An animated virtual newscaster is a computer generated virtual character that delivers information over the Web in a television like manner. These virtual characters combine technologies like 3D animation, speech synthesis and automatic lip synchronization to achieve the desired result. There are already several examples of virtual characters, ranging from human-like news casters to comic characters and fictional creatures. Currently, virtual characters are mostly used for attracting web surfers. However, 2.5G and 3G mobile devices seem to be a more interesting platform for customized infotainment services such as virtual newscasters.

We recognize that the actual creation and animation of the characters require special skills and tools that are out of the scope of this paper. In this white paper, we present some examples and outline two highly automated processes for creating a virtual newscast.