CNN Unveils Hologram Technology During Historic Election Day Broadcast

By Tom Rose
Fancast.com

During Election Day coverage on CNN last night, Wolf Blitzer became the first person ever to cross-talk with a colleague via holographic transmission, vastly outdating the traditional split-screen remote location effect. Jessica Yellin, in Chicago, bantered with the Blitzer, in New York, about the futuristic, slightly fuzzy “Star Wars” technology and early voting results, becoming the first person ever transmitted by hologram.

How does it work?

According to USA Today, “CNN will have 44 cameras and 20 computers in each remote location to capture 360-degree imaging data of the person being interviewed. Images are processed and projected by computers and cameras in New York. There’ll also be plasma TVs in Chicago and Phoenix that will let the people being interviewed see Blitzer and other CNN correspondents. The network can project two different views from each city so Blitzer can appear to be in the studio with two holograms.”

Had the election gone differently, more transmissions would have followed from McCain campaign headquarters in Arizona, cutting down on Yellin’s 3-D face time. I can’t help but wonder if at some point she was tempted to blurt out, “Help me, Obama! You’re my only hope!”

Where’s Carrie Fisher when you need her?

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