STATS and Vizrt to Demo Holographic-Effect at NAB 2009

STATS and
Vizrt are teaming up to provide live, in-booth demonstrations re-creating their
”holographic effect” technology for attendees at the 2009 NAB Show, where STATS
and Vizrt are exhibiting from neighboring locations. 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 CNN’s 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 CNN’s 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 Vizrt’s 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,” says Brian Kopp, STATS’ VP 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,” says Bjarne Berg, CEO for
Vizrt. “We’ve 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 CNN’s 2008 election coverage, SportVU was Vizrt’s partner in creating the CNN
holographic effect. Last December, SportVU was acquired by STATS LLC. All of
SportVU’s key principals continue in innovative capacities with STATS,
including Managing Director Shimon Katzubes.

For further
information please visit www.vizrt.com.