WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.—Playbox Neo has optimized integration of emergency alerts into its latest PlayBox Neo Suite, providing broadcasters with more flexibility when airing alerts and reducing the need for possible advertiser make-goods, the company said today.
Customized settings for Emergency Alert System (EAS) visual crawls and audio are received by PlayBox Neo Suite, which extracts the data directly within the AirBox Neo-20 streaming and broadcast playout module and the TitleBox Neo-20 character generator, it said.
Typically, a Digital Alert Systems DASDEC-III, is connected to a broadcaster’s local network. When it receives an EAS message, the EAS data is extracted and sent to the TitleBox Neo-20 system to be displayed on-screen as a text alert, it said.
The audio stream is decoded and sent to the AirBox Neo-20 where it is delivered on-air, overriding the current program audio. The workflow can feed multiple PlayBox Neo channel-in-a-box servers simultaneously, providing service for several channels, or main and backup, it said.
Logos for each channel can be added separately to the EAS feed, colors customized and the aspect ratio removed or changed to accommodate the emergency alert graphic – without disturbing the SDI signal. The alert also can be delayed, running just after a commercial break, it said.
One DASDEC EAS receiver can provide customized EAS alerts to several channels to establish consistent branding across each.
“If the broadcaster simply wants to let the EAS signal go through, they can,” Van Duke, Playbox Neo director of U.S. operations. “If they want to delay the alert five minutes, they can. Or, they can do an overlay over current programming with customizable graphic options. There’s less involvement with the SDI signal. There’s no going in and out of SDI. And each channel can be triggered with its own graphics and delay customization all from one application.”
The company has released an online video examining the workflow.
More information is available on the company’s website.
