It’s being described as “a complete command and control structure for SAS and third-party broadcast devices living on local and wide-area networks.”
Introducing SAS Global Connect, a software-based “NOC” for broadcasters to centrally manage entire network operations that can interface with all components in a broadcast infrastructure from microphones to antennas.
It comes courtesy of Sierra Automated Systems and is available immediately in on-premises software. SAS is currently testing containerized cloud software versions, providing customers with flexible deployment options based on operational preferences.
Sierra Automated Systems’s legacy in audio transport innovation dates nearly four decades, having introduced the radio industry’s first large-scale full matrix audio router in the 1980s. The company has shifted its routing focus to Audio over IP over the last decade, with an emphasis on networking Dante, AES67, SMPTE 2110-30 and other digital audio signals within local facilities.
SAS Global Connect explains the genesis of its products and the latest release. “A producer in one location can manage simple and advanced remote operations with a single button press, from turning microphones and studio lights on and off to triggering automation systems and transmitter feeds. Users can even originate programs across many locations, such as bringing syndicated programs to air for their scheduled slots across different cities. At the same time, users can monitor the health and status of all devices on the network, and switch to redundant components as required.”
SAS co-owner and VP Al Salci continues, “Broadcasters continue to change the way they operate and diversify their services, from consolidating studios and business operations to implementing self-syndication and remote production strategies. Following decades of experience supporting local facilities and the backend systems architecture, we now take the important step of helping broadcasters support their primary audio delivery needs for both local and remote locations, and with a solution that makes it easy to operate, maintain and monitor all connected devices.”
SAS Global Connect is backwards-compatible with most legacy SAS consoles, routers, audio engines and hardware interface accessories, as well as all modern IP-enabled SAS products. DNAV, Sierra Automated Systems’s manufacturer’s representative, is already rolling out SAS Global Connect for multiple customers.
DNAV Co-Owner Nick Straka adds that DNAV and SAS are on the verge of onboarding manufacturers as Global Connect partners. “Every broadcast device manufacturer has its own language for talking to their own devices,” said Straka. “Some offer more command and control capabilities than others. What makes SAS Global Connect special is its ability to be the universal translator, to speak all of these languages and connection types under one platform. We expect to roll additional manufacturers and digital hardware products into the SAS Global Connect portfolio soon.”
