Annoying EAS Alert on Time Warner Cable

[willdav713]

Required weekly test for the EAS 3 nights a week, I receive in Northwest Austin on my cable box, and DTA. The converter box mutes the audio and interrupts my watching like a boy crying wolf. On Sundays it issues it for the following counties KERR, TX. Earth to Time Warner Austin. Kerr, TX is quite a few counties away and out of the viewing area here in North West Austin. Such test is not unnecessary. Tomorrow I get a alert for COLORADO, TX. The next day for BASTROP, HAYS, TRAVIS, and WILLIAMSON Counties. What's next I get a fourth one for HARRIS, TX.

Oh great, they will think of that one next.

If I had Time Warner San Antonio, I would understand the EAS for KERR, TX. But I have Time Warner Austin.

Reminds me of those Amber Alerts they did in 2009 on the Basic Cable. U-verse didn't do them, neither does Direct TV.

I wish I had Direct TV because those alerts would bombard my programming.

I just got me a TIVO, and will see what that does for that nuisance. I am calling a tech this week to get my CableCard Re-paired so it will work on the Tivo.

 

[azumanga]

By theory, you should only receive the EAS tests designated for your county, not anyone else's. There's probably a glitch that causes you to receive tests that are not for your county.

 

[willdav713]

By theory, you should only receive the EAS tests designated for your county, not anyone else's. There's probably a glitch that causes you to receive tests that are not for your county.

I will have to call Time Warner regarding those for COLORADO and KERR, TX. COLORADO, TX is in English only as the others are in English and Spanish. I know there isn't a federal requirement to post it in Spanish. It will be interesting to know their answer, as well as the FCC's.

 

[willdav713]

I don't get those EAS Alerts on my TIVO. So I guess during the overnights I will just tune from my Tivo, and problem is solved. The great thing about Tivo is you can use it as a tuner/descrambler, and you don't have to have a subscription for it.

$90 well spent!

 

[fredcantu]

Doesn't Tivo require a monthly subscription?

 

[azumanga]

If you use the cable system's DVR, you do have to pay a monthly fee.

As for EAS -- most cable systems these days feed the EAS tests to the cable box, instead of interrupting programming on the channel itself. The reasons being is that you can get the alerts when you power up the box; as well as not seeing the tests when you're DVR-ing a show for later. (Along the same token, the show you DVR'd earlier can be interrupted for a live EAS alert or test.)

 

[willdav713]

Doesn't Tivo require a monthly subscription?

Not if you want to use it as a tuner. You don't get the guide or the ability to record on it. It shows the channel, and channel name followed by Tivo Service Suspended! You don't get On Demand or PPV but all the other channels (including Premiums) you subscribe to, provided you lease out a CableCard w/ Tuning Adapter.

For the guide well that is why you have TWC TV, and Zap2it for listings.
Any overnight programs to record on my DVD Recorder I now use my TIVO DVR as a tuner to record.
All you do is hook up your Tivo to the Audio/Video Inputs on the back of the DVD Recorder, tune to the corresponding line input channel and tune the TIVO to the channel and then hit record or set the timer recording. Sadly, you don't get the AutoTune functionality as with the Scientific Atlanta Time Warner box. TWC has the bring your own box discount which I use so I get the Converter Box from TWC in addition to the TIVO and I get the $10 rental fee credited each month.

 

[onairb]

If you use the cable system's DVR, you do have to pay a monthly fee.

As for EAS -- most cable systems these days feed the EAS tests to the cable box, instead of interrupting programming on the channel itself. The reasons being is that you can get the alerts when you power up the box; as well as not seeing the tests when you're DVR-ing a show for later. (Along the same token, the show you DVR'd earlier can be interrupted for a live EAS alert or test.)

Comcast in Petaluma, CA doesn't feed the tests to the box; any recording is interrupted, and split in two, but it picks up when the test concludes, and you get a message that 'the recording was interrupted'.

 

[FredLeonard]

I'm out of area, but I am sick of those EAS alerts where I live, too. Not just real alerts but all the tests they do. Seems like every local agency "tests" the system once a week - and nobody knows it's coming or what it will interrupt.

I have a Tivo. If Tivo is recording something, the alert gets recorded along with the show. If I am watching a recorded show, Tivo drops out of the show for the alert.

Yes, a lot of them are peripheral to my area.

I did not have this problem with DirecTV and I seemed to have it less with FIOS. But with Comcast, these alerts are a real pain.

Most useless of all are the Amber Alerts. I'm sitting at home watching TV. Do they really think I'm going to see a car, a person or a kid matching some description - unless they come to my front door to ask directions?

 

[azumanga]

If you use the cable system's DVR, you do have to pay a monthly fee.

As for EAS -- most cable systems these days feed the EAS tests to the cable box, instead of interrupting programming on the channel itself. The reasons being is that you can get the alerts when you power up the box; as well as not seeing the tests when you're DVR-ing a show for later. (Along the same token, the show you DVR'd earlier can be interrupted for a live EAS alert or test.)

