DNF Controls today announced that at NAB2005 it will debut three new powerful PC-based control tools, all designed to build on the powerful features offered by DNF's controllers and to provide operators in broadcast, live production, and news facilities with enhanced control. The new Cue List Transfer Tool, Playlist Transfer Tool, and Drag and Drop Shotbox Tool allow operators to leverage the power of DNF's flagship control solutions by facilitating the easy transfer, storage, and retrieval of cue list and playlist metadata to and from a PC.

"Operators need to have easy access and reliable, precise control over metadata like cue lists and playlists," said DNF Controls President Dan Fogel. "These new PC-based tools streamline the management of metadata in our controllers, saving valuable operator time and minimizing the opportunity for costly on-air mistakes."

The Cue List Transfer Tool enhances the power of DNF Controls' 4040CL and 2044CL clip controllers, allowing for easy access and retrieval of cue lists from a PC.  The list of cue points learned into the 4040CL or 2044CL may be uploaded to the PC and stored there conveniently as a file. If the cue points need to be changed for a different show or show segment, or are inadvertently deleted, users can restore them quickly and easily by downloading them from the PC back into the DNF controller. The Cue List Transfer Tool is especially useful for back-to-back newscasts or productions that share the same control room.

DNF's new Playlist Transfer Tool is designed to work hand-in-hand with the company's 3040P Playlist Playout System, allowing operators to create playlists offline on just about any Windows-based text editor and transfer them easily into the 3040P prior to show time. The Playlist Transfer Tool reads and reformats the playlist into the 3040P's native file format, then transfers the list over a serial connection. Users can save the transferred playlist into List 1, List 2, List 3, List 4, or List 5 locations in the 3040P. 

The Drag and Drop Shotbox Tool currently works with the GVG Profile^® Media Manager application and DNF's 2044CL Instant Access Clip Control system to provide a fast and easy way to assign video clips to DNF's Shotbox. Users can simply drag a clip ID from Profile's Media Manager Application into the Drag and Drop Shotbox Tool application, and then assign it to one or more shotkeys on the Shotbox. Using the tool, operators can also quickly assign a single clip, fill clip and key clip combination, or up to seven channels of clips to one Shotbox shotkey. Operators can also quickly view existing assignments, clear assignments, and add new assignments--all while taking advantage of the many other features of the Shotbox and the controller.