
Tupac image performs at Coachella [video] - michaelrlitt
http://thenextweb.com/shareables/2012/04/16/amazing-video-technology-brings-tupac-back-to-life-at-coachella/
======
jgrahamc
The technology behind this is <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musion_Eyeliner>
which uses the old Pepper's Ghost trick:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peppers_ghost>

~~~
ahelwer
This led me on a one-hour Wikipedia detour and I now possess detailed
development knowledge of Disney's Haunted Mansion theme park ride.

Seriously cool stuff.

~~~
jgrahamc
There's only 37 minutes between my post and your reply :-)

~~~
bira
"I now possess detailed development knowledge of Disney's Haunted Mansion
theme park ride"

Bending time included.

------
bazzargh
A bit more info - the tech behind this is a 2d variation on the Pepper's Ghost
illusion ( <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pepper%27s_ghost> ), apparently
licensed from Musion (<http://www.musion.co.uk/>). It's had previous outings -
animators at Square Zero have used it several times, including to recreate
Frank Sinatra. <http://www.squarezero.co.uk/what-we-do/holograms>

It's interesting to see their videos from 2010, which are still quite
realistic but look stilted compared to the Tupac projection.

And obviously these aren't really holograms. I'm not connected to this in any
way, just looked it up earlier since none of the articles mentioned what was
driving this.

------
joejohnson
Coachella has done a lot of innovative tricks this year. I was impressed that
anyone in US could watch three of the stages live on YouTube. Live concert
footage and other live videos on the web are going to quickly make TV feel
overpriced.

~~~
pinaceae
even more impressive that I could watch it from Austria - by now so much
content is region-restricted that this was a pleasant surprise.

~~~
te_chris
Agree so much from New Zealand, me and heaps of my friends were all massive
fans of At the Drive In when they were around, being able to see them live on
the other side of the world felt pretty cool.

------
matt312
I wonder if Jobs will introduce a new Apple product in 20 years.

------
rglover
Love the technology, but is anybody else just a _little bit_ creeped out by
this?

~~~
jgrahamc
I'm less creeped out by the technology than by the implications in terms of
copyright. What this may mean is that a copyright holder on the image of a
person (such as Tupac) will be able to milk that image long after they are
dead and potentially without having to pay anyone.

When you see Snoop Dogg 'performing' with Tupac you have to wonder where the
money is flowing. Tupac's gone, perhaps his family is getting some pay back
from the fact that an old recording of a song is played publicly. But what
happens when Tupac suddenly records a new song? Would not surprise me to
discover that the record companies are able to claim that they deserve all the
money associated with that.

~~~
enjalot
It makes me wonder how Snoop must feel, having performed that same song many
times with Pac before...

~~~
danssig
Probably made him feel rich.

------
cheebla
I'm confused as to how they got him to say "Coachella". Had he performed there
in his lifetime or did they have to create that word from old voice
recordings?

~~~
shinratdr
I'm pretty sure with enough voice data you can make people say just about
anything, and Tupac left behind a ton of voice data.

~~~
JonnieCache
Yep. See the work of cassetteboy: <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_m2pFYYEiko>
(NSFW language)

All they use is soundforge, and it's trivial. You can achieve perfect results
with modern software and algorithmic assistance.

~~~
gpmcadam
Wouldn't it be easier to just hire a voice actor or impersonator?

~~~
ux_designer
They did use a voice impersonator.

~~~
murki
source?

------
tynan
Here are details on how they reproduced Sinatra, which is probably similar to
how they reproduced Tupac:

[http://www.damonchernavsky.com/News_Archive/October_2009/Hol...](http://www.damonchernavsky.com/News_Archive/October_2009/Hologram_of_Frank_Sinatra/hologram_of_frank_sinatra.html)

------
weslly
Now we just wait for someone announcing his own version of Tupac made with
HTML5 & WebGL.

------
glen
William Gibson - Idoru

<http://www.amazon.com/Idoru-William-Gibson/dp/0425190455>

------
vizzah
Was that video image mixed&cut from the videos of his previous performances?
Or was it computer generated?

------
zalew
the [video]: <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULrFtjaixbY>

------
zdgman
Great question that was asked today was, "would you pay to see a dead artist
perform in holographic form"?

Think about all the artists you could bring back and have perform for people
when using this technology.

~~~
blhack
Yes.

Honestly, I'm not at a show to watch somebody perform their music, I'm there
to enjoy that music with a few hundred/thousand other people, and listen to it
on a big stereo.

It's a socializing thing, not a consumption thing.

~~~
zdgman
I think most people are in the same boat with you. When you are young you tend
to push close up to the stage or jump into the thick of things, maybe because
you like mosh pits.

When you get older it's all about going to hear how well the band performs
live and enjoy a tasty adult beverage. Most entertainment venues I visit now I
end up standing toward the back.

------
jonursenbach
Anyone know what kind of technology they used to do this? I haven't been able
to track information about it down.

~~~
yosh
Probably Musion Eyeliner:

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musion_Eyeliner>

~~~
rollypolly
Very impressive technology! I just wish there was a better name for it.

Any suggestions?

------
treme
so what's the law on profitting off someone's avatar like this?

~~~
rooshdi
Was wondering that too; only thing I found was this:
[http://www.vh1.com/music/tuner/2012-04-17/whos-getting-
paid-...](http://www.vh1.com/music/tuner/2012-04-17/whos-getting-paid-from-
tupacs-hologram-resurrection/)

It says Dre got Afeni's blessing and made a contribution to Tupac's foundation
for his image rights, but I now wonder if this gives him and Aftermath
Entertainment unrestricted rights to capitalize off Tupac's hologram in all
future concerts.

------
patrickgzill
So after this is perfected, you could grab my image, make it look like I was
the person who held up a bank and shot a hostage, and all the eyewitnesses
would say it was me, and could give a positive ID? What would hidden security
cameras show?

~~~
StavrosK
They would probably show a crew of tens of people installing a mirror system,
cameras, sound, etc etc in the bank, and then a half-translucent image of you
(maybe) coming in and awkwardly robbing it, if the tellers were in on it and
had rehearsed beforehand so the recording of you could look in sync with their
actions. Also, they couldn't hand you any objects.

It'd be easier for someone with a balaclava to rob the bank and plant the
money in your house before an "anonymous tip", really.

~~~
patrickgzill
That is today's version. 20 years ago the equivalent of an iPad 3 was $400,000
dollars and consumed 3 kilowatts continuously.

------
zennit
Great effect but how did they get the footage of pac so clean? is it a 3d
model?

~~~
philmcc
My understanding is that the team at Digital Domain (pirates of the caribbean,
Jeff Bridges in Tron) modeled the body, and then used mo-cap on an actor who
did the "performance".

------
alexlitov
Tupac not Tupcac!

------
cjpartridge
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJ5hK-D8kRQ&feature=relat...](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJ5hK-D8kRQ&feature=related)

------
jmboling
<http://cl.ly/3P3M3p3l1w002n220o1i>

------
liftup
unreal. Not everyone might like Pac but amazing how real it looks.

------
renegadedev
This should be titled "The Rapping Dead"

------
iamgopal
somebody should get linus to perform live. I will buy the tickets.

------
zavulon
Next step: use it on someone good, like John Lennon or Jimi Hendrix

~~~
phwd
Just because you don't like rap doesn't mean your snark is wanted.

~~~
jfoldi
B.I.G. would have been a better choice.

~~~
tkoh
I disagree. Musical preferences aside, this took place during a performance by
Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre and given their history and the Southern California
location of Coachella, Tupac was the right choice. Not sure that either Snoop
or Dre ever collaborated with B.I.G.

