One of the biggest technlogical stirs this week was the “holograms” featured on CNN’s US Election coverage. Alas, it turned out they weren’t quite xactly holograms. As Coolest Gadgets notes:
As well he should. You see, will.i.am is not an actual hologram, but a special effect. Technology from SportVu and Vizrt shot the footage of will.i.am live with 35 high definition cameras in a ring. These cameras captured the subject in a 3-D realtime setting, and then synced with the cameras at CNN studio.
As you can see, the effect went off without a technological hitch with perfect panning shots, but is not really a hologram. It is more of an adaptation of the “bullet-time” technology used in The Matrix.
So it’s a more fancy version of bluescreen technology so beloved of weathermen for generations past. But let’s not be too disparaging – it is really cool – flawlessly panning round the “hologram”, it did really look like 3D thanks to all those HD cameras.
Will we ever get true holograms in the TV studio? It would certainly have advantages – no more expensive jetting of stars and politicians round the world – they could do it all from the comfort of their living room. And it could of course work both ways – dangerous reporting from wars or natural disasters could become a thing of the past as reporters are just sent virtually.
And if 3D holograms in the studio can become a reality, then what about on your screen at home? TechDigest last year reported on a possible holographic TV (complete with thankfully virtual velociraptors) and boffins in Japan reckon we could have 3D TV by 2020. Perhaps it’s only a matter of time – but would it be a good thing? If those velociraptors are a little too real-looking, don’t we further blend fiction and reality? Might it not be a good thing to keep a fine divide between what is in front of us and what is just being beamed in? As the two become indisinguishable we may have some awkward questions to ask.
Coming back to the the present, take a look at what can be done now. The CNN ‘holograms’ proved perhaps to be a bit too futuristic CNN’s Anderson Cooper, who gets his Star Wars and Star Trek confused – perhaps another sign we’re progressing a bit too fast:
