Perform Live with ABBA Hologram on stage at ABBAWorld

In what promises to be one of the most exciting and spectacular features of the upcoming ABBAWORLD exhibition, the audience will be able to sing and dance together with the Swedish supergroup ABBA on stage. With the high definition holographic video system Eyeliner, ABBA returns to the stage through a holographic illusion of the group for the visitor to interact with. Senior director of production Mats Daleskog of Touring Exhibitions, the company behind ABBAWORLD, says, ‘‘We were very impressed with the Eyeliner system when it was presented to us by Musion Systems, and we immediately knew that this was something we had to incorporate into ABBAWORLD. It’s an amazing, seemingly magical technology, and Musion Systems have really excelled themselves when it comes to this one.’’

Together with content provider Square Zero, Musion Systems has made it possible for the visitor to come closer to ABBA than ever before. Ian O’Connell, Director of Musion, commented, “ABBAWORLD is taking a bold step in showing the world’s first live motion capture interactive hologram in the form of a live karaoke concert. We are delighted to help facilitate this cutting edge holographic presentation which will enable visitors to experience a truly immersive ABBA concert.”

Touring Exhibitons President Magnus Danielsson is excited, “When we started with the company, we set ourselves some goals; one was that we wanted to develop the exhibition market. This concept is a big step forward in the right direction and adds tremendous entertainment value. I am sure the audience at ABBAWORLD will be absolutely amazed by what has been achieved.”

The Musion Eyeliner uses a specially developed foil that reflects images from high definition video projectors, making it possible to produce virtual holographic images of variable sizes and incredible clarity, using industry standard software. The system can be seen at ABBAWORLD when the exhibition makes its long awaited debut in the heart of London for a limited run at the Museum Hall, Earls Court, on 27 January 2010. Tickets are available from www.livenation.co.uk and are priced at £22.00 / £19.50 (subject to a booking fee).

ABOUT ABBAWORLD
ABBAWORLD is a unique touring exhibition filled with music, original costumes, history, images, instruments and never-before-displayed memorabilia from ABBA´s recording and performing heyday. ABBAWORLD is an interactive experience featuring the latest technology in sound, visuals, multimedia and communications. It is the only exhibition of its kind, with memorabilia approved by ABBA. Most of the items have been supplied exclusively by the quartet: Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus, and Agnetha Fältskog.

Check out http://www.musion.co.uk for further information.

Live hologram of Telstra CEO hosts conference

Telstra beamed a live hologram of a senior staff member between Melbourne and Adelaide in what has been billed as an Australian first. Telstra chief technology officer Dr Hugh Bradlow, based in Melbourne, appeared at a business function in Adelaide as a real-time hologram and interacted with members of the audience for around 15 minutes, the company said.

"We've all seen this sort of thing in futuristic sci-fi movies, but the reality is that it can be done here and now, as we have just demonstrated," said David Thodey of Telstra's enterprise and government department.

These holograms are widely used in advertising, art and entertainment, creating life-like 3D images that, to the unknown eye, are as lifelike as real objects. Telstra said the real time hologram of Dr Bradlow was made possible by the company's high-speed networks and the Musion Eyeliner holographic projection system.

The Musion technology uses a single high definition camera to capture the image and a single HD projector to project it, onto a special foil. According to Musion, "All the images used on a Musion Eyeliner system appear as three-dimensional images, but are projected as two-dimensional images into a 3D stage set. It is the mind of the audience that creates the 3D illusion. This means that production costs are minimal, needing only the single camera lens single camera lens for filming and a single projector for the playback."

The Eyeliner foil is the heart of the system, according to Musion which says its business is based around exploiting a number of patents that have been issued on producing Pepper's Ghost using the purpose designed foil rather than glass.The Eyeliner foil is "carefully prepared during manufacture and rolling so as to retain maximum transparency and strength when subject to extreme tension. The resulting smooth, blemish free surface betters that of a huge plate glass mirror, allowing the true reproduction of high definition video at such high quality that audiences viewing Eyeliner video images imagine them to be real."

Telstra is not the first company to use the technology. David Beckham recorded a message in LA, appearing as a hologram in London. Richard Branson has also given virtual speeches, as did Al Gore during his Live Earth concerts last year. But the most exciting thing is that Musion have already tried out a live hologram - in other words, they have the technology to make people appear as a hologram in real time from anywhere in the world.

The event was carried out by Musion Systems Limited, in conjunction with their regional partners.

Check out http://www.musion.co.uk/ for further information.

Madonna & Gorillaz Live at the Grammy Awards

Musion® Eyeliner™ System was the holographic projection technology behind the 3D animation of the popular animated band Gorillaz, who performed 'live' at the Grammy Awards 2006. What's even more surprising is that the Eyeliner™ System also re-created a virtual Madonna, who performed her hit single Hung up on the same 3D stage.

Both the live and TV audiences who watched the performance had no clue that what they were watching at least in the first few minutes of Madonna's performance was just virtual reality.

The Grammys performance was a variation on the MTV Europe Music Awards in Lisbon, with the added attraction of a virtual superstar. Yes, that's right. The Madonna you saw on stage with Gorillaz at the Grammys was a virtual as her cartoon counterparts. However, the rappers from De La Soul who came onstage were, in fact, the real deal.

Check out www.musion.co.uk for further information.

Gorillaz Live at the MTV Awards

The MTV Europe Awards marked the first live performance of Gorillaz. The Musion® Eyeliner™ System was used to beam the three-dimensional holographic performing cartoon characters on stage. Their appearance at the 2005 MTV Awards was billed as the 'world's first 3D hologram performance' and was one of the highlights of the evening.

As the world's most successful "virtual band", the human artists behind Gorillaz traditionally appear at live gigs as silhouettes on a giant screen combined with images of their cartoon alter egos. However, with the help of Musion® Systems, they were able to perform in full holographic glory.

Check out www.musion.co.uk for further information.