June 23, DAZ, a privately held Utah based company has been
awarded a major multi-million dollar contract to provide
3D characters and production expertise to the next major
trend in home intertainment- "Game TV".

"Game TV" will allow a blending of the popularity of 3D
computer games with televison production, enabling more
cable and satellite channels to be filled with more and
widely varied visual content with much faster "turn-on-a-dime" production schedules. But most importantly, the home viewer will be able to electronically "vote" and control via keypads the exact course of each show and decide which characters remain and which are "killed off".

The initial software development contract awarded to DAZ
is from a "Game TV" media consortium which includes SONY,
Microsoft, CBS, ABC, NBC, FOX and Time-Warner Cable.

Plans for "Game TV" include "Reality Shows", "Star Search
Shows" and shows developed specifically around existing
comic hero characters and current popular 3D games.

Also of great interest to television networks is the replacement of existing expensive news gathering operations with virtual news people. This will be especially useful in dangerous war-zone conditions where virtual news people can report "live" while actual location imagery is aquired by miniturized hovering drone aircraft the size of small birds. Expensive death and injury insurance policies will be eleminted as well as the requirement for teams of body guards. Current real news reporters and anchors will be phased out over the next two years but dangerous war zone
reporting contracts will be terminated over the next 90 days.

The initial development contract amount awarded to DAZ has not yet been announced, but DAZ CEO Dan Farr has stated that the contract will "secure the future of DAZ FOREVER" and that the Utah company plans to hire 500 new employees within the next 90 days to work on rigging, texturing and other software aspects of the new project expected to grow into further contracts valued at $125 million over the next two years.

"Current real news reporters and anchors will be phased out over the next two years". If any of the above is true, sounds like congratulations are in order for Daz. But I assure you that the part the virtual reporters is not gonna happen that quickly.

You got me! But even if DAZ isn't planning this, I'll bet somebody is! The idea that a human announcer must be "on the scene" is sort of silly anyway. Local TV news always puts a newsbabe in front of the county courthouse in the dark, to report on a crime that happened elsewhere earlier. What's the point of that? Nothing is actually happening on the courthouse sidewalk at 11 PM.

"June 23" ??? Well, that's odd...a post from the future???

Hmmm ... suspicious indeed, and especially because June 23 hasn't happened yet. 8-)

Crosspost w Cherokee ... great minds think alike 8-)

Cool Denise..yeah they do. Now, if we could get a link to this news story to verify this, that would be cool.

"...virtual news people can report "live" while actual location imagery is aquired by miniturized hovering drone aircraft the size of small birds." I don't buy it.

Well, DAZ has changed their Friday announcement policy to a Wednesday announcement policy, giving people two more days to flip-out about the annoucement before the weekend. But this announcement is SO BIG that it requires DAZ to annouce it from the FUTURE, giving people several more additional days to flip-out about the DAZ annoucement.

lmao! ok -- Date, no wire service, no source, lacking proper reportage/news release etiquette, atrocious spelling, lack of "goosing" -- come on, people! sigh...

So, Veritas, where did you find this interesting piece of information? A Link please.

ynsaen, Yeah, that's true and until anyone cane post a link to this news, no one is going to take it as real.

Attached Link: http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~brians/science_fiction/warofworlds.html

Really interesting since he didn't write it in 1898... ;)

I gotta admit Veritas, you do have a vivid imagination...something alot of people lack.

Attached Link: http://members.aol.com/jeff1070/wotw.html

Sounds Pretty REAL, doesn't it? Here's maybe why...

The small hovering robotic news gathering aircraft are in fact already in development and it is expected that "news" operations will dispatch these systems like a flock of birds to breaking news locations.

In Japan "Virtual Stars" sell tons of CD's, make TV interviews and are adored by thousands of fans. If this can be a huge business and these virtual pop stars nearly always sing better than real ones. why not? (Tip to Madonna and Britney- have your bods scanned by DAZ and then license your "persona" to a media production company- when you get old- your Virtual Double will still be out making money for you!)

Reality Shows- why pay people when you can use 3D snakes, alligators, and have M3-V3 eating "live" tarantula's and being bitten by cobras and die horrible deaths- but be "revived" by a game control that restores those people we like and kill the people we don't like. The more horrible and stupid this sounds to me, the more I am certain
that this will be the "next big thing".

Look at the popularity of the Sims- its just a 3D Soap Opera like "Day's of our Live's" controlled by software. 3D characters can easily replace TV Soap Opera stars since 99% of the scenes are just faces talking, kissing or looking distressed. I think Mimic 2 and V3 Expressions can handle this already. Most viewers won't even notice the difference!

