Actually, it’s not even a hologram

A physics expert tells the Chicago Tribune that CNN’s images of Jessica Yellin and singer will.i.am images aren’t technically holograms — and neither was Princess Leia in “Star Wars.”

Another expert agrees: “A ‘real’ hologram uses diffraction to reconstruct the wave front that would have come from the actual 3D object. A hologram cannot be viewed from the front and from behind as in the CNN segment—this was a dead giveaway that the image shown was not in fact a hologram. A real hologram can only be viewed within a specific range of viewing angles.”

Also:

• Gizmodo has an article explaining how the system works
• CNN’s own video that goes behind-the-scenes of the ‘hologram’