Critics See Through CNN's Election Hologram Gimmick

A recent article by Sally Jackson stated that during CNN's election coverage, they projected holograms of reporter Jessica Yellin and rapper Will.i.am live into their studio.

Tech boffins were quick to denounce, but the instantly famous CNN hologram still rated as best gimmick of the US election coverage, logging 13.3 million viewers - the most of any US network and the biggest audience in its 28-year history.

Video: CNN Reporter Jessica Yellin 'Hologram'

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Video: Will.i.am 'Hologram'

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Apart from, the otherwise very low key election of Barack Obama as president - the beaming of what CNN claimed to be three-dimensional holograms of reporter Jessica Yellin and rapper Will.i.am from Chicago to the floor of its New York newsroom was the highlight of the nation’s coverage.

Australian networks were left envious, but showed no immediate intentions of attempting it themselves. Seven spokesman Simon Francis says "Apparently, they used 42 cameras and a green screen to achieve the effect. We'd love to explore the technology, but that's a lot of cameras." High end TV cameras can cost up to $250,000 or more.

As it turns out, the CNN hologram was merely a special effect – the studio anchors were in fact speaking to thin air, with the "holograms" visible only on a TV monitor and to viewers at home.

However, genuine holograms are possible and have been increasing in popularity - mainly for marketing purposes. I am also reminded of my own jaw dropping experience in visiting Disneyland Florida’s Tower of Terror which incorporates many ghostly holograms.

Telstra has taken to the technology this year, holographically projecting technology chief Hugh Bradlow into an Adelaide conference and TV presenter Rove McManus into a New Zealand product launch.

"The live hologram required massive bandwidth and was a great way to showcase what's possible using our high-speed Next IP network," Telstra spokesman Peter Taylor says.

Nick Broughall, editor of Gizmodo.com.au sees no advantages in holograms for news gathering at this time, except of course to get the attention of viewers. "It sucks up a hell of a lot of bandwidth and requires a lot of time, preparation and equipment," he says.

"The CNN thing was very much a gimmick, but no matter how much CNN faked this and misrepresented it, the technology involved was certainly impressive, and it does have a wow factor that grabs the attention."

Gimmick or no gimmick, it's still cool, and the fact that it achieved such history making ratings makes it clear that viewers are wanting to see innovative and exciting new features in what they watch.