HP has announced it was selected by DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc. to deliver the technology behind “The Croods,” pushing the boundaries of modern imagery for this prehistoric animated adventure that is anything but primitive. The animated movie “The Croods” is being released today at leading cinemas in Malta.

DreamWorks Animation leveraged technical resources throughout HP to create the most advanced graphics to date for the family comedy. HP Converged Infrastructure, comprising servers, storage, networking, services, management software and workstations, as well as HP printers and digital rendering, provided the seamless, high-performance foundation needed to meet the studio’s artistic demands.

“Cutting-edge digital manufacturing requires a huge amount of compute power and orchestrated collaboration across our studios,” said Derek Chan, head, Global Technology Operations, DreamWorks Animation. “HP Converged Infrastructure ensures that our filmmakers have the technical resources they require to bring their creative vision to life and deliver amazing films to our audiences.”

HP services and servers meet massive compute  demands

To bring to life characters such as Grug, the overprotective dad, and Eep, the teenage rebel daughter, DreamWorks Animation relied on HP ProLiant servers and HP Enterprise Services in render farms across four geographic locations—Glendale and Redwood City, Calif.; Las Vegas; and Bangalore, India. High-performance, continuous compute power delivered by HP solutions enabled DreamWorks Animation to render the large amount of data required to produce the film.

HP Workstations enable artistic collaboration

To create the exotic creatures and intricate landscapes that the Crood family encounters, DreamWorks Animation artists used HP’s ultimate workstations, the HP Z820 and Z800.

Featuring dual Intel® Xeon® processors, the HP Z820 Workstation is up to 50 percent faster than its predecessor,⁽¹⁾ allowing artists to work on large, complex scenes across multiple shots, characters and films in an interactive environment.  HP Z800 Workstations also were used in the new DreamWorks Animation state-of-the-art recording studio to capture  the imaginative inventions of Guy and the warm laughter of Gran).

Comprehensive technology experience

Building on a relationship that began in 2001, DreamWorks Animation relied on HP for nearly every facet of technology animation in the production of “The Croods.”

Key benefits include:

• Continuous network availability via the HP FlexNetwork architecture, which includes the HP 12518, 5820, 5800 and 6125G/XG Switch series with HP Intelligent Resilient Framework (IRF), a built-in innovative virtualization technology.
• Reduced network management complexity across the studio’s environment with HP Intelligent Management Center, a single pane-of-glass application, as well as simplified print management with HP’s Managed Services.
• Fast, reliable and protected access to the studio’s applications and assets with HP 3PAR StoreServ Storage, HP MSA P2000, HP StoreAll Storage and HP StoreOnce Backup.
• Central management of storage arrays with HP 3PAR StoreServ enables DreamWorks Animation engineers to easily manage and monitor storage operations from their desktop.
• Color consistency across print, display and big screen production of the movie’s creatures and vibrant environments during production with HP DreamColor professional displays and printers.

HP hardware, software and services supported “The Croods” from ideation to completion, allowing DreamWorks Animation to complete the production and deliver the cutting-edge graphics their fans expect.

HP Ink Advantage marketed in Malta

HP is holding an education campaign at the Eden Cinema Complex in St Julians from the 1^st to 6^th April 2013, demonstrating the changing economics of home printing. With the new Ink Advantage printing systems, HP is making quality printing more affordable for home users and micro-business customers, enabling them to print up to two times the amount of pages for the same cost, without sacrificing quality. The HP Ink Advantage printers offer faster speed prints with lower price supplies and the ability to easily print from a smartphone or tablet virtually anywhere with HP ePrint. Any end user connected to the internet with an email-capable device can send a print job to the email address and retrieve the print job on the spot, at home or office.

An HP Deskjet Ink Advantage 5525 eAll-in-0ne printer is up for grabs for Eden Cinema  goers between the 1^st and 6^th April.  With the purchase of cinema tickets, patrons will receive a flyer with information about the HP Ink Advantage printers and a coupon attached to answer a question and fill in.  The winner will be notified by phone or email.