DNF Controls announced today the release of two new modules that provide enhanced capabilities to its Flex Control Network, the company's flexible, modular, scalable, real-time machine control solution designed and built for the demands of television broadcast, live production, and event production. With the Playlist Playout Module, broadcasters can quickly create, edit, and play out a stack of clips, while the Router Control Module provides easy control over a single or multiple routers.

"Our Flex Control Network is based on a flexible, cost-effective system of modular building blocks that can be assembled in many different combinations to satisfy the specific control requirements of our customers - without requiring them to pay for additional features they don't need," said DNF Controls President Dan Fogel.

The Playlist Playout Module, which is installed in Flex Control's Device Controller, provides quick and easy creation and four-channel playout of a stack of video clips. Edits to the playlist - including inserting, appending, and deleting clips and breaks - can be made even while it is playing out. The Playlist Playout Module can be used to establish playout redundancy and disaster recovery by simply loading the playlist into a second Device Controller for playout on a second video server.

Flex Control Network's Router Control Module allows multiple routers to be controlled as one large router. It provides various control configurations to select a source and destination or route multiple sources to a preconfigured destination. When installed in a Device Controller, the Router Control Module can control one or many routers via RS232, RS422, or Ethernet.

Also available for the Flex Control Network are the VTR Control and Clip Control modules. VTR Control provides familiar VTR-style transport control including record, play, stop, rewind, fast forward, jog, shuttle, slo-mo, and search-to-time. It supports shared control, individual or ganged, of one to eight VTRs from a single control panel, extending a facility's ability to move, add, or share control easily.

The Clip Control Module offers individual or simultaneous control over one or more video server channels, simplifying the creation, recording, loading, and playout of clips. Operators can load and play a clip on a single channel, or fill-clip and key-clip combinations on multiple channels.

The integrated control building blocks of the Flex Control Network include Device Controllers and Control Panels as well as software modules. Components can be added and subtracted, and control points and protocols changed, without making the system obsolete, which keeps the year-to-year cost of ownership low. With all components connected by high-speed Ethernet, the system provides local and remote point-to-point and shared device control in real time. Built-in redundancy through distributed control architecture minimizes the risk of a single point of failure.