@Ike_Skelton: "Obama should take Ohio if he uses his defense wisely, however McCain is no stranger to offense and he might blitz at any time"

Thats Dr Bear to You

I guarantee it'll mess up at some point, perhaps catastrophically.

karmaghost

@wjousts: Because they can. Duh.

Lite

For the love of god, WHY!!!

wjousts

God Bless America and their shameless excessiveness.

broho

@jestermeister: It's not live. CNN have known the result for weeks and taped everything in advance.

wjousts

@rjp: Yeah, he has that old man smell.

wjousts

So it's kind of like the football pregame show where they have Madden videogame players with the real people?

Ike_Skelton

@SilasEspesh and rjp: I can't tell you how happy it makes me that you each came to opposite conclusions, but were unified in blaming that conclusion on Wolf Blitzer.

92BuickLeSabre

@bunziole: channel 18 and it starts at 6pm.

x23

Wolf. I command you to poke the hologram with a stick while that person is talking.

Kaiser-Machead's Cookie-Powered LEGO Machine

@bunziole: You'll have to surf the subspace transceiver.

Kaiser-Machead's Cookie-Powered LEGO Machine

Why can't they have "Naked News" election coverage using this technology? And I mean the real "Naked News" not Wolf "The Scud Stud" Blitzing the cameras for us.

Lite

@92BuickLeSabre: It isn't useless. No one wants to be in the room with Wolfie, so they have to beam them in via holograms.

rjp

@tande04: Is there a "post" in live TV?

jestermeister

"The dude being beamed across the country next to Wolf will have 44 cameras trained on him, with 20 computers in his location crunching the video feeds to produce 360-degree imaging data. All of that stuff is sent to New York, where the images are processed and projected by another array of cams and comps. then, plasma TVs back in Chicago and Phoenix will let the interviewees see Wolf and the other CNN people. CNN can project two different views from each city, so Wolf can be flanked by two different holograms."

All of that could have been avoided by purchasing a smarmy little service droid.

JB

@92BuickLeSabre: I was going to try retorting that it's idiots like media execs who are willing to blow money on tech like this that make it more affordable for industries like medicine that might make better use of it... but then I remembered I just can't come to Blitzer's defense.

SilasEspesh

Um... What's the point of 3D holograms if only Wolf can see that they're 3D? Are they going to pan the camera around him continuously?

Elliuotatar

@Kaiser-Machead's Cookie-Powered LEGO Machine: .....something something something dark side

SpeneyG

Dead are the days where the TV only added 10 pounds...

newgalactic

I'm interested in seeing how it ends up working. Its sounding more and more to me like its just going to be a fancy green screen thing done in post.

tande04

@bunziole: Umm, CNN?

jfreel

Wow indeed.

An in: "Wow, what an awful lot of energy, money, and technology to fill a need that absolutely nobody has."

I mean, normally I'm as excited for useless tech as the next Giz reader, but seriously....

92BuickLeSabre

what channel and time

bunziole

.....something something something complete

Kaiser-Machead's Cookie-Powered LEGO Machine

@tande04:

wouldn't that simply be a "sit in"? it'd be pretty silly to stand in a chair.

nutbastard

@newgalactic: Like on "Friends."

Monica (watching old home movies) "Well the camera adds 10 pounds!"

Chandler: "Wow, how many cameras were on you?"

GadgetPlay

@nutbastard: Yep thats how I was reading it too.

My understanding was that there some forms of Holographic projectors. The one that Prince Charles used for example. This just doesn't seem to be one.

Its going to be a live set and you'll see the backs of people's heads who aren't really there every once in awhile.

Could do the same thing by just having a stand in sit in the chair...

tande04

@nutbastard: Well geez, if you want to get all technical about it, yes. But holograms make me feel better inside.

Thats Dr Bear to You

@lpranal: I hope not. That would mean I've been singlehandedly funding the republican party for the better part of the last 3 years.

m4ximusprim3

NOW HOLD ON JUST A SECOND.

If i'm reading this correctly, Wolf won't be able to see the holograms sitting next to him - they'll just be live 3D models rendered into the scene for those of us at home.

