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How the CNN Holographic Interview System Works

gizmodo.com — CNN's holographic election coverage is fancy pantsy, but how did they manage to send 3D 360 degree footage of virtual correspondent Jessica Yellin from Chicago all the way to the station's election center in NY? As Arthur C. Clarke says, Magic. A magic made possible with forty-four HD cameras and 20 computers. Here are the details.

Who dugg this? Made popular Nov 6, 2008

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  • mattlevesque, on 11/05/2008, -1/+193It's not really a hologram, there's no projection in the studio. It's only a CGI trick.
  • Adam420, on 11/05/2008, -14/+139Very unnecessary.
  • sunburner, on 11/06/2008, -5/+122I liked it. It made me feel like we're living in the year 2000.
  • kufurex, on 11/05/2008, -9/+122All that and it's not even an actual hologram...ha ha.

    CNN is the master of useless technology.
  • adderx99, on 11/05/2008, -2/+72this is all done in a very similar way to the scrimmage lines being drawn on the field of American football matches. the technology isnt really anything new. this just happens to be the first time on cnn that it was used to televise a person.
  • jeffvvisoft, on 11/06/2008, -0/+40Would have been cooler if her image was light blue and flicker occasionally due to asteroid interference. Also, Wolf holding a light saber would have helped too.
  • souljaboy6666, on 11/06/2008, -1/+38I laughed my ass off when I saw this. I loved it when he said "We did it!" It was like I was watching a crappy fan made starwars movie.
  • LiberalsSuckAss, on 11/06/2008, -13/+41What I saw of it was pretty gay looking. They were putting in fake "distortion" to make it look all sci-fi like, and there was this annoying blue glow that it appeared they intentionally inserted.

    I call it an EPIC FAIL.
  • sonofashoe, on 11/06/2008, -4/+29Cheesy.
  • sjbdallas, on 11/06/2008, -1/+26Can we stop posting stories claiming that they did a hologram? It's a camera trick, not a hologram. It wasn't a 3d image beamed into a studio is was the combination of several images in the computer before it was broadcast. Wolf Blitzer was staring at empty space, not a person or representation of a person.
    It was a fancy camera trick, nothing more. And the stupid glowing and shakiness was deliberate to make everyone think it was some kind of cutting edge technology. If they had a dinosaur standing there in front of Wolf everyone would know it was computerized camera trick but because it was a live reporter and they called it a hologram everyone's got a hard on.
  • Dante001, on 11/06/2008, -3/+27"Unfortunately, it doesn't look like the images are actually "projected" "

    WHAT???? Of course they weren't f*&kin projected how retarded is the guy that wrote this, I think if the technology to project 3D Video in to thin air had been invented, we might just have heard by now.
  • kaijunexus, on 11/06/2008, -3/+25In the year two-thousand...IN THE YEAR two-THOUSAND!
  • aurorion, on 11/06/2008, -3/+25Wait till the porn industry gets hold of it...
  • Shaggy3, on 11/06/2008, -2/+24Everybody keeps overlooking this tidbit.
  • macaholic, on 11/06/2008, -2/+24You can see the raw feed on the camera display if you watch the video, Wolf is looking at nothing.
  • Jforsyth89, on 11/06/2008, -0/+19If only there was some sort of article that answered this question...
  • aussieNickuss, on 11/06/2008, -2/+20One would think there's not a thing wrong with your economy when a news station can use 44 HD cameras and 20 (I'm assuming quite powerful) computers.....just for a few minutes of gimic.
  • SQLserver, on 11/06/2008, -2/+20This has made me very, very sad.
  • S5S5S5, on 11/05/2008, -6/+24Problem: Match studio camera angle to subject camera angle.

    Answer:

    Use 35 cameras+20 computers
    or
    Track studio camera angle and match it to the subject camera angle using 1 camera and 1 computer.
  • slickwatson, on 11/06/2008, -4/+19Help Me Wolf Blizter... You're My Only Hope!
  • jeffvvisoft, on 11/06/2008, -0/+12Someone in the control room should have pressed the "bikini" button.
  • HCviolence, on 11/06/2008, -1/+12Exactly, it's basically a multi angled green screen effect. There isn't a Jessica Yellin in the CNN news room that's made out of light.
  • Typhoon2009, on 11/06/2008, -0/+10Pretty corny, but the 3D congress was pretty nifty.
  • Disease, on 11/06/2008, -1/+11Honestly what was accomplished with this whole segment?
  • mcsenget, on 11/06/2008, -1/+10no
  • philomatic, on 02/08/2009, -1/+10...the future, Conan?
  • d0nkeym0nkey, on 11/06/2008, -2/+10Imagine what would happen if princess Leia had to use 40 cameras to send a message to Obi-wan...
  • roijen, on 11/06/2008, -0/+8Great now you have me debating inside my head about whether it was better to use encyclopedia or dictionary.
  • DavidinBoston, on 11/06/2008, -4/+12I'm really sick of people using the word gay to mean bad.

    I call that EPIC FAIL.
  • frieddonuts, on 11/06/2008, -1/+9Sorry, just saw I said the same sentence twice.
    Sorry, just saw I said the same sentence twice. ;)
  • KenSPT, on 11/05/2008, -6/+14The fun things I would do with a 3D hologram of Soledad O'Brien or Kiran Chetry ...
  • kelowna4life, on 11/06/2008, -0/+8i was ***** stoked on this until i heard it was just super imposed onto the TV..shame on you CNN
  • inigomntoya, on 11/06/2008, -0/+7A lightsaber? To fight the hologram? That's absurd!
    Then again, Wolf is getting old...
    "Stand BACK you demon! What have you done with Jessica Yellin! The REAL Jessica Yellin!"
  • chkdg8, on 11/06/2008, -1/+8By using the Force?
  • Murdats, on 11/06/2008, -1/+8so when the studio cameras change angle she changes angle, otherwise she would be looking at your screen when the camera pans around which would just look wierd)
  • bxblox, on 11/06/2008, -0/+6That football stuff is like freakin magic....
  • Murdats, on 11/06/2008, -0/+6well obviously you haven't been listening much, the technology does indeed exist, its just not very good at the moment

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volumetric_display
  • INTERNETMASTER, on 11/06/2008, -0/+6this thing sucks. it's just a dumb gimmick. is this supposed to boost ratings or something?
  • mcsenget, on 11/06/2008, -5/+11No *****, seriously.

    I think everybody knew that.

    Wolf Blitzer didn't use an encyclopedia to ensure that he used the right word, so he said hologram.
  • aussieNickuss, on 11/06/2008, -0/+5So she doesn't look like a sprite monster from Doom or Duke3D.
  • electronicghost, on 11/06/2008, -0/+5definitely overkill - just need a motion controlled camera on her end, but I guess since they switch angles so much....
  • credential101, on 11/06/2008, -1/+6waste of money
  • vegel, on 11/06/2008, -0/+5She looks flat.
  • aftern9ne, on 11/06/2008, -0/+5Me: So you're not really a hologram?

    Hologram: No, but I play one on TV.
  • philomatic, on 02/08/2009, -1/+6But it's the first step into some really cool technology.
  • Spymodhf, on 11/06/2008, -1/+6shes hot
  • GoKings, on 11/06/2008, -2/+7Que the endless Obi Wan Kenobi jokes about being the only hope.
  • the2989, on 11/06/2008, -3/+7No, this was freakin cool. I doubt that they'll just throw the technology away.
  • cknyan, on 11/06/2008, -1/+5The touch screen is still awesome.
  • inactive, on 11/06/2008, -3/+7Saying EPIC FAIL is ***** gay.
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