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Automatic Machinima News-Broadcasting

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the almost-listenable dept.

MattSparkes writes "Researchers claim to have produced software that automatically generates timely video news bulletins, presented by computer-animated characters, which could revolutionise current affairs broadcasting. The system, called News at Seven, takes RSS news feeds and does some formatting before passing it to an avatar from Half-Life 2 to read out. Based on keywords, the system also draws in video from YouTube and images from Flickr to supplement the speech."

5 of 138 comments (clear)

  1. Sweet! by Cleon · · Score: 4, Funny

    Nifty! Now, how long before they come up with a Max Headroom version? :D

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  2. And in other news... by d474 · · Score: 4, Funny

    ...is me. I have been created. I speak about news. Thank you for watching.

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  3. Skeptical by geekmansworld · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Isn't this the basically the same thing as Ananova? And didn't that come out, like, 6 years ago? I am skeptical. News anchors, don't start looking for a new job just yet.

  4. Re:i wonder by gt_mattex · · Score: 5, Insightful

    So did a great many factory workers when asked if their jobs could ever be automated by 'machines' run by 'computers'. A great many things seemed unlikely in the past and are common place today. Hell a great many things seemed unlikely 50 years ago what will the next 50 bring? Is automated news anchors that far out of the perspective?

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  5. Already in production by rlp · · Score: 4, Funny

    CBS has been using this technology for their evening news since September 5th. I think that the virtual presenter is named 'Katie'.

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