The British Broadcasting Company (BBC) has begun to experiment with creating holographic based content. Trying to set a new technological standard, the BBC has invented a holographic device that will be engaging future television viewers. In reality, it seems that the BBC has actually invented a holographic television.
The BBC’s chief of Digital Partnerships, Cyrus Saihan, said that, ” Like ultra high definition video or virtual reality, holographic experiences offer audiences a level of detail and realism that only a short while ago seemed virtually impossible but are, now, becoming a reality.”
In continuing to explore cutting edge ways to engage future audiences, the BBC came up with the idea for a holographic television. The creators had to adapt video so that it would appear to float, to be holographic. The BBC went out and consulted a UK based visual effects outfit who massaged the footage to appear holographic. The team chose such archival footage as New Year’s Eve fireworks for the experimentation and the tweeking of the footage.
“To make our holographic TV,” Saihan said, “we took a 46″ TV that we had in the office and then asked a local plastics cutter to make a simple acrylic pyramid shape based on some sketches that we had done. By placing this acrylic pyramid on our flat screen TV, we were able to try out a modern day version of an old Victorian theater technique and create the illusion of floating holographic images. By creating a shape like this, we were able to allow audiences to see the ‘floating’ image from a wide range of angles.”
The experiment was tried out on people who were touring the broadcast facility and the great opinion was mostly favorable. People who witnessed the experiment felt more drawn in and engaged that they would when just watching a regular show on television. Even one that was broadcast in high definition.
Saihan concluded that, “Our experiment was fairly simplistic, but the new technologies on the horizon have the potential to completely change the way that audiences experience media content in the future.”
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