Weather woes

[Cheesehead Dave]

Our D* finally went out, but it took a heck of a storm to do it. My neighbor has a weather station on the 'net, and it was reading a rainfall rate of 2.5 in/hr. Thanks to the RoadRunner service, though, I can still plug a cable into the back of the TV and get the locals if necessary.

[aaron]

:guitar:

Turned on the TV today and color is back! Too bad it only fills half the screen since WISN12 thinks we need a constant weather reminder. :mad:

[OlsonNet]

:guitar:

Turned on the TV today and color is back! Too bad it only fills half the screen since WISN12 thinks we need a constant weather reminder. :mad:

I'm loving watching 2 of the first 4 NBA Finals games in WISN's "squishyvision" instead of in HD. Well done, channel 12. :mad:

[troyriley]

As we have been reminded of lately, it is important for stations to give viewers weather updates. However, stations need to take advantage of the ability to have subchannels when dangerous weather develops. In a perfect world, here's what WISN-12 could have done during the game if they had a subchannel:

Analog 12 - Show the game with the weather information border.
Digital 12.1 - Game in HD with no weather information.
Digital 12.2 - Game in SD with weather information. Or, just show weather information.

Of course, we also would have been watching the Bucks in the finals in a perfect world.

[Andrew]

As we have been reminded of lately, it is important for stations to give viewers weather updates. However, stations need to take advantage of the ability to have subchannels when dangerous weather develops. In a perfect world, here's what WISN-12 could have done during the game if they had a subchannel:

Analog 12 - Show the game with the weather information border.
Digital 12.1 - Game in HD with no weather information.
Digital 12.2 - Game in SD with weather information. Or, just show weather information.

Of course, we also would have been watching the Bucks in the finals in a perfect world.

Which do you think is closer?  The Bucks or small HD weather overlay to the HD signal?

[troyriley]

Which do you think is closer?  The Bucks or small HD weather overlay to the HD signal?

Judging by the current rate of progress of HD versus that of the Bucks, my vote's for HD.

I forgot to mention that channel 17 in Rockford did continue to show the game in HD, with a weather overlay (for future reference for those of you to the southwest of Milwaukee).

[foxeng]

Analog 12 - Show the game with the weather information border.

Legal.

Digital 12.1 - Game in HD with no weather information.

Not legal and would draw a fine from the FCC.

Digital 12.2 - Game in SD with weather information. Or, just show weather information.

Legal.

[Gilbert]

Hey all,

As a (dead tired) meteorologist (dealing with all of this stuff), and a digital OTA and antenna geek, I can tell you that the warm front which produced the lift that caused all the storms on Thursday produced a temperature inversion. That inversion made FM and TV signals really goofy. Tonight, I am getting Madison and Milwaukee TV stations solid, from 60 miles west of Chicago.

[Jimboy]

Digital 12.1 - Game in HD with no weather information.
Not legal and would draw a fine from the FCC.

Local & State EAS participation is voluntary. However it is a valuable public service.


http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/eas.html

This is a test of the Emergency Alert System – this is only a test…”

You will occasionally hear or see these words on your local broadcast station, satellite radio, Direct Broadcast Satellite (DBS), or cable system.

The EAS is designed to provide the President with a means to address the American people in the event of a national emergency. Beginning in 1963, the President permitted state and local emergency information to be transmitted using the system. Since then, local emergency management personnel have used the EAS to relay local emergency messages via broadcast stations, cable, and wireless cable systems. In October 2005, the FCC expanded the EAS rules to require EAS participation by digital television (DTV) broadcasters, digital cable television providers, digital broadcast radio, Digital Audio Radio Service (DARS), and DBS systems. These rules take effect on December 31, 2006, except for the DBS rules, which take effect on May 31, 2007. While participation in national EAS alerts is mandatory for these providers, state and local EAS participation is currently voluntary.


