CNN revealed yesterday a new hologram technology that enabled the producers to beam down into the studio a person from another location and allow a conversation with Wolf Blitzer and Anderson Cooper.

CNN’s Jessica Yellin and singer and producer Will.I.am (Black Eyed Peas) each took turns with the new broadcast method, being the first to use it. They were invited inside a tent filled with HD cameras that recorded the guests from every possible angle. All the video was transmitted back to CNN’s studio in order to rebuild their image and present the hologram look.

The plan was to create a more natural feel to the conversation, just as two people would normally talk and lose the classic image of the host talking to a screen. CNN also claimed that the feature allowed the audience to understand the interviewed person more clearly.

Without a doubt CNN was looking to record big ratings and considering the fact that every news station prepared its own elaborate election coverage, it was clear that they had to come out with something new and attractive in order to keep people tuned to their channel. The program was also used to visualize Senate seats and also other 3D models, such as the Capitol.

"Everyone is doing something virtual this election year," explained CNN Senior Vice President David Bohrman, the man who insisted on using the technology. Still, he believes that CNN managed to take it a whole new level by employing Hollywood-style effects. "Virtual elements in a real set look so much better than a real person in a virtual set," he added.

Mr. Bohrman talked about the technology and said that it is extremely complicated and the studio’s crew will need some time to get accustomed to shooting someone that isn’t there. Each tent is equipped with 44 cameras and 20 computers, needed to put together the 360 image. The costs for this project were not disclosed but Bohrman assured reporters that CNN was within its budget for election night.

Such a technology has been used for many years by movie studios, and these thoughts of bringing it to a news studio have been consistent with Bohrman for many years. The biggest problem until now was the lack of computing horsepower.

"Either this is an evolution in the way we do live interviews on television," Bohrman concluded, "or it's a nice try." The viewers’ feedback will probably be the determinant factor in CNN’s decision about keeping the format for other events or returning to the classic and simpler interviews.

Fox News built three new HD studios and a giant wall with touch-screen technology; ABC released its digital maps; NBC opened its new studios packed with visual technology and also partnered with social-network MySpace to transmit videos, news feeds and blogs.

CBS News will also provide a detailed analysis of the nationwide-gathered data through its touch-screen. "It is very fast technology using real-time data," explained Frank Governale, vice president of operations for CBS News.