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KodiacZiller
Premium Member
join:2008-09-04
73368

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KodiacZiller

Premium Member

[DVR] Motorola DCX-3400 -- I Am Sick of the EAS Tests

Is there a way to turn off those annoying Emergency Broadcasting messages that Comcast forces on us DCX-3400 users? I live in an area with a lot of thunderstorms this time of the year and the SOB goes off constantly. It's always screwing up my DVR'ed programs. I have a weather radio and don't need or want this BS.

EDIT: I see from another thread that I will have to suffer with it. It really sucks balls because it often goes off in prime-time. Last night it caused me to miss about 3 minutes of a program I really wanted to see (during critical moments of the program). Why can't these idiots schedule these tests for the day time?

I did not ever see EAS alerts or tests with DirecTV and Tivo. Ever. I really miss that.

andyross
MVM
join:2003-05-04
Aurora, IL

andyross

MVM

By me, the only time I ever see them is for a Tornado WARNING, and an occasional test once a week or so in the early morning.

I guess it's up to the local area as to what level they have it set to trigger at.

Mike Wolf
join:2009-05-24
Tuckerton, NJ

Mike Wolf to KodiacZiller

Member

to KodiacZiller
oh for goodness sakes, NO you can't block the EAS messages, its a federally required system.

DirecTV is also required by law to carry the EAS messages. TiVo for both cable and dish does display EAS messages, and in fact must do so in order for them to be allowed to be sold on market and keep CableCARD certification. Let me tell you this, I rarely see any actual alerts from Comcast except for a weekly test and a monthly test, thats it. I wish there would be real ones. Consider yourself lucky.

KodiacZiller
Premium Member
join:2008-09-04
73368

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KodiacZiller

Premium Member

said by Mike Wolf:

oh for goodness sakes, NO you can't block the EAS messages, its a federally required system.

DirecTV is also required by law to carry the EAS messages. TiVo for both cable and dish does display EAS messages, and in fact must do so in order for them to be allowed to be sold on market and keep CableCARD certification.

I had DirecTV for about 3 years and never once saw a single EAS test or alert. Ever.

Let me tell you this, I rarely see any actual alerts from Comcast except for a weekly test and a monthly test, thats it. I wish there would be real ones. Consider yourself lucky.

I see them far too often and don't want this "service." I realize it is required, but it really sucks that people can't opt-out.
mjw703
join:2005-02-24
Arlington, VA

1 recommendation

mjw703 to KodiacZiller

Member

to KodiacZiller
Are you the one that's in this phone call:

»www.youtube.com/watch?v= ··· dhmsfbPg

EASAgain
@comcast.net

EASAgain to KodiacZiller

Anon

to KodiacZiller
FCC definition: »www.fcc.gov/pshs/services/eas/

Scroll down and there are PDF handbooks on what cable, sat, telcos MUST do. Read them and find yourself informed. They all must abide by the FCC. Sucks but such is life. Write the FCC. Deaf ears but at least your complaint is out there...somewhere.

Smart Person
@comcast.net

Smart Person to KodiacZiller

Anon

to KodiacZiller
I thank god people can't opt out. there's too many less then bright people out there. It's the only thing protecting them from Darwinism.

Valerie Hood
@comcast.net

Valerie Hood to EASAgain

Anon

to EASAgain
said by EASAgain :

FCC definition: »www.fcc.gov/pshs/services/eas/

Scroll down and there are PDF handbooks on what cable, sat, telcos MUST do. Read them and find yourself informed. They all must abide by the FCC. Sucks but such is life. Write the FCC. Deaf ears but at least your complaint is out there...somewhere.

Thank you for bringing the PDF up. I was gonna bring that up but after the 20th complaint about this I feel its feel I'm talking to a brick wall, then I feel embarrassed when the wall talks back.

Mike Wolf
join:2009-05-24
Tuckerton, NJ

Mike Wolf to Smart Person

Member

to Smart Person
I gotta agree with Smart Person, a little harsh but theres some truth in that. I'm hoping that with the new national testing that the FCC will be starting in a few months that there won't be people not getting the messages. I think it needs to be more mandatory as to what alerts are activated and not let providers pick and choose. »www.weather.gov/os/eas_c ··· tml#list I want to start seeing more alerts.
moes
Premium Member
join:2009-11-15
Cedar City, UT

moes to Smart Person

Premium Member

to Smart Person
If your going to sock puppet at least learn how to do it right and stop being a troll.

