dslreports logo
 
    All Forums Hot Topics Gallery
spc
Search similar:


uniqs
2292
gpatrick900
join:2008-08-30
New Castle, IN

1 edit

gpatrick900

Member

[DTA] Now shows the EAS test,

Getting a DTA will no longer prevent you from getting around the EAS test.

I read a post on another forum. The Digital transport adapter will now do the near the same thing the standard boxes do. The poster said that not the correct way to do it. All you need is a scroll & beep (I think the poster meant buzz). That poster is thinking of complaining to the regulatory agency. The poster didn't like the screen being blocked out. His/her spouse or relative is thinking of switching to another company or going to an over the air antenna.
drcable
join:2012-01-04
Fort Lauderdale, FL

drcable

Member

Re: DTA now shows the EAS test,

well think of the DTA's as the new "digital basic"
they want everything all digital

all companies have to do it
»transition.fcc.gov/pshs/ ··· ces/eas/
gpatrick900
join:2008-08-30
New Castle, IN

2 edits

gpatrick900

Member

said by drcable:

well think of the DTA's as the new "digital basic"
they want everything all digital

all companies have to do it
»transition.fcc.gov/pshs/ ··· ces/eas/

I do agree with the poster myself. I wouldn't like it. They don't have to block out the screen & force you to watch the EAS message. You can't even change the channel back. If it gets to annoying for me-I would considered dropping or switching to one that scrolls. According to another thread here. They are working on one that will do just does a beep and a scroll without interrupting your program. We will see if that happens. I hope it is sooner then later.

mikedz4
join:2003-04-14
Weirton, WV

mikedz4

Member

I think the FCC regulates the EAS messages. So I would write your congressmen and let them know they need to change how the eas is shown.
gpatrick900
join:2008-08-30
New Castle, IN

gpatrick900

Member

said by mikedz4:

I think the FCC regulates the EAS messages. So I would write your congressmen and let them know they need to change how the eas is shown.

Yes, the FCC may regulate but all they require is a scroll & maybe a voice. I don't think a voice is required. I have seen EAS test message on PBS stations that just do the buzz & the scroll without a voice. The program is still heard after the buzz. No blackout screen either.
RalphKramden
join:2007-01-10
Newtown, PA

RalphKramden to mikedz4

Member

to mikedz4
said by mikedz4:

I think the FCC regulates the EAS messages. So I would write your congressmen and let them know they need to change how the eas is shown.

Dear Congress - forget all that stuff about taxes, healthcare, unemployment, etc. Just make sure nothing interrupts when I'm watching wrestling!

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

Mike Wolf to gpatrick900

Member

to gpatrick900
I thought this was already known that the DTA's carry the EAS alerts.
Mike Wolf

Mike Wolf to gpatrick900

Member

to gpatrick900
Alright, being the resident EAS expert, and having worked on the national EAS test this past November, I'll see if I can straighten some things out. The FCC does handle the emergency alert system testing in conjunction with FEMA. All cable, wireline, and broadcast stations are required to do weekly and monthly testing, that includes Over the Air, U-Verse, and FiOS. The way the emergency alert system is displayed varies by the EAS encoder/decoder company used at the headend as well as the options chosen by the entity handling the alerts. The image above that I posted is called a "full screen slate" created by a Monroe Electronics OneNet EAS Encoder/Decoder (Endec) as opposed to a banner flashing or scrolling on the top of a screen. In regards to Comcast in my area for example, I've found that how the EAS alert is displayed depends on who is sending out the alert, the state police using a force tuned event to a designated channel where the full screen slate message is placed, where Comcast itself would do a simple banner across the top of the screen. I've made it known on several occasions about the public's desire for the use of banners instead of the full screen slates but its fallen on deaf ears. During weather alerts like thunderstorms and tornados it is important that the public is able to view the weather reports from The Weather Channel or a news outlet rather then it be covered up. Here are some examples.

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

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

»www.youtube.com/watch?v= ··· ure=fvwp
Mike Wolf

Mike Wolf to gpatrick900

Member

to gpatrick900
The voice is required depending on the severity of the alert (based on an importance scale I'm too lazy to dig up and link) Some just do the voice for everything while others dont do the voice at all. I have an amber alert activation recorded on my DVR with both the automated voice from NOAA as well as a human voice from the state police, and the human voice has alot more detailed information then the automated voice has.
gpatrick900
join:2008-08-30
New Castle, IN

gpatrick900

Member

said by Mike Wolf:

The voice is required depending on the severity of the alert (based on an importance scale I'm too lazy to dig up and link) Some just do the voice for everything while others dont do the voice at all. I have an amber alert activation recorded on my DVR with both the automated voice from NOAA as well as a human voice from the state police, and the human voice has alot more detailed information then the automated voice has.

If I went to an outside antenna.

Would it have a full blackout screen?
Would it have just a scroll?
Would it force tune to another station?
Would it be up to the tv manufacture or over the air converter box manufacture on how it is displayed?