More fun reading..... http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_01/47cfr11_01.html


Released: July 12, 2007
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-07-109A1.pdf


14. State EAS Alerts. The EAS network originally was conceived to provide the
President with the ability to rapidly communicate via radio and TV broadcast networks with the American public during a national crisis, such as a nuclear attack.53 The system also has been used for the provision of state and local emergency alerts to the public since it was opened to state and local participation in 1963. Several thousand state and local EAS messages are transmitted annually. More than 70 percent of all state and local EAS messages are vital weather-related alerts (such as flash flood, hurricane, and tornado warnings), which are originated by the NWS via the NOAA Weather Radio (NWR) network.54 NWR includes more than 940 transmitters covering all 50 states and the District of Columbia, adjacent coastal waters, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the U.S. Pacific Territories.55 NWR uses an EAS compatible digital protocol,56 which supplies local EAS encoded alerts to broadcast and cable EAS entry points pursuant to EAS state and local plans.57 Under the Commission’s current EAS rules, EAS Participants may voluntarily transmit NWS, state, and local EAS messages to the public.58 If they do, they must follow the Commission’s Part 11 EAS rules. In this Order, we find that the public interest will be served by continuing to allow these entities to voluntarily participate in the delivery of NWS and certain state and local messages via the existing EAS. As explained more fully below, however, we will enable state governors (or their designees) to deliver CAP-formatted EAS messages to EAS Participants on both existing and Next Generation EAS. EAS Participants must then issue message-based alerts based on the information received.

[Nels Harvey]

Legal, Not legal and would draw a fine from the FCC.

The FCC does not require a full 1/3 of the screen be devoted to a rainstorm, snow event, or even a tornado!

A simple insert and/or a crawl near the bottom of the page is all that is needed to satisfy the FCC.  Wording that directs a viewer to a different feed would let people be informed, and yet enjoy the programming they are wanting to see.

Whenever the stations overdo the weather stuff, viewers probably tune them out and find something on the satellite, or cable service anyhow.  

Now that most stations have the capability to provide an alternative feed as a result of digital broadcasting, let's encourage alternative opportunities in providing service to the viewers.

Nels....

[foxeng]

Wording that directs a viewer to a different feed would let people be informed, and yet enjoy the programming they are wanting to see.

That is not legal because stations are required to provide the information on EVERY "feed" as you put it in case the viewer doesn't have the other "feed" available.

[Talos4]

Now that most stations have the capability to provide an alternative feed as a result of digital broadcasting, let's encourage alternative opportunities in providing service to the viewers.

Stations... yes.

Customers NO.

Does TWC, E*, D*, Uverse Comcast et al. provide the sub channels?

How much of the viewing audience falls into one or more of the above subscriptions? 60-70-80-90% ?   :huh?:

Mr and Mrs six pack don't have a clue about sub channels,  Most people still think their TV isn't going to work next year, "and I'll be damned if I'm paying for TV".

You have to aim at the lowest common denominator Simply put, those of us who complain on HDTV forums ain't it. We see things alot different than Mr and Mrs Six pack.

My parents still have the analog only package with TWC. My dad is the one complaining about having to pay more just so his TV still works.  :bang:

He also still thinks that he'll need a new fancy digital TV when TWC "forces" everyone to drop the analog channels.:bang: :bang:

[Nels Harvey]

That is not legal because stations are required to provide the information on EVERY "feed" as you put it in case the viewer doesn't have the other "feed" available.

There is a hell of a lot of difference between a lower third insert, which IS legal, and shrinking the program material into a small box, which is overkill!

The FCC does NOT require the program material to be squished so weather maps, and other videos can be inserted!  It only requires the information be presented in order to inform the public of a dangerous situation.  A lower third crawl is very sufficient for that task!  That is what the local independent stations do!

I don't believe you can see the local feeds where you are.  Things are ridiculous here as a result of local competition.  Just about any black cloud puts the whole network station market into "Weather Watch".  This means using their inserters to maximize the weather video, and the programming be damned.  That is what the hue and cry in this thread is about.

The HD programming is turned off because the stations do not have insert capabilities yet for HD.  Some still just pass the network feed directly to the transmitter, without switching equipment available for digital.  That puts the SD video, along with the weather video on our big screens in dismal SD.

My point is, present the necessary information on a lower third crawl, on a secondary digital channel in order to let those of us that already know it's raining out, enjoy the program we want to watch with minimum necessary interference.