Mike Wolf
join:2009-05-24
Tuckerton, NJ

Mike Wolf

Member

um huh?
Jasonfn22
join:2009-11-20
Bethlehem, GA

Jasonfn22 to KodiacZiller

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to KodiacZiller
I have been with comcast almost 2 years and twice it was a test and only a test lol and once they had a abduction alert with details on the car and what to look for and nothing on that DVR could be more important than that so.I get the feeling it happened during a show you liked and how many times it happens is being exaggerated because you will have the only service known to do that because when they send them its everybody on the local system.Then again they could just be picking on you and refuse to let you watch TV in piece by the way your rant presented. I mean "suffer","critical moments","forces","SOB off constantly","BS",and most of all a direct TV plug in a comcast forum.That means you plugged Their service like advertised it and by jorge I just might switch since you said that Direct TV has no emergency test,while I am at it this windows operating system is going to I say we just boycott comcast and microsoft lol.Ok I am done

Oregonian
Premium Member
join:2000-12-21
West Linn, OR

Oregonian to mjw703

Premium Member

to mjw703
said by mjw703:

Are you the one that's in this phone call:
(youtube clip)

"Fix it NOW!"

Hilarious! Thanks.

DaveDude
No Fear
join:1999-09-01
New Jersey

DaveDude to Smart Person

Member

to Smart Person
said by Smart Person :

I thank god people can't opt out. there's too many less then bright people out there. It's the only thing protecting them from Darwinism.

So the 20 other ways of getting alerts arent there ? I can just turn on a radio, and here the same barely readable message. Nevermind my smart phone, computer, etc.

mikedz4
join:2003-04-14
Weirton, WV

mikedz4

Member

listen I'd rather have 20 different ways of telling me a tornado is heading my way than none. My area doesn't have tornado sirens (although I am pushing for my local area to install them) so this is the only way to know. Of course if it happens at night when my tv is off I am out of luck.
But that is what NOAA Weather Radios are supposed to be for. When it's 2am and a tornado was spotted 2 miles away headed towards you OR if you live near a creek and it has been pouring all night to let you know it's time to get what is necessary and move to higher ground immediately.
It's a LIFE SAVING necessity.

Mike Wolf
join:2009-05-24
Tuckerton, NJ

Mike Wolf to DaveDude

Member

to DaveDude
I think the poster was pointing out that unless a person is actively looking for alerts they won't find it. I mean most non technical savvy people don't have smart phones or have ways of recieving alerts via their computer, if they even have a computer in the first place. Anyway this is a moot point because of the DEAS, CAP, CMAS, IPAWS and other intergrating systems that have been or will be put in place, more people can be reached through many different platforms. »en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Co ··· Protocol
»en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Di ··· t_System
»en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Co ··· t_System
»www.fema.gov/emergency/ipaws/

Also starting this year the national emergency alert system testing will begin. Hopefully this will allow all the bugs to be worked out and good things come of it.

cypherstream
MVM
join:2004-12-02
Reading, PA
·PenTeleData
ARRIS SB8200

cypherstream to KodiacZiller

MVM

to KodiacZiller
You'd have to filter EAS messages from the OOB channel that your box is tuned to for channel mapping, firmware, caller id messages, vod menu structure & session management, guide data, ITV applets, dvr programming, xfinity app channel change messages, entitlement messages, crypto key updates, etc..

So.. without loosing all of that stuff with a bandstop trap on your OOB frequency, in short no, you cannot stop EAS (at least without greatly impacting other services / features).

Not sure if a Tivo or Moxi solution with Cablecard is as intrusive.

There is a feature called Unambiguous EAS, but not many headends use this mode of EAS. What it is, is that the box is not force tuned to any other EAS channel... so the DVR can still record what is going on. Instead a message is sent to the box and the software in the guide generates an overlay message and if requested, can tune the audio channel to a second audio program on the current QAM. Since the message is generated at the box level, no EAS video hardware is needed at the headend... just a triggering server with appropriate software to generate the messages and an audio encoder that sends a multicast broadcast audio PID to all of the QAM's in the system.

KodiacZiller
Premium Member
join:2008-09-04
73368

KodiacZiller

Premium Member

said by cypherstream:

There is a feature called Unambiguous EAS, but not many headends use this mode of EAS. What it is, is that the box is not force tuned to any other EAS channel... so the DVR can still record what is going on. Instead a message is sent to the box and the software in the guide generates an overlay message and if requested, can tune the audio channel to a second audio program on the current QAM. Since the message is generated at the box level, no EAS video hardware is needed at the headend... just a triggering server with appropriate software to generate the messages and an audio encoder that sends a multicast broadcast audio PID to all of the QAM's in the system.

This would be a nice alternative. My complaint is not the concept of EAS, but the fact that it completely takes over the DVR for ~3 minutes. A 5 -10 second tone and a banner on the top of the screen would be sufficient.

And to the troll that said I was "plugging" DirecTV, I have no connection to that company whatsoever. I am a happy Comcast Internet subscriber -- I wouldn't switch to another service. I just happened to get Triple Play a while back and have become incensed at the incessant EAS tests and alerts every time a rain drop falls. Again, I never once (yes, not once) saw an EAS alert on my DirecTV Tivo box for the several years that I owned it. Maybe DirectV was "breaking the law" or maybe I had a faulty box. Either way, I liked it.

