LYNDONVILLE, N.Y., and PRINCETON, N.J.—Digital Alert Systems, a provider of emergency communications solutions for media providers, and igolgi, a provider of compression, encoding, and transcoding solutions for the broadcast, cable, LPTV, and PEG markets, today announced a new IP interface from Digital Alert Systems' DASDEC flexible emergency messaging platform to the igolgi product line. Anyone who uses igolgi iLux ATSC 1.0, iLux ATSC 3.0, and iLux XScale ATSC 1.0 encoders can now connect them to any DASDEC model with the Digital Alert Systems EAS-Net software interface over IP.
"With over 350 iLux ATSC encoders installed, the new EAS-Net connection will greatly simplify the EAS interface," said Jeff Zhu, iLux encoder product manager at igolgi. "Most of our users already use DASDEC, so this will be an easily installed upgrade."
igolgi encoders have been deployed with DASDEC Emergency Alert System (EAS) generators for 10 years with traditional physical interfaces. Previously there were four different ways of linking the DASDEC and igolgi products to provide an EAS interface. Each of those modes required either colocation of the equipment or additional third-party hardware to implement. Adding EAS-Net to the mix adds a new fifth mode to support hybrid virtualization and at a lower cost than the previous modes—especially important in the low-power market, according to the companies.
The configuration between the devices is greatly simplified because it requires only a network connection. There is no colocation requirement and no need for additional hardware or software to provide full EAS text crawl and audio through the igolgi platform. Moreover, this single interface works across all the streams in the igolgi units, eliminating the need to have one unit per stream or multiple DASDEC clients.
Using EAS-NET reduces equipment footprint, saving money, simplifying the design, and providing support for hybrid virtualization that further distinguishes unique forms of centralcasting and IP-based workflows. With EAS-NET, igolgi can now offer customers more flexibility in igolgi remote encoding or igolgi cloud encoding solutions for low- and full-power stations, and for both ATSC 1.0 and ATSC 3.0 encoding with remote DASDEC systems, the company said. And the seamless IP interface with EAS-Net means igolgi customers can take a hands-off approach to ensure all EAS warnings are displayed promptly and properly.
"EAS-Net is widely regarded as the de facto standard for linking equipment together for EAS information exchange. The alliance between Digital Alert Systems and igolgi ensures customers can use igolgi advanced encoders with the most reliable and flexible EAS system. This alliance also shows how broadcasters can use this standard around the facility and across multiple platforms for playout, automation, and direct encoder support," said Bill Robertson, vice president of business development, Digital Alert Systems. "This level of flexibility is important because it means they can select and fit newer, higher-performance equipment, usually at a lower overall price."
