Video is one of the lawyer’s most powerful storytelling tools in civil litigation today, whether used to transport jurors to an incident scene or challenge witness testimonies. It helps lawyers craft strong, evidence-supported narratives that persuade juries, and keeps AV specialists like Stary Technologies, LLC in high demand. Reliable HD capture of video presented on HDMI monitors to a laptop is central to the process. To ensure the signal never goes dark or missing, Stary Technologies Principal Franz Stary deploys AJA U-TAP HDMI.
Meeting diverse AV needs
Before jury selection, Stary collaborates with legal teams to prepare images, videos, x-rays, and other digital evidence, then presents them during trial. Depending on the case, he might verify the origin of a video, restore corrupted media, or blur the faces of minors to ensure privacy. He’s also enhanced security and cell phone camera footage to uncover evidence like the license plate of a hit-and-run or persons of interest.
“Every civil case is different, so our work isn’t always predictable, but video is invariably involved,” said Stary. “Jurors don’t just want to listen to a lawyer speak about fact patterns; they want to see video evidence and supporting documents.”
A setup built for success
At the start of each case, lawyers typically engage in e-discovery, gathering relevant video or documents as evidence, and then consult with experts who may be called on to testify. Stary acts as a go-between for the experts and lawyers, ensuring legal teams can present visual evidence to the jury.
Once all the materials are prepared, the lawyers select a jury, and Stary visits the courtroom to determine the AV needs. With the judge’s permission, he’ll connect an HDMI splitter to the witness stand monitor and take a signal from the splitter to a U-TAP and his laptop. This allows him to capture the main evidence feed presented and admitted by the judge with Open Broadcaster Software (OBS). During the proceedings, the bailiff regulates who can present on this monitor and others.
“U-TAP has been a huge game changer for us, helping us win sizeable cases, including a $48 million verdict in Van Nuys and a $34.1 million one in San Bernardino,” explained Stary. “Having a capture device like U-TAP in the courtroom is just smart, because it just works, and those recordings can come in handy as the case progresses.”
U-TAP is especially valuable when the opposing side fails to share exhibits before presenting them to the jury. In these cases, Stary uses U-TAP to capture everything presented and immediately sends it for paralegal and lawyer review. This allows Stary’s team to re-present documents previously shared by the opposition and clarify any mischaracterization.
“I’ve come to rely on AJA’s U-TAP in the courtroom. AJA products are well built and exceed expectations,” he said. “With U-TAP in my toolkit, I don’t have to worry about the other side trying to sandbag my client because we have everything well documented.”
Refining for the future
With modern AV technology advancing rapidly and growing more accessible, Stary sees the role of video only growing in courtrooms. With that in mind, he’s focused on improving his knowledge of AI and forensic video.
He concluded, “Video used to be cumbersome to shoot, but today everyone has a high-quality camera in their pocket, and AI and forensic digital fingerprinting for evidence will change the game. As far as resolution, courtroom AV will stay HD for quite some time, and for me, there’s no better way to capture high quality video evidence than with U-TAP.”
Find out more about Stary Technologies, LLC, and connect with an AJA team member to explore U-TAP applications in the courtroom and beyond.
About AJA U-TAP
AJA U-TAP devices are 3G-SDI or HDMI USB 3.0 capture solutions that bring professional connectivity and high quality video capture to laptops and workstations. A bus-powered device with the ability to simply and easily bring in video across 3G-SDI or HDMI for use within a wide range of software without any drivers to install, U-TAP is supported directly in macOS®, Windows®, and Linux®. www.aja.com/products/
About AJA Video Systems
Since 1993, AJA Video Systems has been a leading manufacturer of cutting-edge technology for the broadcast, cinema, proAV, and post production markets. The company develops a range of flexible baseband and IP video/audio interface and conversion technologies, digital video recording solutions, and color management, streaming, and remote production tools. All AJA products are designed and manufactured at our facilities in Grass Valley, California, and sold through an extensive sales channel of resellers and systems integrators around the world. For further information, please see our website at www.aja.com.
