Features, settings & updates

[mikebdoss]

"speechles" wrote:
Those alerts are mandated by law:
https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/accessibility-emergency-information-television


This is the new bill:
https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/6427

Former radio DJ here who had to broadcast EAS alerts and tests. I'm fully aware of the law, the reasoning, and the implementation. 

I'm also aware that where I live, 99% of weather alerts don't pertain to me, and the 1% that do aren't going to actually tell me anything I don't know. Don't tell me I shouldn't stop them, or it isn't "advisable" to stop them. I'm certainly not going to pay for EVERY SHOW I want to watch just in case there's an alert broadcast while I'm watching it. 

The system needs to be fixed and updated and implemented in a 21st century way. Making it an unavoidable broadcast overlay that doesn't pertain to the people it's addressing makes people ignore it, not respect or use it. 

[speechles]

"mikebdoss" wrote:

"speechles" wrote:
Those alerts are mandated by law:
https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/accessibility-emergency-information-television


This is the new bill:
https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/6427

Former radio DJ here who had to broadcast EAS alerts and tests. I'm fully aware of the law, the reasoning, and the implementation. 

I'm also aware that where I live, 99% of weather alerts don't pertain to me, and the 1% that do aren't going to actually tell me anything I don't know. Don't tell me I shouldn't stop them, or it isn't "advisable" to stop them. I'm certainly not going to pay for EVERY SHOW I want to watch just in case there's an alert broadcast while I'm watching it. 

The system needs to be fixed and updated and implemented in a 21st century way. Making it an unavoidable broadcast overlay that doesn't pertain to the people it's addressing makes people ignore it, not respect or use it. 

You have the right to an opinion. But at the same time don't tell me what is right for me. I merely advised you that if that 1% of the time were tomorrow and a giant biblical flood hit your area. Or the wizard of Oz tornado. Or the fires of Gamora. Or the earthquakes of San Francisco. You would not know if you were glued to your streaming.

You would really need someone to go "HEY TIME TO GET OUTTA DODGE!" and pull you away from firmly planted in front of the screen? Cmon fine sir.

Now granted you on your own streaming can click the box:

I am aware that in not participating in the EAS program that my streaming may not alert me of a matter which may mean life or death. I accept the consequences and are responsible for my own actions.

You just click that and you are good.

I am saying the broadcasters cannot remove the ability. It is broadcast. Deal with it.

Same as radio stations every 5 minutes are required to "call out" their call letters to let others know who owns that frequency or risk losing the frequency. Streaming may work in a similar way. It might be forced upon you if so get ready to complain there is no checkbox like I implied there might be above. Then realize an emergency is required to alert people.

Your Judge Judy episodes DVR'd might have these warnings in them. It is acceptable. Loss of human life is not. Enough said.

If you must potentially disrupt 10 million customers to alert the possible 1000 who might die in the situation do you blanket broadcast the warning?

Is it worth it to incovenience 10 million to potentially save the lives of 1 thousand?

Yes. A thousand times yes. A million time yes.

Same answer if it were to save the life of 1 person. Be a human. Humans read these warnings. These warnings save lives. I am sorry they annoy you. Those EAS warnings are always followed up with how to react and what to do and what just happened. These are required to protect human life. Human life has more value than anything interrupted by the EAS warning meant to save lives.

[Elijah_Baley]

I know of not one person that uses steaming that does not also have and use a cell phone. Weather and other alerts, like Amber and other disasters do NOT need to be forced into streaming apps when the phones sitting on the nearby table are plenty.

I do not really like texts showing up on my phone. (I NEVER text) But I detest such interrupting my streaming. Redundancy can be good but these usually meaningless and worthless alerts do not really server any purpose and they are everywhere. They are a lot like guns in the hands of body guards and such: You only see them after the damage is done.

When given a choice I will always disable the intrusions. I am more likely to be killed walking on the sidewalk by a drunk motorcyclist than I am to be killed by a tornado and again a tornado warning almost always shows after the tornado has dissipated and has left the damage behind. The very rare times the a weather alert gives advance notice are many too few to matter.

In fact given that there are some people that panic at the slightest excuse; sending out the warnings must contribute to a heightened state of worry and that, most probably, kills more people, albeit slowly, than all the tornadoes do each year.

Lastly the number of alerts that actually warn of something real represent such a small percentage of the total warnings that most people just ignore them anyway. It rapidly becomes like "The Boy who Cried Wolf" and real warning are ignored anyway.

Anyone really wanting to be warned about everything can always purchase, at low cost, a weather alert radio and hear all the alerts they need. There are already so many ways that the government has to alert people that they do not need to intrude into streaming as well.

One more thing: Why is it that these "Special reports" or warnings never interrupt the commercials?

[spacollii]

i've never gotten an emergency alert on my roku streaming stick, but i want to get one

[Brwest]

Hey. I have had MANY alerts lately and they seem to lock up my system. They never let the original programming back on. I have to constantly turn it off and then start watching my programming on my tablet or phone. 

Why doesn't this company fix the bug? The cable companies and satellite companies do their own system testing. The Roku company really doesn't need to do any testing. 

[Ronk41]

Lol NO YOU DONT, you’ll be the first crying in a about 6 months as well.   I, up late, it FEn interrupts every single movie I ever watch and then you miss what just happened.  And doesn’t it always seem to occur at an important moment, so why what’s the Fen movie if I can be assured of countless I teruptions.  It’s a pain in the ass.  There should be a function to accept them or not.  **bleep**, every loser is boycotting everything else that has immediate impact on us, so why not this.  We paid to use it and get charged for electric etc.  so no you won’t want them as soon as they regularly interrupt what you ENJOY watching!   Be careful what you wish for lol.

[PamG12]

I wish they did  that. But has she that maybe it's a build in feed?