[opendtv] PBS EAS Pilot Project to Include Mobile DTV
- From: "Manfredi, Albert E" <albert.e.manfredi@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 13 Apr 2011 16:15:47 -0500
Now you're talking. Here's a perfect excuse to incorporate the M/H standard in
all ATSC receivers.
Bert
-----------------------------------
http://www.tvtechnology.com/article/119058
PBS EAS Pilot Project to Include Mobile DTV
04.13.2011.
LAS VEGAS: PBS will start testing a next-gen emergency alert system later this
year. The system intends to feed EAS information to platforms of all types,
from cellphone, tablet computers, laptops, netbooks to in-car navigation
systems. The ATSC M/H Mobile DTV standard has also now been included.
The new Mobile Emergency Alert System will comprise video, audio, text and
graphics to disseminate information during times of crises. The next-gen system
represents the first overhaul to the EAS since the Cold War. It now feeds the
nation via the radio and broadcast TV infrastructure.
"PBS has been involved in testing digital broadcasting as a part of an upgraded
emergency system since 2005," said PBS chief technology officer John McCoskey.
"Now that the transition to digital is complete and Mobile DTV is rolling out,
PBS will harness Mobile DTV's powerful distribution system to provide new means
of alerting Americans in the event of an emergency."
PBS has identified key partners to support the landmark pilot project,
including LG Electronics and its U.S. research subsidiary, Zenith, which will
develop handheld mobile DTV devices to receive the new alerts. Zenith, which
contributed to the creation of ATSC M/H, also will provide funding for the
project. The Corp. for Public Broadcasting will provide matching grants to
local public television stations for Mobile DTV broadcasting equipment. PBS
said it plans to announce stations for the pilot project in the near future.
PBS said the pilot project will use "terrestrial broadcasting instead of
cellular network connectivity, complementing the current cellular-based system
PBS is deploying with the support of the U.S. National Telecommunications and
Information Administration and with the cooperation of the U.S. Department of
Homeland Security. This system transmits 90-character emergency text messages
to commercial mobile carriers."
The inclusion of Mobile DTV in the alert architecture will enhance delivery
because it would be free of the type of bandwidth overloads that can vex cell
networks. Millions of devices could receive a single signal rather than each
requiring an individual transmission. The broadcast infrastructure also
facilitates the delivery of video, photos, graphics, text and audio, thus
enabling agencies to more easily reach non-English-speaking populations and
people with disabilities.
McCoskey said the intent is to build "a mechanism that can be easily
replicated, allowing any broadcaster to send emergency information that is
CAP-compliant, that is integrated into the IPAWS system, and that can reliably
reach on-the-go Americans in the ways they access other information today."
-- Television Broadcast
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