator used in video production to signal when a camera is live (on-air), in preview, or in standby. It tells on-camera talent which camera to address and tells camera operators which camera is currently active.
Camera is being broadcast or recorded
Camera is next — prepare to go live
Heads up, transition coming
Camera is not active
Traditional tally lights receive a signal from a video switcher — the device that switches between camera inputs. When the switcher cuts to Camera 1, it sends a tally signal to Camera 1's light. Modern software-based systems like Cue Light replace dedicated hardware with browser displays on any phone or tablet, using cloud infrastructure instead of local network broadcasting.
Cue Light turns any phone into a tally display. Free, no hardware, works over the internet.
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