Follow up to the Future of a Media Industry-Hologram

Have you been watching the news lately? If not, here is what you have been missing out on. Just recently on November 4th of 2008 on Election Day, CNN broadcasted an example of Holographic image technology. Although this was not a real Holographic, this is a great example on how the Future of Media will be. This embedded video clip from you tube serves good evidence. I believe this new technique and this new approach will be set off into another direction. Not only will we see this on the television series of Star Wars, but we will also see this in the future of our media industry.

As you can see the news begins with Wolf Blitzer where he mentions that CNN is going to do something different that’s never been done on television. Seconds later Jessica Yellin, ET’s reporter who was in Chicago, appears in holographic form at the CNN election center. As Blitzer mentions, she is said to be the first who is beamed into the CNN election center. Yellin appeared somewhat fuzzy and her image projected a few feet in front of Blitzer, a red glow appeared around the edges of her. While having conversation with Blitzer, she refers herself as the Star Wars character Princess Leia. She then explains the remarkable set up of this projected hologram. Her image was being filmed in Chicago by 35 high-definition cameras set in a ring inside a special tent, which were processed and synchronized by 20 computers to the cameras in the New York studio. This technique helped transmit what looks like an entire body image. A remark that Blitzer states to allow the viewers believe that he was really seeing her as he would see her in reality was, “Its still Jessica Yellin, and you look like Jessica Yellin, and we know that you are Jessica Yellin.” The way he addressed this seemed like he really wanted the viewers to believe that he was actually seeing her in holographic form.

Many viewers made negative compliments about the “via hologram” that was being aired on CNN. I found some examples, but the one I found to be my most interest was this one.


What the heck were they thinking? It was obvious that they weren't holograms, but for ANY news agency to pretend otherwise is silly at best, insulting and LIES at...worst? No, insulting and lies is exactly what it was.
And CNN is supposed to be a class act? The world standard?
Really, what the...heck...were they thinking? It wasn't April Fool's day either, it was coverage of THE BIGGEST STORY IN YEARS!!!

Although what you saw was not a real Hologram, I believe this new technique and this new approach of Holographic Technology will be launched into another direction in the future. Many years down the road from now there is going to be a way that television does interviews like this because it allows for a much more intimate possibility for a better interview.