LYNDONVILLE, N.Y. — March 17, 2010 — Digital Alert Systems (DAS), a division of Monroe Electronics and provider of enhanced emergency alert systems (EAS), today introduced DASDEC™-II, an IP-based, Common Alerting Protocol (CAP)-compatible EAS encoder/decoder set. Now shipping to customers worldwide, the DASDEC-II system provides maximum flexibility for local and remote EAS monitoring and control.
"As a CAP-compatible system, DASDEC-II is engineered to ensure that broadcasters easily meet current FCC emergency alert regulations while also having the flexibility to respond to future requirements and alert delivery mechanisms," said James F. Heminway, vice president and general manager of Monroe Electronics. "DASDEC-II's modular software provides a scalable EAS platform that helps broadcasters reduce clutter, cost, and complexity by combining several product functions, including MPEG encoding, into one single system."
Ready to go straight from the box, the DASDEC-II platform can be used as a drop-in replacement for any existing EAS encoder/decoder set. DASDEC-II supports a broad range of physical connection and interface protocols — including simple GPI/O, serial, USB, and IP networking — making it easy for broadcasters to integrate a wide variety of third-party character generator, crawl display, master control, and station automation systems. With a nonvolatile memory bank, DASDEC-II automatically logs FCC alert compliance.
DASDEC-II's MPEG encoder option will encode emergency alert video and audio into MPEG-1, MPEG-2, or MPEG-4 streams for Ethernet output. This unique feature simplifies alert management by allowing broadcasters to distribute and deploy emergency alerts in the specific format already in use by the station, without the need for additional encoding equipment. Broadcasters can utilize this option to save money and rack space while reducing installation and operational complexity.
Broadcasters also can select the EXP-3NIC option, which provides an additional three 10/100 or 10/100/1000 Ethernet connections for a total of four ports that provide multiple access points within a station. With the EXP-3NIC option, a broadcaster can — without additional power or rack space — segment its emergency alert network to separate and improve network traffic flow, with dedicated links to automation systems, character generators, and the Internet. Alternatively, specific EAS users, such as the news department, weather team, and IT administrator, can each have their own direct Ethernet connection.
As an IP-based technology, DASDEC-II is engineered to handle future emergency alert requirements with easy-to-upgrade software. The system's flexible packaging allows for various model configurations, ranging from low-cost, decoder-only set-ups to sophisticated messaging platforms tailored to more demanding applications.
To learn more about Digital Alert Systems' EAS products, call +1 (585) 765-1155 or visit www.digitalalertsystems.com.
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About Digital Alert Systems
Digital Alert Systems, LLC was formed in October 2003 when the founders, involved in EAS/EBS since 1990, determined that IP-based technologies could lower the cost of EAS encoders/decoders, improve operations, and offer more avenues to increase the effectiveness of emergency communications in the future. The DASDEC™ emergency messaging platform was the result of this critical thinking and development.
In October 2009, six years from its inception and with more than 1,000 systems in broadcast, cable, IPTV, and emergency operation centers around the U.S., Digital Alert Systems merged with Monroe Electronics to further extend its product offerings and better serve their collective customers well into the future.
Based in Lyndonville, N.Y., Monroe Electronics provides R&D, manufacturing, sales, and customer service for the Digital Alert Systems brand. The company extends its hard-earned reputation for quality, reliability, innovation, and service to valued customers around the world. More information is available at www.digitalalertsystems.com.
