Digital Alert Systems and Harmonic announce a new technology partnership. Under the agreement, the Digital Alert Systems DASDEC Flexible Emergency Messaging Platform and its EAS-Net communications interface integrate with Harmonic’s XOS Advanced Media Processor. This integration makes it possible for video distributors that use both companies’ systems — whether operating in ATSC 1.0, ATSC 3.0 or both environments — to include emergency information in their programming in the most efficient manner. It benefits video distributors, including traditional OTA broadcasters and CATV and streaming providers.

Combining the Harmonic XOS Advanced Media Processor with Digital Alert Systems’ DASDEC with EAS-Net, customers can provide emergency alerting information — including text crawls and audio — using a single, simple IP communications connection. This eliminates the need for one or more separate media keyers, switchers, and a host of individual cables and connectors, or the need to use the highly unpopular full-screen replacement. The result is a very clean installation for less cost and clutter. Because the DASDEC is IP-based, it can be placed in a remote market and network-connected directly to the Harmonic XOS processor — something that wouldn’t be possible without EAS-Net.

The EAS-Net communication protocol not only enables emergency alert text and audio message transfers to remote devices, but it also includes many revolutionary features, such as flexible event scheduling, simultaneous multistation alerts, and multilingual support. EAS-Net also features expansion options, like EAS-Net AEA, which supports the Advanced Emergency Information (AEI) elements in the ATSC 3.0 (NextGen TV) standard. This means the same equipment supports both ATSC 1.0 and ATSC 3.0 standards and future developments.

This solution has made it possible for Sinclair Broadcast Group, which owns, operates, and/or services 185 television stations in 86 markets, to test and demo the Emergency Alert System (EAS) and AEI for ATSC 3.0.

Harmonic’s XOS is the only tier-one media processor that has successfully integrated with Digital Alert Systems’ advanced IP-based EAS-Net protocol.