Ibrix, HP Serve Dreamworks

BILLERICA, Mass. -- IBRIX Inc., the leader in scalable file serving solutions, today announced that DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc. (NYSE: DWA) has added IBRIX Fusion™ file servers to its HP server-based infrastructure to improve lighting and rendering processes beginning with its next theatrical release, Kung Fu Panda, which opens in the U.S. on June 6, 2008.

DreamWorks Animation added IBRIX Fusion to work with its HP ProLiant DL385 servers and HP StorageWorks MSA70 disk shelves to streamline access to digital information and optimize the overall performance of production data storage. Data throughput enables lighting artists to work more efficiently, making it possible to add rendering detail and lighting nuances that contribute to the rich detail of the studio’s animated films. This joint solution shortens the process of production lighting and significantly improves the visual detail and richness in each digitally rendered scene.

In the past, artists’ editing cycles and ultimately the creative process as a whole were slowed by the need to wait overnight for high resolution renders. The HP-IBRIX solution provides high-performance, transient storage to the lighting process, allowing artists to work up to five times faster. As a result, higher quality scenes with more accurate lighting detail can be produced faster and with more artistic control than ever before.

“This storage solution not only allows artists to see their high resolution renders within minutes but helps us launch an entire generation of new, interactive tools that we hope will raise the bar on animated film quality,” said Ed Leonard, Chief Technology Officer at DreamWorks Animation. “The HP-IBRIX storage solution provides DreamWorks Animation with outstanding performance and reliability, a winning combination for our demanding needs.”

Ibrix Inc.Hewlett-Packard Co.