Comcast in Petaluma, CA doesn't feed the tests to the box; any recording is interrupted, and split in two, but it picks up when the test concludes, and you get a message that 'the recording was interrupted'.

Bright House in Tampa Bay at least feeds weekly tests to the box -- one time I unplugged the box while an EAS test was going on. After it was plugged back in a short time later and everything booted up, the EAS test started again. Don't know what they do for monthly or national tests.

Most useless of all are the Amber Alerts. I'm sitting at home watching TV. Do they really think I'm going to see a car, a person or a kid matching some description - unless they come to my front door to ask directions?

Don't know what Bright House does for Amber Alerts, as most often I'm not home or watching TV, though most newer phones now pass on EAS-based alerts as text messages, complete with an EBS-style alert tone that plays for three seconds, a brief pause, then plays again until you answer the phone. I received an Amer Alert in that fashion last month.

 

[JHBrandt]

I finally had to turn off Amber Alerts on my BlackBerry. Typically the same message was sent several times over the next few hours. If there's an update, the new message should indicate what's changed and not just repeat the original message. I wonder how many car accidents have been caused by someone's phone going off with that annoying alert tone?

They'd be OK if they only sent the alert one time, but repeating the same message over and over serves no purpose except to annoy folks into turning them off completely, which sort of defeats the purpose :

 

[willdav713]

I finally had to turn off Amber Alerts on my BlackBerry. Typically the same message was sent several times over the next few hours. If there's an update, the new message should indicate what's changed and not just repeat the original message. I wonder how many car accidents have been caused by someone's phone going off with that annoying alert tone?

They'd be OK if they only sent the alert one time, but repeating the same message over and over serves no purpose except to annoy folks into turning them off completely, which sort of defeats the purpose :

In 2009, Time Warner used to flooded the analog channels with those analog alerts. I cancelled cable shortly thereafter and made an FCC complaint regarding them. They stopped. Still get the KERR EAS ALERT for Time Warner Austin on Monday overnights with the exception of my TIVO, or set hooked up via Raw Cable.

Maybe I just need to buy another TIVO and lease another Cable Card and turn in my Digital Transport Adapter POS. I keep leasing the HD converter box since I get it free via a Bring Your Own Box discount.

 

[willdav713]

Well it turns out after I posted this back in 2013, Time Warner found a way to cram the alert on my Tivo, but the Tivo decides to freeze right after the alert requiring me to hit the rewind button, and the portion that was interrupted skips causing me to miss the program that was interrupted during the Alert. During the alert, my Tivo doesn't respond to any button on the remote except for volume and power. I get the alerts even when I am watching a program recorded on the Tivo and not tuned to live Cable TV. The only way to stop them is to remove the cablecard. Time to switch to AT&T U-verse which let's me exit out of the intrusive Cuba style alerts. Cuba where the government controls the newspaper and the media and Time Warner Cable a marriage made in heaven, just add Comcrap.

 

[willdav713]

I finally had to turn off Amber Alerts on my BlackBerry. Typically the same message was sent several times over the next few hours. If there's an update, the new message should indicate what's changed and not just repeat the original message. I wonder how many car accidents have been caused by someone's phone going off with that annoying alert tone?

They'd be OK if they only sent the alert one time, but repeating the same message over and over serves no purpose except to annoy folks into turning them off completely, which sort of defeats the purpose :

That's why I refuse to get a smartphone. By the way you can't turn off Presidential Alerts on smartphones. If they start making them mandatory on cell phones, I will ditch that too.

 

[JHBrandt]

I've never received a "Presidential Alert" on my BB. In fact I'd never even heard of such a thing until now, so it really hasn't been an issue.

BTW it was far easier to turn off Amber alerts on my BB than on my wife's Android phone. Android may be powerful and is undeniably popular, but to a BB user like me it's SO confusing....

I still get weather alerts, which of course is a good thing here in Tornado Alley.

 

[willdav713]

My cell phone has an FM radio, so I will get an alert from the radio, or I will get a robocall from the Weather Bureau. I don't stare at my phone much, just use it as an MP3 player, FM radio, and make a few calls on it here and there. So that smart phone app is of little use for me. Also, KENS-TV in San Antonio did a story last night on those smart phones tracking every single location, something I have known for years before Alex Jones started ranting about it.

 

[willdav713]

I finally got fed up with Time Warner when they swapped out my equipment with a dead cable card and a duct taped tuning adapter.

I told them to cancel cable and I am just keeping their internet. If they merge with Comcast, I am dropping internet as well.

I will call their corporate offices and let them know exactly how I feel about the Comcast merger.

I guess it is back to AT&T for internet.

Guess what happens when I take the Cable Card out? NO EAS ALERTS!!!! They would come on when I would be watching a recorded program on my TIVO and even when I was streaming a YouTube channel. I don't like them sabotaging my box for stupid EAS alerts for KERR and Colorado which is not in my viewing area. After I complained about the alerts they thanked me by adding another town and another message to interrupt my box. I got rid of Putin Cable I mean Time Warner Cable and I am once again an internet only household.