STATS and Vizrt will team to provide live, in-booth demonstrations re-creating their breakthrough holographic effect technology for attendees at the 2009 NAB Show in Las Vegas, Nev., April 20-23.
STATS (Booth SL5011) and Vizrt (Booth SL5508) are exhibiting from neighboring locations at NAB. Demonstrations of the holographic effect will take place multiple times per day during the conference and can also be scheduled by appointment. CNN debuted this technology to great fanfare during its 2008 presidential election coverage.
The holographic effect proved very effective in drawing viewers to CNNs election night coverage, with an estimated 13 million viewers tuning in. It made remote interviews possible during the Nov. 4 broadcast between CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer and CNN correspondent Jessica Yellin. The technology was used again for a subsequent interview between CNNs Anderson Cooper and musician will.i.am later in the evening.
The holographic effect is a landmark technology in live broadcast that will redefine the remote interview for years to come. The end result creates the realistic appearance of an intimate face to face exchange. The transmission is seamless, provides high optical quality, and eliminates the traditional split-screen view and production sequences of typical remote interviews.
This innovative video treatment is comprised of STATS video processing and tracking technology, along with Vizrts real-time tracking and rendering software. The impression of the holographic interview is completed in fractions of a second to allow a live broadcast.
This is a breakthrough product with expansive capabilities in news, sports and entertainment, said Brian Kopp, STATS Vice President of Strategic Planning. Virtual studios can be setup in major bureaus, allowing for interactive interviews across a national network. Specific uses include news broadcast, award shows, talk shows, film promotion and premiers, and a variety of sporting events.
The impact of the use of this technology is far reaching, added Bjarne Berg, CEO for Vizrt. “Weve shown that broadcasters are limited only by their creativity. Multi-participant interviews are possible, changing the scale of the hologram subject or using the image in post-production to create intriguing promos. We are excited to be able to demonstrate it and show broadcasters how they can use it to their advantage. “
At the time of CNNs 2008 election coverage, SportVU was Vizrts partner in creating the CNN holographic effect. Last December, SportVU was acquired by STATS LLC. All of SportVUs key principals continue in innovative capacities with STATS, including Managing Director Shimon Katzubes.