During a live-stream event, the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences honored HP, Inc. with an Engineering Emmy for its remote working and collaboration solution, HP ZCentral Remote Boost.
For years, Z by HP workstations have powered the entertainment industry. Many award-winning teams have used Z by HP solutions for editing, animation, and visual effects on their TV shows. But this Emmy marks the first time HP itself has been honored with such an award. From animation and live music, to prime-time TV and Shakespeare, HP ZCentral Remote Boost has enabled productions of all kinds to make it to air, despite a global pandemic.
"This win is a special moment for HP,” said Jim Nottingham, general manager and global head, Advanced Compute and Solutions at HP. “It is proof that as people’s needs change in uncertain times, our broad combination of hardware, software, and services continue to deliver the solutions our customers need. Little did we know at the beginning of the year that our remote collaboration software would become as essential as the PC.”
Engineering Emmy Awards are given for technologies that are either so extensive an improvement over existing methods or so innovative in nature that they materially affect how television is created. Even before COVID-19, ZCentral Remote Boost was advancing the state of the art of television. It was enabling editors, artists, and other creative pros to improve collaboration, creativity, and productivity. Since quarantine, however, ZCentral Remote Boost has enabled TV productions around the world to make it to air despite teams being unable to access their usual studios.
HP ZCentral Remote Boost is a software-only remote computing application designed to allow the user access to advanced-compute power from anywhere. Formerly known as Remote Graphics Software (RGS), it features HP compression technology that was used by NASA to retrieve images from Mars. ZCentral Remote Boost enables users to remotely connect to a powerful workstation (Linux or Windows) using almost any end-point device (Linux, Windows or MacOS). We’ve even heard of customers using their mobile phone to remotely connect to their workstation! ZCentral Remote Boost is included with every Z workstation (desktop or mobile) and is available for purchase on non-Z devices.
While ZCentral Remote Boost has just won an Engineering Emmy for its services to TV production, it is a flexible solution that is widely adopted in other industries – such as architectural and product design.