I have a tornado siren like 100 yards from my house. I have a weather radio, the Internet, and numerous AM/FM radios. I have local TV channels that all have their paranoid weathermen break in on programming. The only thing I don't have is shortwave or a HAM. There's so many ways people get alerts these days that if an EAS alert on their cable box is all that is protecting them from imminent death, then maybe we should let survival of the fittest play its natural role.

(As I was writing this, my weather radio just went off for about the 6th time in the last few hours. The EAS alert on my Comcast box has went off the same number of times, which is very annoying).

Mike Wolf
join:2009-05-24
Tuckerton, NJ

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Mike Wolf to cypherstream

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to cypherstream
said by cypherstream:

....Not sure if a Tivo or Moxi solution with Cablecard is as intrusive.

There is a feature called Unambiguous EAS, but not many headends use this mode of EAS. What it is, is that the box is not force tuned to any other EAS channel... so the DVR can still record what is going on. Instead a message is sent to the box and the software in the guide generates an overlay message and if requested, can tune the audio channel to a second audio program on the current QAM. Since the message is generated at the box level, no EAS video hardware is needed at the headend... just a triggering server with appropriate software to generate the messages and an audio encoder that sends a multicast broadcast audio PID to all of the QAM's in the system.

This is a TiVo EAS banner »www.flickr.com/photos/32 ··· 19243971 Yes it's that big (which isn't a bad thing) and the Moxi EAS banner looks something exactly like this »tinyurl.com/easbanner

In my experience with my TiVo and Moxi, neither have been force tuned during a monthly and weekly test, generally the banner just scrolls aross if I'm watching live tv or stops playback of a show I've recorded then shows live tv and the banner.

cypherstream
MVM
join:2004-12-02
Reading, PA

cypherstream

MVM

Nice, thanks for sharing Mike. I wondered how they handled it.

Mike Wolf
join:2009-05-24
Tuckerton, NJ

Mike Wolf

Member

welcome
gregr9
join:2010-10-10
New Castle, IN

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to KodiacZiller
The small digital adapters don't do this to my knowledge. It won't record in HDTV. If I am thinking correctly.

One tv
Cable line splitter to dta-vcr-to A&B switch to tv
Cable line splitter to converter to A&B switch to tv

I don't know if this will work.

Depending on your service area
Expanded & up can get two or three dtas at no charge.
Limited Basic in some areas can get two or three no charge.
In some areas there may be a digital outlet charge.

Also, Qam turners are not effected by the EAS. In some cases you can set your tv to disable it with or without a cable card. Some tv will let you set a county. If that the case use 99999 or 11111 for the zip code.
GTFan
join:2004-12-03
Austell, GA

GTFan to Mike Wolf

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to Mike Wolf
said by Mike Wolf:

In my experience with my TiVo and Moxi, neither have been force tuned during a monthly and weekly test, generally the banner just scrolls aross if I'm watching live tv or stops playback of a show I've recorded then shows live tv and the banner.

This totally depends on area - here in the ATL the required test and any EAS activations completely take over the screen on my Tivos, which go to black with big white letters. However, I think the Amber alerts scroll across the top (with forced audio change, so you see the show but hear the alert).

cypherstream
MVM
join:2004-12-02
Reading, PA

cypherstream

MVM

I think Motorola headends usually force tune, but Cisco headends have more flexibility with less destructive EAS messages. But I'm sure it depends on the software and EAS configuration used.

Mike Wolf
join:2009-05-24
Tuckerton, NJ

Mike Wolf to GTFan

Member

to GTFan
yeah whats wierd is during the tests the audio isnt taken over and I don't even hear the alert tones. also i'm aware that certain areas do things differently, i'm just going by what i've seen and know. when i've spoken to tivo and moxi engineers they said that's what the boxes are suppose to do, display a banner across the screen with text that scroll from right to left. the moxi displays a thin red banner with white scrolling text while the tivos with software version 9.1 and later displays a blue banner with red scrolling text.
do you see this in your area GTFan in addition to the black screen and white text?what model tivo's are you referencing, are you using cableards with them, and please check the sofware version.
Mike Wolf

Mike Wolf to cypherstream

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to cypherstream
that is true, though currently both companies are trying to find a middleground for uniformity and CAP/IPAWS compliance. this is due to the upcoming national EAS testing mandates and other reasons. »www.televisionbroadcast. ··· e/113264
now the big question is, is the system up to it?

mikedz4
join:2003-04-14
Weirton, WV

mikedz4 to KodiacZiller

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to KodiacZiller
EAS is a good service for emergencies. Like tornadoes and flash floods or even destructive winds. Plus if there ever were a nuclear attack on the us they would be used.
I have noticed that comcast has the system under control here now. Unfortunatel my local nbc has no tone on the eas.