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Blitzer is expected to use the technology to appear to talk to virtual correspondents in the CNN studio, while their physical bodies remain with the Obama and McCain campaigns. It's like a satellite appearance, except instead of appearing on a 2-D screen, it will look like the correspondents are actually on the set next to Blitzer and other anchors (see lead photo of this story).
The 3-D appearance is not an actual hologram projected into the CNN studios, but rather a virtual hologram, inserted into the video by some sophisticated real-time effects processing. To make it happen, the network has built hologram-enabled satellite sets at both campaign headquarters, in Phoenix and Chicago, that are powered by motion capture and camera tracking telemetry from VizRt and SportVu studios (known for camera tracking). At each location CNN will have more than 44 small, fixed cameras and 20 computers. The cameras will take in 360-degree images of whoever is sitting in the middle of the remote studio.
Once collected, the image data will be processed by software and visual effects, which will synchronize the camera angles on the remote correspondents with those on Blitzer, then insert the satellite feed into the main video.
According to David Bohrman, senior vice president at CNN,
Mr. Blitzer and the correspondents will be addressing a 37-inch plasma screen in a regular 2-D feed in order to 'see' each other. Since they won't actually be able to see the "hologram," anchors will need a visual cue to keep from walking through the holograms — in this case, a circle on the floor.
Bohrman acknowledges this is a "very tough" project to pull off, but the tests over the last week have proven to him that it can done. "It will look very cool," he says.
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