Some tvs may give you zip code options. I would choose a far away one. I heard this on tv.
gpatrick900

gpatrick900 to Mike Wolf

Member

to Mike Wolf
Mike Wolf, They obviously just got are area working. I am going through a tape today to see if the interrupted for watches or warnings last night. I don't know how many counties my headend covers. On pbs stations the test never interrupts their programs. They broadcast it during the break between programs. They will broadcast the alerts in real or near real-time.

goofy01
join:2004-02-05
Hammond, IN

goofy01 to gpatrick900

Member

to gpatrick900
It would probably depend more on the local TV station you are watching OTA as to which screen you would get. I don't believe there is an auto channel change on OTA, just a notice to change to the channel.

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

Mike Wolf to gpatrick900

Member

to gpatrick900
most likely you would see some sort of notification either fullscreen or ticker from the broadcast station itself

»www.youtube.com/watch?v= ··· rgmmpv6g

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

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

quetwo
That VoIP Guy
Premium Member
join:2004-09-04
East Lansing, MI

quetwo to Mike Wolf

Premium Member

to Mike Wolf
Click for full size
EAS Emergency Codes
With the current "EAS" system (being quickly replaced by IPAWS), each emergency is given a severity level -- ranging from "Test" all the way through "Emergency". The company generating the scrollers/pages on TV are allowed to distinguish how these are each presented -- with the only exception of "EAN" or "EAT" -- this must be a full page replacement.

Most Comcast locations don't have the equipment necessary to do scrollers on each channel, and most STBs they've deployed don't have the technology to do these in-line. They /do/ have the technology to do page replacements (this is pretty easy -- force change or force tune to a different EIA/MPEG stream) via the STE messaging. This is quickly changing as the technology matures to allow scrollers across channels, and IPAWS allows for more granular messaging.

If you want to see a list of the messages supported in EAS and their level, they are attached. On my cable system we use the Monroe box (same as you listed), attached to an RGB BNP2xr for the EAS notification. We have the new Monroe box on order to support compliance with IPAWS, once FEMA figures out the standard they are actually going to use.
gpatrick900
join:2008-08-30
New Castle, IN

gpatrick900

Member

quetwo

I am not talking about the old EBS. When we had analog cable through insight. Insight was able to do the EAS scroll over all the stations. When switched to comcast, it stayed like that for a little bit, then it switched to a real quick full screen tell you to turn to certain station.

All,
I will just have to wait & see how my comcast headen handles watches & warnings for the DTA. One thing that bugs me the most is doing the test at the end of the show. Imagine watching CHUCK series finally at the very end, the EAS weekly test comes on and you never know the ending. I know they can do the test any day or time they choose.

quetwo
That VoIP Guy
Premium Member
join:2004-09-04
East Lansing, MI

quetwo

Premium Member

I'm not talking about analog either. The way that the "page-flip" method works is that either the STBs get a "page-flip" command (either through the SEM, STE-16, DAC or other method) to switch to a different EIA/MPEG, or the page-flip is done to ALL the streams in the head-end via the SEM or a groomer. The former method is what Comcast and many of the satellite providers are doing, where the latter is what many of the smaller cable providers are doing.

It used to be easy to do EAS scrolls -- you could put EAS Scroller equipment right before your final on the HE, and everything worked fine. In this day and age, however, with everything in IP -- sometimes with encrypted streams, the process is much, much harder to do. Many providers have been relying on the STB manufactures to do this for them, but it hasn't been working very well (as we can see with the DTA situation). There is quite a sizable investment to do it in the HE, and it requires all the content to go through some sort of decrypter if the content is being encrypted elsewhere.

DebbieLee
@comcast.net

DebbieLee to quetwo

Anon

to quetwo
said by quetwo:

Most Comcast locations don't have the equipment necessary to do scrollers on each channel, and most STBs they've deployed don't have the technology to do these in-line. They /do/ have the technology to do page replacements (this is pretty easy -- force change or force tune to a different EIA/MPEG stream) via the STE messaging. This is quickly changing as the technology matures to allow scrollers across channels, and IPAWS allows for more granular messaging.

As Mike listed (the red banner with white text) have been displayed by the Scientific Atlanta/Cisco boxes during Comcast's weekly tests, and I think its called unambiguous EAS or inobtrusive EAS

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

Mike Wolf to gpatrick900

Member

to gpatrick900
said by gpatrick900:

quetwo

I am not talking about the old EBS. When we had analog cable through insight. Insight was able to do the EAS scroll over all the stations. When switched to comcast, it stayed like that for a little bit, then it switched to a real quick full screen tell you to turn to certain station.

I remember Comcast doing that white text with clear background ticker back in 2000/2001 telling us to tune to channel 8 CN8.
Mike Wolf

Mike Wolf to gpatrick900

Member

to gpatrick900
said by gpatrick900:

quetwo
Imagine watching CHUCK series finally at the very end, the EAS weekly test comes on and you never know the ending. I know they can do the test any day or time they choose.

That is true but it is generally common practice to avoid intentional primetime testing.