Digital Alert Systems is using the 2018 NAB Show in Las Vegas to introduce what it says is “a one-of-a-kind, highly specialized management system capable of overseeing all encoders/decoders and facilitating command of all connected EAS devices in an enterprise.”
Introducing HALO, a web-based, enterprise-wide tool that forms a single aggregation point through which multiple users can oversee the health and status of each EAS device, alert key personnel of critical changes, centralize configuration settings, manage software updates, and consolidate FCC-mandated test results for easier EAS Test Result System (ETRS) filings.
HALO combines operations and compliance in one configuration control, EAS log-reporting, and error/alarm-monitoring program — providing insight and control of a company’s entire EAS infrastructure.
“By bringing together all EAS-related processes, HALO reduces complexity and duplicate efforts, which in turn reduces potential errors,” the Monroe Electronics division notes. “More importantly, it decreases the time and resources spent on EAS-related matters, increasing efficiencies and making it easier to proactively address any potential compliance or subscriber issues.”
Digital Alert Systems will also use the NAB Show to preview its new ATSC 3.0-oriented advanced emergency information module, an optional advanced emergency alerting (AEA) upgrade for the industry-leading DASDEC emergency messaging platform.
The EAS-Net AEA module will both aggregate content (messages, multimedia) from outside sources and generate a station’s own messaging, all for transmission to AEA-enabled applications on ATSC 3.0 receivers. Adding the new EAS-Net AEA module to a DASDEC unit lets stations integrate AEA capabilities into the next-generation TV standard. By driving the capabilities envisioned under the ATSC 3.0 standard by groups like AWARN, the DASDEC’s new EAS-Net AEA feature will enable next-level urgent communications from stations to audiences — with text, graphics, audio, and other advanced multimedia features — that provide a more interactive way of communicating emergency information that goes far beyond basic EAS.
Digital Alert Systems was instrumental in developing the AEA specification adopted within the ATSC 3.0 standard, and the DASDEC’s EAS-Net AEA option is the first ATSC 3.0 AEA offering in the industry.