Because *GASP* standalone holographic projectors don't actually exist yet.

So you won't be seeing any 'holograms', you'll be seeing video 'chopped into the scene. These are no more holograms than CGI characters in movies are 'holograms'.

nutbastard

@broho: In Dubai, the holograms would sky dive into a harem while drinking white champagne.

FightingChance

@newgalactic: So if they've got 40 cameras wouldn't it add up to 400 lbs? Whoa . . .

admoseremic

I'm guessing the catastrophic failure happens when the hologram of mccain and palin accidentally reveal their true identities - keebler elves on stilts!

lpranal

Hey, if we can get those hologram people interacting with that giant touch screen map they've got I may have a technogasm.

admoseremic

@Elliuotatar: I don't think he'll be seeing them at all.

The only point of it is going to be that instead of having a split screen now it will look like he's talking to them in the studio. You could probably get the same effect by just having both sides have a stand in.

tande04

@rjp: I heard he performs a perfectly executed ThroatBite™ when he gets nervous.

DustyButt

@jestermeister: Yeah I started second guessing the use of that word.

I'd call the weather screens "post" even if that isn't the right word.

What I was trying to say was that the "holograms" aren't going to be in the studio with him. He is going to be staring at nothing eye level and we'll see the finished product on screen.

When they first started talking about it, it sounded more like some of the other holograms that they've done "live" but the more I read about it, the more it just sounds like a silly gimick.

tande04

@karmaghost: Dear God the holodeck will malfunction and the holograms will come to life and try to kill everyone!!

Ike_Skelton

@karmaghost: Why? Will the hologram go crazy and prematurely call Florida for McCain?

Thats Dr Bear to You

@nutbastard: Yeah, so it'll be like the football show, except less cool because there will probably be 100% fewer Madden video game football guys in there running plays.

Ike_Skelton

@nutbastard: You guys sure are being sticklers on the phrases lately. :p

Sure call it what you like.

tande04

@Kaiser-Machead's Cookie-Powered LEGO Machine: LMFAO!!

AJ_Syrinx

@nutbastard: Yes, we were living the future until nutbastard had to bring us back to 1989.

Monty

So I got home from work and turned on CNN and all I see is Wolf Blitzer. And now Anderson Cooper. Is Anderson Cooper really there?!?!?! Yes. Yes he is.

Ike_Skelton

@karmaghost:

True.. You know some production guy is going to slip up and queue some pornography AND just as the the guy blows his load toward the screen.. Blitzers reaction will be priceless.

PlasmaMachine

I suspect that the solution comes from Norwegian Vizrt

From a press release 28 October
4 US networks will use Vizrt during the November 4th Presidential elections. Vizrt will be supplying, on a rental basis, approximately 50 Viz|engines to ABC News, CBS News, all CNN news networks, Fox News, Fox
Business and FOX TV Network.

About the company: www.vizrt.com
Press release: [www.newsweb.no]

blackeyes

@Kaiser-Machead's Cookie-Powered LEGO Machine: Dude... that was the best comment EVAR!!!!!! LMFAO

Cordfucious v 2.0.1

hmm still needs a bit more tweeking to make it even worth it but a good start for a different thing

rexfrmgr

Yeah, it's nice the way she has to describe what's going on where she is because instead of SHOWING WHERE SHE IS! they have her AS A HOLOGRAM AT CNN DESCRIBING WHERE SHE IS!

*sigh*

92BuickLeSabre

I'm watching it now...

CORNY.

Complete with the Princess Leah reference.

DustyButt

Oh boy, it's just a bad chromakey. REALLY bad, heavy outline complete with greenscreen spill. And yes, the only way to even show the concept is if the camera pointlessly tracks around her.

I could do a better job with 2 cameras and my macbook.

jfj

@92BuickLeSabre: Indeed, all this and it will still end up being displayed on my 2D screen here at home.

I imagine they'll have their anchorman walk around the holograms (which will probably look worse than if they were greenscreened in) just to show something that couldn't be done before.

On the more wild but still possible forecast, I won't be surprised to see them "shake hands" and laugh.

Wrathernaut