Digital Alert Systems And Masterplay Form Tech Partnership

Digital Alert Systems, a global provider of emergency communications solutions for media providers, and Masterplay, provider of the Masterplay On-Air playout system, today announced a new technology partnership. The Masterplay On-Air server now integrates with the Digital Alert Systems DASDEC emergency messaging platforms that use the Digital Alert Systems EAS-Net communication protocol. As a result, Masterplay users can now rely on EAS-Net for advanced IP-based alerting in broadcast and low-power TV environments. The two companies will share support for their combined customers.

Through this integration, Masterplay has extended its Emergency Alert System support beyond the traditional serial and audio cables. This technological advancement, the company says, “provides a pure-IP link to the Masterplay servers so customers can link remote sites over a simple network interface. The setup is ideal for centralcasting operations, where the equipment isn’t required to be collocated.”

“Using EAS-Net and aligning with the leading EAS vendor in the TV market showcases the strength of our collective commitment to smaller companies and smaller operators,” said Rick Mella, Masterplay sales engineer.

“We use EAS-Net to link our DASDEC EAS devices in the field with our Masterplay On-Air playout servers in one single centralcast location,” said Matthew Davidge, CEO of Roseland Broadcasting. “With broadcast stations in Texas, Florida and the Midwest, we use a hub-and-spoke model, and EAS-Net helps us better accomplish the alerting mission with less equipment. It saves us time and money and reduces the amount of wiring and support required to maintain FCC compliance.”

Masterplay On-Air is a playout system for 4K/HD/SD playback, scheduling and more. “Its scalability makes it suitable for operations of any size, but the technology integration with Digital Alert Systems is especially beneficial for smaller, low-power TV operators looking for a low-cost EAS solution,” the company said.

“The Masterplay system is a robust and powerful playout tool that provides high-quality performance for a much lower cost than many other solutions,” said Bill Robertson, Digital Alert Systems vice president of business development. “The greater the selection Masterplay customers have for complying with emergency messaging mandates, the easier it is to find exactly what they need at a price they can justify. By making our technologies work together, we’re giving customers another option for delivering emergency alerts that is affordable and easy to implement.”