Look how far we’ve come. Election coverage is so competitive that advanced technology is a must. CNN has impressed me with their election toys. The touch screens, virtual Capitol and the most attention-grabbing CNN Virtual View helped put them above the other guys.
The hologram effect uses technology from Vizrt and partner SportVu. It took 44 HD cameras and 20 computers. Jessica Yellin, the CNN correspondent in Chicago, stood in the center of 35 HD cameras that shot all possible angles. The 16×9 cameras are tilted 90 degrees to shoot the entire body. The feed was then fed to New York where the footage was synced with the studio cameras’ movement. Vizrt and SportVu’s technology super imposed Yellin on the floor giving the effect that Wolf Blitzer was seeing her during the segment.
CNN proudly showed their possible angles of Yellin. It was quite impressive. Supposedly they could have made it look better but chose not to so it would give a holographic look. This way it will match the typical viewer’s perception of what a hologram looks like according to Hollywood.
Something that surprises me is the missed opportunity Vizrt and SportVu had the day after. I combed both of their websites and couldn’t find a word about it. The amount of attention this received the day after could have really given the companies exposure of their brand and what they do. Oh well, I guess Chyron will still continue to be more of a household name.
Below is another use of CNN’s Virtual View. An interview with Will.I.am.
I saw this live on CNN and was amazed. Great summary of this historic television broadcast. I look forward to checking this site for more interesting articles. Nice job on the coding.
TomG
You are right. We were late putting out the news. Anyway, here is an article on how it was done http://www.vizrt.com/news/press_releases/article3918.ece
Nice post u have here Added to my RSS reader
Bob Banks