CNN's holographic freakout begins, seems totally bizarre and unnecessary

If you've been keeping your eyes fixed on CNN as this election unfolds, then by now you've seen Wolf Blitzer doing a "hologram" interview with Jessica Yellin. Not only does this technology seem completely creepy, but it's without a doubt one of the most useless and unnecessary pieces of phantasmagoric TV ever enacted. Enjoy some video and two more pics of the weirdness after the break.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

[bob sakamano @ Nov 4th 2008 7:51PM]

help me obi-wan-kinobi, you're my only hope

[Funke, Tobias Dr. @ Nov 4th 2008 8:03PM]

Now that's a name I haven't heard in a long time.

[some guy 2909 @ Nov 4th 2008 8:09PM]

haha

[Sisyphus @ Nov 4th 2008 8:15PM]

I always knew Wolf Blitzer was a fucking droid.

[BJ is Gooder @ Nov 4th 2008 8:16PM]

This was funny before you ripped it off from everyone who said it in the the original post (earlier this afternoon).

-2 for unoriginality.

[bob sakamano @ Nov 4th 2008 8:17PM]

i didn't see it earlier, can you give me my points back?

[Wormbolt @ Nov 4th 2008 8:42PM]

@Sisyphus

He looks more like a Wookie.

[Valicore @ Nov 4th 2008 9:05PM]

When she was saying whatever she was saying about politics, I could only hear princess leia... lol

[atlasfugged @ Nov 4th 2008 10:20PM]

Help John McCain Obi-Wan-Kinobi, you're his only hope.

[kimatg @ Nov 5th 2008 12:25AM]

wasn't it Kenobi?

[erhan @ Nov 5th 2008 12:44AM]

Holographic pr0n. Can't wait.

[AJ in the East Bay @ Nov 5th 2008 12:55AM]

Sheesh, it's "Obi-Wan Kenobi." You guys keep losing geek cred!!!

[Ridgecity @ Nov 5th 2008 1:36AM]

very funny. Did you know beer stings when you blow it out through your nose while laughing?

[djmoon @ Nov 5th 2008 3:52AM]

"This is my apprentice, Darth Palin. She will find your 'lost ship'..."

[Sparky @ Nov 5th 2008 4:03AM]

Should it be Obama-Wan Kenobi ?

Empire defeated.

Star Power: A New Hope.
Palin MMXII: The Empire Struck Dumb.

[Strormcracker @ Nov 6th 2008 1:27AM]

she looks like a newspaper cutout.Even video games look better.

[Joe @ Nov 5th 2008 2:54PM]

Why does someone always make this joke when some holographic news is reported? It's almost as bad as "but will it play Crysis" comments. Star Wars Fan Boys. FAIL.

[john @ Nov 5th 2008 8:43PM]

will it run crisis?

[Justin @ Nov 5th 2008 10:50PM]

hahaha

[John @ Nov 5th 2008 11:53PM]

Ranked up +10 points for the kick-ass tag.

Lloyd Braun

[Adam K @ Nov 4th 2008 7:54PM]

This is why I avoid 24 Hour News networks, especially around elections.

[rawhead @ Nov 4th 2008 11:55PM]

Because they try out cool new technology for the sake of trying out cool new technology? Strange reason, I'd say...


While the hologram looked creepy, this is the first time it's ever been used on live TV, so give them a break. 10 years from now, you won't remember what it was like when hologram people were NOT on TV all the time.

[Bob @ Nov 4th 2008 9:17PM]

10 years from now I'll remember... just like I remember that horrible time about 10+ years ago when Fox broadcast NHL games with the stupid glowing puck technology. That was an epic fail just like this is an epic fail. A horrible implementation of technology isn't any less horrible if we wait 10 years to look back.

[Adam K @ Nov 4th 2008 9:20PM]

@rawhead: No, because they pull stupid gimmicks and stunts like this. I take it you missed MSNBC's "Skating on the Election Map."

[tiremfej @ Nov 4th 2008 9:21PM]

Oh my god...the glowing puck from Fox Sports hockey, it nearly ruined the credibility of hockey broadcasts...although the hockey strike a few years ago ruined hockey...

I seem to remember the use of the "Matrix Cam" one Super Bowl as well, another waste of money and technology...

[matt merritt @ Nov 4th 2008 11:02PM]

How did FoxTrax ruin the credibility of hockey broadcasts? In an age of shitty TVs and shitty cable you needed all the help you could get trying to see the puck moving fast.

