Realtime viewing software lets you read a deposition or hearing transcript on your laptop or tablet as the witness speaks, with only a one- to three-second delay. Instead of waiting days for a rough draft, you can mark testimony, flag contradictions, and feed questions to co-counsel in the moment. For litigators, that immediacy can change how a deposition unfolds.
This guide explains how realtime works, the main software options, and what attorneys and paralegals should know before relying on it.
How Realtime Actually Works
A court reporter writing on a steno machine produces shorthand that their software translates into English text instantly. With realtime enabled, that translated text streams out of the reporter's computer to your device over a local connection or the internet.
There are three common delivery methods:
- Local connection in the deposition room, often via a serial-to-USB cable, a router, or the reporter's Wi-Fi hotspot.
- Cloud or browser-based streaming, where you log in to a session from anywhere with an internet connection.
- Hybrid setups, where some participants are in the room and others view remotely.
You are reading an uncertified, uncorrected feed. Realtime text contains untranslated shorthand, misstrokes, and missing punctuation. It is a working draft, never the official record.
The Main Realtime Viewing Tools
Several products dominate the legal realtime market. The reporter usually tells you which one they support, and many will provide guest access at no extra cost.
- CaseViewNet — Stenograph's viewer, paired with reporters who write on Case CATalyst software. It runs as a desktop application or browser-based connection and supports local and cloud streaming, highlighting, and note-taking.
- Live Litigation / Live Deposition — Browser-based realtime plus video synchronization, used heavily for remote and hybrid depositions.
- Bridge Mobile (Advantage Software) — The companion to Eclipse-based reporters, with apps for iPad, iPhone, Android, Windows, and Mac.
- LiveNote / Case Notebook (part of the Thomson Reuters ecosystem) — A longstanding tool for receiving realtime and managing transcripts, still common in larger firms.
- remoteCounsel, eDepoze, and platform-native viewers — Various deposition platforms bundle their own realtime panes alongside video.
Because each reporter's CAT software pairs with a specific viewer, confirm compatibility ahead of time rather than assuming your preferred app will connect.
What You Can Do With a Live Feed
Realtime is more than reading along. Most viewers let you:
- Highlight and color-code testimony as it appears, then export your marks.
- Type private annotations tied to specific lines, invisible to opposing counsel.
- Search the running transcript to find where a topic came up earlier in the day.
- Send private messages to co-counsel or a remote colleague watching the same feed.
- Quickwrite or flag passages you want in the expedited rough draft.
After the session, you typically receive a rough ASCII file the same day and the certified transcript later. Realtime marks can often be carried into your transcript-management software for cleanup.
Getting Set Up Before the Deposition
A little coordination prevents lost time on the record. Before the date:
- Tell the agency you want realtime when you book. Not every reporter offers it, and demand for realtime-certified reporters can outstrip supply in some markets.
- Confirm the software and access method — local cable, hotspot, or cloud link — and which app you need installed.
- Test your device the day before. Install the viewer, confirm logins, and charge everything.
- Ask about remote participants. Cloud streaming lets an expert or partner read along from another city.
- Clarify cost. Realtime is usually billed as a separate per-page or per-day surcharge on top of the appearance and transcript fees. Rates vary by region and reporter; ask for the realtime line item in writing.
Costs and Practical Trade-offs
Realtime adds expense, so weigh it against the stakes of the testimony. A high-value expert deposition or a key fact witness often justifies it; a brief, routine custodian deposition may not.
Keep these realities in mind:
- The feed is imperfect. Do not quote realtime text as if it were certified. Verify anything important against the final transcript.
- Audio quality drives accuracy. Poor microphones, crosstalk, and people talking over each other degrade the translation. Clean audio helps the reporter and your feed.
- Not all reporters are realtime-certified. Producing clean realtime is a distinct skill, and certified realtime reporters often command premium rates and book early.
- Connectivity matters. For remote viewing, a stable connection on both ends is essential. Have a phone hotspot as backup.
Finding a Realtime-Capable Reporter
Because realtime depends on the reporter's certification and software, the professional matters as much as the app. When you search for a court reporter, ask specifically whether they offer realtime, which viewer they support, and whether they hold a realtime certification.
On courtreporter.co, you can compare court reporters and agencies for free, review their listed services, and reach out directly to confirm realtime availability before you schedule. That lets you match the deposition's importance to a reporter who can deliver a reliable live feed in the format your firm uses.
Bottom Line
Realtime viewing software turns a deposition into an interactive document you can work in as it happens. CaseViewNet, Bridge Mobile, Live Litigation, and LiveNote are the names you will encounter most, each tied to the reporter's underlying software. Confirm compatibility, test early, treat the feed as a draft, and reserve realtime for the testimony where reading along in real time genuinely changes your strategy.