Broadcasting and Cable reports about the hologram technology soon to hit ESPN’s air waves. The technology, slated for a spring 2010 debut, will likely be used for ESPN’s coverage of the World Cup.

Ley’s virtual appearance onscreen was remarkably realistic, without the significant image blurring seen in hologram technology used by CNN on Election Night last fall.

Pagano says the hologram technique is an extension of the “EA Virtual Playbook” technology that ESPN already uses for NFL coverage, and Berman said it will allow them to bring the images of players directly into the studio for analysis or interviews.

It is unclear if this is the same technology developed by Vizrt and Stats, but ESPN is a big Vizrt customer. According to the B&C article, “ESPN has written some software for the virtual technology internally, and learned how to tweak the lighting and the seating of talent to create the most realistic effect.”