Google Acquires Visual Effects Rendering Service Zync, Moves Content From Amazon To Its Cloud Platform

Google said Tuesday that it has acquired video and special-effects startup Zync Render to build on its video production and cloud-computing services.

Zync provided the video and special-effects rendering technology behind "Star Trek Into Darkness" and "Looper." The service --  which supports movie studios with a cloud infrastructure to store large files for full-length tracks -- operates on Amazon cloud-based servers, but the Mountain View, Calif. company plans to move Zync to its own cloud platform. It would require Zync's Hollywood clients to switch from Amazon to Google, and puts one more wedge between the two companies.

Zync's software and Google's Cloud Platform will offer studios the rendering performance and capacity required to process huge amounts of data required for special effects.

Cloud computing remains one of several competitive challenges that Amazon and Google face. Earlier this week, news organizations reported Amazon's focus on building out an advertising platform to leverage the massive data stores built from its millions of customers and businesses selling merchandise in its online marketplace.

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Amazon will build a self-service ad platform similar to Google's AdWords that allows brands to target consumers with messages through sponsored links, per reports. Based on search, the queries would return results related to specific keywords.

Google and Amazon are not the only companies touting cloud services. Dropbox on Wednesday released new sharing controls and more data storage to 1 terabyte for its Pro service. The passwords for shared links create an additional layer of security so only people with the password can access the link.

Users can set an expiration day for shared links to safeguard sensitive files, and list view-only permissions for shared folders to determine whether recipients can edit or simply view files within the shared folder. Another feature allows users to remotely delete files through a feature called Dropbox Remote, which deletes files from a lost or stolen device while keeping them safely backed up in Dropbox.

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