ATSC Implementation Guide For The Mobile Emergency Alert System Provides Roadmap For TV Broadcasters Launching Service

Posted on November 13, 2013 in Press Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Enhanced Service Can Deliver Video, Audio, Graphics, and Text to Mobile EAS-equipped Device

WASHINGTON, Nov. 13, 2013 – The Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) today published a new “Implementation Guide” as a valuable resource for TV stations preparing to deploy enhanced mobile emergency alert capability The new handbook, developed by the ATSC M-EAS Implementation Team, provides a roadmap for stations broadcasting mobile digital TV to upgrade their public service capability, with step-by-step instructions on how to both update broadcast equipment and demonstrate the new functionality to local emergency management agencies.

Using the existing network of broadcast TV stations, Mobile Emergency Alert System (Mobile EAS) uses Mobile Digital TV to reach viewers with video, text, by sound, and with informative maps, graphics, and instructions.

The new ATSC implementation guide is available on the ATSC.org website.

“ATSC’s Mobile EAS Implementation Team developed this guide as a straightforward explanation of the steps a station needs to take in order to go on-the-air with Mobile EAS. The ATSC Implementation Team works to aid the industry by creating an operational model that includes realistic workflows for Mobile EAS. The team defined the functionality of a model Mobile EAS Content Manager, interfacing to the station’s existing EAS receiver/processor, managing M-EAS alerts and the related sources of rich media, and then injecting the alerts and related content into the M-EAS transmission pipe,” said ATSC President Mark Richer.

“The addition of Mobile EAS to the TV station’s existing transmission equipment can be accomplished at very modest cost,” said Jay Adrick, Chair of the ATSC M-EAS Implementation Team “It requires no additional RF (radio frequency) spectrum. It runs with the CAP (Common Alerting Protocol) used by government agencies. And it runs in the background, allowing regular TV programming to continue.”

The Implementation Guide emphasizes that Mobile EAS “is an add-on to Mobile DTV and not a replacement to EAS, which is a service provided by your traditional fixed DTV broadcast. M-EAS is an easy roll-out that does not impact the station’s current EAS messaging services.”

Mobile EAS generates a banner alert that individual devices process and display.

“In addition to the M-EAS banner the M-EAS system includes the broadcast of rich media as supplemental information. This additional information can come in many forms including rich multimedia content such as HTML pages, maps and images, and video files,” notes the new guide.

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About the ATSC: The Advanced Television Systems Committee is an international, non-profit organization developing voluntary standards for digital television. The ATSC member organizations represent the broadcast, broadcast equipment, motion picture, consumer electronics, computer, cable, satellite, and semiconductor industries. For more information visit atscnextgentv.vp77wsn4-liquidwebsites.com

Contact:

Dave Arland, Arland Communications: Dave@ArlandCom.com, (317) 701-0084

Posted in Press Releases