Room Settings
Room Settings control event-wide display formatting that applies to every screen and controller connected to your event. Set the timezone, choose how timers and clocks are formatted, and configure overtime behavior — all from one place.
Open the Event dropdown in the controller and select Room Settings. Changes apply instantly to all connected screens via real-time sync.
Room Settings are event-level — they apply to every output link for this event. If you need a specific screen to show a different timezone, you can override it per link in Link Options.
Timezone
Set the timezone used for the time-of-day clock on all screens.
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Browser default | Uses each viewer's local browser timezone. This is the default — screens in New York show Eastern time, screens in London show GMT. |
| Specific timezone | Lock all screens to one timezone regardless of where they are physically located. Choose from 16 major timezones worldwide. |
Available timezones:
- America / New York, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, Toronto, Vancouver
- Europe / London, Paris, Berlin
- Asia / Tokyo, Shanghai, Singapore, Dubai, Kolkata
- Australia / Sydney
- Pacific / Auckland
Your conference is in New York, but a remote speaker in Tokyo is watching the speaker screen. With timezone set to America/New_York, their screen shows New York time so they know exactly when their session starts relative to the event schedule.
Room Timezone vs. Per-Link Override
Room Settings timezone sets the default for all screens. The per-link timezone override in Link Options lets you change the timezone for one specific screen without affecting the rest.
| Room Timezone | Per-Link Override | |
|---|---|---|
| Scope | All screens in the event | One specific output link only |
| Set from | Room Settings modal | Link Options when generating a link |
| Use case | Your event is in one city — set it once | One screen is in a different city than the event |
| Priority | Default for all links | Overrides the room timezone for that link |
Time of Day Format
Choose how the clock displays the current time on screens.
| Format | Example | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Browser default | varies | Uses the viewer's browser locale setting (12h or 24h depending on their system) |
| 24h with seconds | 19:05:21 | 24-hour format showing hours, minutes, and seconds |
| 24h without seconds | 19:05 | 24-hour format showing hours and minutes only |
| 12h with AM/PM + seconds | 7:05:21 PM | 12-hour format with seconds and AM/PM indicator |
| 12h with AM/PM | 7:05 PM | 12-hour format with AM/PM indicator, no seconds |
| 12h with seconds (no AM/PM) | 7:05:21 | 12-hour format with seconds but without AM/PM label |
| 12h without seconds (no AM/PM) | 7:05 | 12-hour format without seconds or AM/PM label |
Use 24h without seconds for a clean, professional look on audience-facing screens. Use 12h with AM/PM if your audience is more comfortable with 12-hour time.
Countdown Format
Choose how the countdown timer displays remaining time.
Smart Formats
These automatically show only the time units needed — no leading zeros for hours when the timer is under an hour.
| Format | Example | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Auto (default) | 45 / 5:30 / 1:30:00 / 2d 05:30:00 | Automatically includes days, hours, minutes, and seconds as needed. The smartest option for most events. |
| Smart no days | 45 / 5:30 / 1:30:00 | Same as Auto but never shows days — hours keep accumulating instead (e.g., 49:30:00 instead of 2d 01:30:00) |
| Smart no days with tenths | 45.3 / 5:30.7 | Same as Smart no days but adds a tenth-of-a-second decimal |
Numeric Formats
Fixed-width formats with colons separating each unit.
| Format | Example | Description |
|---|---|---|
| d:hh:mm:ss | 2:05:30:00 | Days, hours, minutes, seconds — always shows all units |
| d:hh:mm:ss.S | 2:05:30:00.4 | Same with tenth-of-a-second decimal |
| mmm:ss | 65:30 | Minutes and seconds only — hours roll into minutes (e.g., 1.5 hours = 90:00) |
| mmm:ss.S | 65:30.7 | Same with tenth-of-a-second decimal |
| sss | 3930 | Seconds only — no colons, just a raw count of seconds remaining |
| sss.S | 3930.4 | Same with tenth-of-a-second decimal |
Verbose Formats
Human-readable formats with unit labels (d, h, m, s) instead of colons.
| Format | Example | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Xd | 2d | Days only |
| Xd Xh | 2d 5h | Days and hours |
| Xd Xh Xm | 2d 5h 30m | Days, hours, and minutes |
| Xd Xh Xm Xs | 2d 5h 30m 0s | Days, hours, minutes, and seconds |
| Xh Xm Xs | 5h 30m 0s | Hours, minutes, and seconds (no days) |
| Xm Xs | 330m 0s | Minutes and seconds only |
| Xs | 19800s | Seconds only with label |
For a multi-day hackathon, use Xd Xh Xm to show "1d 23h 45m" — much easier to read than "47:45:00". For a standard 30-minute talk, Auto format gives you a clean "25:30" without unnecessary zeros.
Overtime Behavior
Controls what happens when a session timer reaches 0:00.
| Behavior | What happens | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Continue (default) | The timer keeps counting past zero, showing how far over time the speaker has gone. The display turns red to signal overtime. | Conferences where you want to track how much a speaker exceeds their slot |
| Stop | The timer freezes at 0:00 and stops. No overtime is shown. | Events where you just need a countdown and don't track overtime |
| Hide | The timer disappears entirely when it reaches zero. The screen goes to a clean state with no timer visible. | Presentations where a visible 0:00 or overtime counter would be distracting |
Overtime Prefix
When overtime behavior is set to Continue, this controls how the overtime duration is displayed.
| Prefix | Example | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Plus (default) | +5:30 | Shows a plus sign before the overtime — makes it clear the speaker is over by this amount |
| Minus | -5:30 | Shows a minus sign — some productions prefer negative numbers for overtime (counts 'against' the speaker) |
| None | 5:30 | No prefix — just the time. Use when the red color alone is enough to indicate overtime |
The overtime prefix only applies when Overtime Behavior is set to Continue. If behavior is Stop or Hide, this setting has no effect.
Live Preview
The Room Settings modal shows a live preview of your current time and countdown format as you adjust settings. The preview updates in real time so you can see exactly how your screens will look before confirming changes.
- Browser time vs. Preview time — Compare your local browser clock against the selected timezone side by side
- Countdown preview — See how a sample countdown (1:05:31) renders in your chosen format
- Overtime preview — See how overtime (5:30 over) renders with your selected prefix and color
When changes take effect
Settings broadcast to every connected screen instantly — no refresh needed. Overtime setting changes apply to the next timer that goes past zero, or immediately if a timer is already in overtime.