Deutsche Telekom, the parent company of the better known T-Mobile, has certainly made a name for itself over at the IPTV World Forum. The outfit's Chief Innovation Officer Christopher Schlaffer was quoted as saying that both 3DTV and holographic TV were definitely primed to take off within the next ten years. His reasoning for such a bold assertion was this: "Storage capacity and processing capacity is exploding. There is no doubt that bandwidth is tripling every year, so ten years from now are we going to be looking at 1,000Mb connections in every home on average? I would say yes, absolutely." Granted, this is just one guy's opinion on what may or may not happen, but given just how quickly the television viewing experience is morphing right now, we suppose it's not all that far-fetched. Besides, some of this has to come true if we're to enjoy the 2012 Olympics in 3D, right?

[Via ElectricPig]

Light Blue Optics may not be as familiar a name as say, Optoma or Texas Instruments, but it's bringing an equally interesting approach to pico projection at CES. Showcased in Vegas last week was the outfit's holographic laser projection technology, which is reportedly brighter and smaller than existing alternatives. The demo system will also check in with double the brightness and at half the volume as its previous setups, and it's looking to wow with a conceptual rig that features a "table-down mode that allows the user to control the projector simply by touching the projected image." Now, if only these guys could push resolution to 720p+, we'd really consider ourselves fans.

Remember that patently insane IOSONO holographic audio system that was demonstrated last month? The very first one has been installed in the US of A. As part of the multi-million dollar renovation of the Museum of Tolerance / Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles, a 308-channel IOSONO sound system was installed in the Peltz Theater. According to Electrosonic project manager Steve Calver, said system is the "crown jewel" of the place, as it adds "308 independent audio channels and five subwoofer channels, which are entirely hidden within the architectural elements of the theater." The purpose? To distribute sound as perfectly as possible to every seat in the house. Additionally, HD video capabilities were added courtesy of a Christie high-def projector, and there was even an undisclosed Blu-ray player tossed in for good measure. So, when's the next showing of, um, anything at this place?

We've seen some pretty intense multi-channel audio rigs, but 380 speakers? At the SMPTE 2008 Tech Conference and Expo in Hollywood, IOSONO introduced its holographic audio solution for cinemas -- a fitting complement to the bevy of 3D films just around the bend. Reportedly, the system can be adjusted on a per-room basis and expanded between 200 and 500 drivers; the location of each speaker is "measured with a laser and used to calibrate the exhibition player software." The drivers are arranged in three rows, with the top and bottom being woofers and the middle consisting of tweeters. As you'd expect, the solution envelops the auditorium completely, and up to 32 unique sound objects can be placed within the 3D virtual sound space. There's no mention of how costly this will be to theaters (or exceptionally weather home theater owners), but we can only hope to hear it in more cinemas shortly.

If you've been keeping your eyes fixed on CNN as this election unfolds, then by now you've seen Wolf Blitzer doing a "hologram" interview with Jessica Yellin. Not only does this technology seem completely creepy, but it's without a doubt one of the most useless and unnecessary pieces of phantasmagoric TV ever enacted. Enjoy some video and two more pics of the weirdness after the break.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

As the news networks spend oodles of cash in order to one-up the other with whiz-bang visuals and mind-melting charts, CNN is looking to blow just about everyone else away. As election night officially kicks off in just a few hours, the network's Wolf Blitzer will be conducting interviews with faraway strategists not via the traditional two-pane window, but by hologram. Believe it or not, professionals in Chicago and Phoenix will be beamed live to CNN's New York studios in order to give viewers a look at Wolf and a ghostly counterpart. Granted, this is far from the first holographic / 3D interview we've seen, but it is rather impressive given the scenario. In related news, we're also told that FOX News will be touting a "giant wall with touch-screen technology [that] will provide electoral map results," which hopefully translates in geek speak to "Surface."

[Via Hack-A-Day]

Three-dimensional displays have long been fodder for a good laugh, but Germany's SeeReal is taking a serious approach with its latest holographic prototype. Showing its stuff at the Society for International Display (SID) forum in California, the company has reportedly "developed a new technology for displaying 3D images on a TV set, computer display, or through a projector." The trick is seemingly in the company's proprietary Tracked Viewing Window technology, which "limits pixel size to HDTV levels and in combination with a real-time tracking system, eliminates superfluous elements while reducing the need for real-time processing." The firm's main objective was to remove the inconvenience factor that's typically associated with viewing 3D imagery, and with its unique use of holography, it has reportedly done so. Of course, the outfit is still on the hunt for willing and able partners to kick out products to the commercial world, but according to the CEO, it already has "a number of promising contacts in that regard."

[Via PCLaunches]

Instead of asking "HD-DVD or Blu-Ray?" next year, we might be asking "Holographic Video Disc or other inferior products?" We're not even done with the current format war and the troops are already gearing up for the next one. Actually, from the sounds of the new HVD, I may bypass the high-def DVD silliness completely.

We mentioned 200GB HVDs last month, but already Maxell has come forth with plans for 300 GB of digital capacity. It's still not enough for a whole season of "24" in high-def, but we're getting closer!

 
Because that 50GB Blu-ray disc just won't be big enough of course. Oh no, what you really need is a 200GB Holographic Versatile Disc. Luckily for you, Optware will be giving you much more of what you're looking for in 2006, which they announced yesterday.

Of course, at $30K a drive that might be a bit expensive for your tastes, but I mean hey, you read Luxist every day right? You're a baller, go buy three, and some of the $100 discs they expect to sell while you're at it. Maybe Toshiba should throw in the towel on this HD-DVD thing and focus on lowering costs on this technology that they have already invested in, just a thought.