[matt merritt @ Nov 4th 2008 11:04PM]

What really ruined the credibility of hockey was Sydney Crosby. I can prove it...

Exhibit A) he's a big bitch.

Exhibit B) he's a big bitch.

[Chris Are @ Nov 4th 2008 11:46PM]

@Matt

I'd be more than happy to let that "big bitch" come play for the Avs.

[Timerider @ Nov 5th 2008 12:07AM]

It would be cool if it was a real hologram, instead of some cheesy effect. And blabing about "beaming you in" like it's "magic" doesn't help. He says he's looking right at her but we know he's not.

[technology420 @ Nov 5th 2008 11:15AM]

@ Chris: Ya I bet you would, the Avs suck! Go Wings!!!!!!! Get ready for another repeat!!!

[David @ Nov 4th 2008 7:54PM]

MSNBC did this thing where the whole room was green screened and the lady was walking around in it.. very weird.

[whiskey @ Nov 6th 2008 1:26PM]

But isn't it about time? I mean, there are other networks around the world that also do it... I think it's kinda cool.

[feffrey @ Nov 4th 2008 7:55PM]

She looks a little two dimensional to me.

[rndmnme @ Nov 4th 2008 8:18PM]

But she was talking in 3D!

[Michael @ Nov 4th 2008 8:46PM]

Yeah, talking in spheres! *rimshot*

The point to that joke is that circles are two dimensional.

[sterling @ Nov 5th 2008 2:09AM]

What joke?

[raider @ Nov 5th 2008 5:19PM]

It had a _rimshot_ so it must have been a joke !

[who? @ Nov 4th 2008 7:55PM]

Wait wait wait- isn't that just her in front of a green screen overlaid on live video of the studio? iChat can do that for cripes sake!

If it actually is a hologram, I apologize. It just looks so very two-dimensional...

[codl @ Nov 4th 2008 8:08PM]

Uh, you're looking at a video and photos. Aren't these supposed to be two dimensional? If the camera would have moved in the video we could have figured if it was a hologram or not

[letstakeawalk @ Nov 4th 2008 8:53PM]

@ codl

I wish the studio camera had moved around more to make the effect more dramatic. I only saw two pretty static angles, from the front and from the rear. I like the explanation she gave of standing in a tent surrounded by HD cameras. That should provide 360-degree rotatability of her image.

[Decoy @ Nov 4th 2008 9:17PM]

@ Letstakeawalk

Engadget only show part of the clip, later the cameras zoom in, pan and track around her.

[letstakeawalk @ Nov 4th 2008 10:07PM]

Thanks. I've been focused with the returns on BBCA and the current.tv network. Current is doing an amazing job...

[FoO @ Nov 4th 2008 7:55PM]

The princess leia comment Yellin made was pretty funny, but in generally you couldn't tell it was 3D at all. It just looked 2D on the television screen. I'm sure its pretty bad ass for Blitzer who can actually see it happening in front of him, but not so impressive for viewers at a television. Disappointing ):

[Fred @ Nov 4th 2008 8:04PM]

I don't think Blitzer saw anything. He was taught to stare towards about head height above the red marker on the floor. The remote person was on a similar marker in a green room with matched camera angles. The overlay was fed from the remote location to the in-studio signal. Wolf Blitzer just had to stare ahead and respond to audio, and perhaps a video monitor showing the remote feed, off-stage but in his eye line.

[Jason Hansen @ Nov 4th 2008 8:07PM]

Wolf could not see her either! What an idiot!

[utahnkid @ Nov 4th 2008 8:12PM]

Do you really think it's safe to make ANY assumptions on something like this based on a 3 inch, low quality youtube clip? Seems kind of presumptuous to me.

[J L @ Nov 4th 2008 8:13PM]

Yeah, she wasn't there. It was only visible on TV.

[solu @ Nov 4th 2008 11:55PM]

yeah they had one swoop angle, which made me realize that they had to sync that swoop on both ends, maybe they just jerry rigged it with a countdown, or maybe they actually had robotic booms networked. Either way it was creative, but looked like crap in application.

[MBN @ Nov 5th 2008 12:23PM]

So this was as phony as CNN's "news reporting."

[james @ Nov 4th 2008 7:56PM]

WTF?!

cool but totally a waste of packets on their internet connection