Most "Crap Music" sold today sounds little different than someone leaning their foot on a Yamaha keyboard accompanied by a very simple trashcan banging sound. Music sound tracks could be created by six week old kittens and parrots walking across keyboards (in fact, this is probably already the case).

The more horrible and stupid ALL THIS sounds to me, the more I am certain that this will be the "Next Big Thing". (This uses entertainment industry logic- the more horrible and stupid, the "better" it is and sooner we want it!)

You got us too, if needed....wow...Sharen

I have only one word: Max Headroom ...oops, I mean "two words".

hmm about japanse 3d virtual pop star, there was one or two known REAL cases :) i saw one of the pop idol 3d girl and for the time (a few years ago) it was impressive... btu for the rest; i am just doubtful if miniaturized hoverign aircrafts would exists, it woudl exists FIRST for military purpose for a couple of decade before even being thrown at public/civilian market

But miniature hovering aircraft Do Exist! On a clear, dark night we see them in L.A. hovering over Mt.Wilson like dancing, flickering lights moving in a manor that no known aircraft can. The trouble is that not many have seen them for it's not often to get a "clear, dark night" here in L.A. But they Do Exist I tell ya, they DO!!

"Look at the popularity of the Sims..." ok :) (rubs hands a cackles evilly) With an estimated user base of 4 million people, it appeals to less than one tenth of 1% of the population of the United States. (sorry, Veritas - spent too long in school) "... it is expected that "news" operations will dispatch these systems like a flock of birds to breaking news locations." ...in about ten years when the technology has matured and production costs reach a feasible level. "...why pay people when you can use 3D snakes, alligators, and have M3-V3 eating "live" tarantula's and being bitten by cobras and die horrible deaths-..." Because the actual lure is the knoweldge on the part of the viewers that there is a "percieved" risk involved. Remove that risk and you lose the attraction of (voyeurism). "...This uses entertainment industry logic- the more horrible and stupid, the "better" it is..." Oversimplification for the purpose of being cute.

All right, Veritas. Now that's you've caught them all, what are you going to do with them? ;-)

...but they do exist, they really, really do!

well..I can see it now..boy would this have been a good OT forum topic, but they can't repost it anymore..can they?..;) Would they have different characters for CNN and Fox, or would they just morph the same character..and then there's that crosstalk problem, which would cause endless problems with the Sunday debate shows..and the demise of the famous saying 'coming to you live from..;)'

Actually-

On the flocking little flying beasts with spy cams, the military already has LOTS of them, not to mention all the larger models with on-board weapons systems. If you are a History Channel fan like I am you can see lots of stuff like that- the newest versions in development- but probably five years away, are flying robotic FLYS with spy cams. They are using the FLY concept because they have HOVER capabilities, and would, of course, be pretty darn hard to notice.

But "News" organizations are already very interested in using the larger, currently deployed flying spy-cams as they can largely replace TRAFFIC helicopters (nobody actually HAS to be in a helicopter announcing traffic reports- they only need to see what the traffic- 20-30 flying drone-cams can cover a much larger area and cost a heck of a lot less.)

Re: Game TV- if you think that isn't a HUGE coming thing and very likely the NEXT BIG "Entertainment" THING, you HAVE spent too much time in school! Remember- B.S.- (Bull St), M.S. (More St) and the PhD (Piled Higher and Deeper) As B. Dylan said- you don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows! GAME TV will be coming SOON on a Satellite-Cable channel near you- WITH Virtual People,
controlled by home software units, as in: Play Station, XBOX, etc.

Message edited on: 06/20/2004 21:35

BTW- the Dan Farr "DAZ Announcement Wild Speculation Thread"
over at DAZ has reached 26 pages with now over 450 posts!
That is probably the largest DAZ Forum thread ever.

Shows that more than ANYTHING, if people aren't doing a Poser scene, they LOVE wild speculation about all things related to DAZ and Poser. After all, it's ENTERTAINMENT!
(Of course- maybe they are waiting for their long renders to finish, so they have a lot of time for speculation.)

Message edited on: 06/20/2004 21:50

Good thing I'm an impatient schlok, and read the replies before your opening post. I don't read very fast, and would have wasted a few minutes of my life. The thread at Daz proves only one thing... computers are boring, and people who work on them will do anything to make them more fun. Including posting ridiculous speculation for 26 pages. In my case, it's posting THIS reply. hehe. ;-)

" I have only one word: Max Headroom" To be precise, Max Headroom was a real actor with lots of latex.

rotf o this wins out of all the funny ones i have read this ne wins lmao