M-EAS – Mobile Emergency Alert System

atscSAM – M-EAS Analysis & Monitoring Solution

Application Note

atscSAM is currently used e.g. at more than 100 TV stations of the Mobile Content Venture, distributed throughout the entire United States, to monitor their live Mobile DTV (ATSC-M/H) broadcasts in real-time.

atscSAM version 3 adds complete M-EAS analysis and monitoring capabilities to atscSAM, both via SNMP as well as visually.

The following graphic shows which atscSAM components are involved in the M-EAS analysis and monitoring process and how these components interact.

atscSAM Components to analyze and monitor M-EAS

SAMcorder (1) receives the ATSC M/H broadcast via RF, IP or ASI input and detects all M/H services within this broadcast, including all M-EAS services. SAMcorder processes all M/H specific data including the M-EAS specific signaling data and analyzes the corresponding SI/PSI information. For in-depth analysis and monitoring of additional M?EAS service data SAMcorder de-multiplexes the M-EAS data and streams these data to SAMflute. SAMcorder is also aware of the new descriptors and tables introduced with the Non-Real-Time Content Delivery standard A/103 as well as with the upcoming A/153-10 M-EAS standard.

SAMcorder – service detection, de-multiplexing and streaming

SAMflute (2) is the component within the atscSAM toolset which provides all features for the comprehensive analysis and monitoring of FLUTE sessions. SAMflute is able to analyze and monitor an unlimited number of FLUTE sessions simultaneously.

SAMflute – FLUTE Analysis and Monitoring

SAMager Agent (3)  and SAMager Console (4) are the SNMP components (Agent and Client) to realize the remote SNMP based monitoring.

Service Announcement and Signaling Monitoring

After scanning the current input channel SAMcorder detects the M-EAS services automatically and list these in the appropriate program list.

SAMcorder M-EAS Announcement

As shown in the figure above, the M-EAS service is detected as FLUTE session. SAMcorder is able to de-multiplex the appropriate FLUTE data and can stream them to SAMflute for further analysis and monitoring. The M/H data processor of SAMcorder analyzes all incoming M/H data in real-time, i.e.:

• Real-time analysis and monitoring of M/H signaling (TPC, FIC …)
• Real-time analysis and monitoring of all SI/PSI tables

Especially for M-EAS services the M/H data processor provides following real-time analysis and monitoring capabilities:

• FIC EA-Signaling
• SI table repetition of NRT-EAT (Emergency Alert Table)
• M-EAS service monitoring
• M-EAS wake-up monitoring
• listing all M-EAS services all ensembles
• listing al M-EAS messages

M-EAS Real-Time Analysis and Monitoring

(1) FIC EA-Signaling
(2) NRT-EAT repetition monitoring
(3) M-EAS wake-up
(4) M-EAS messages

Furthermore SAMcorder provides an M-EAS message tracer where hundreds of M-EAS messages can be stored and analyzed.

M-EAS Message Tracer

The M-EAS CAP messages can be analyzed in comfortable GUI.

CAP Message Viewer

M-EAS Service Data Monitoring

SAMflute provides a comprehensive FLUTE analyzer which is able to analyze and monitor all necessary parameters as described above.

• FDT reception and update time
• FDT schema check
• file delivery completion and completion time
• update time for each single file of a particular file delivery session

Of course, for each monitoring parameter individual error and warning thresholds can be configured. SAMflute is able to analyze and monitor an unlimited number of FLUTE sessions as well as all file delivery sessions simultaneously.

SAMflute – FLUTE Analyzer

Visual Monitoring

Beside the FLUTE parameter monitoring, SAMflute provides an integrated and comfortable file viewer so that all files of a particular file delivery session can be monitored visually. The file viewer supports:

• Image files
• HTML files
• XML files (FDT)
• Audio/Video files
• Plain text files

With an integrated Hex-Viewer, all files can also be displayed in binary format. Compressed files are also supported and will be de-compressed  automatically.

SAMflute – File Viewer

Remote Monitoring

The atscSAM SNMP Client solution SAMager Console fully supports M-EAS monitoring, both regarding transmission parameters and visually. The current status of a M-EAS service can be visualized at one glance in a comfortable GUI.

SAMager Console – M-EAS Status Monitoring

SAMager Console enables the service staff in the NOC to transmit all files of the last FLUTE session of a particular M-EAS service from each monitoring probe within the monitoring network with only one click. By using the integrated FLUTE file viewer the M?EAS service can thereby also be monitored visually.

SAMager Console – Visual M-EAS Monitoring

Off-Line Data Analysis

Beside the real-time analysis capabilities the atscSAM product line provides also a tool for in-depth analysis of recorded Transport Streams – SAMalyzer. SAMalyzer supports the analysis of M-EAS services in any regard up to the last bit in a comfortable GUI.

SAMalyzer Application Window

• analysis of all ATSC M/H signaling information of each M/H slot: FIC including M-EAS extensions

M-EAS Wake-Up

• analysis of all ATSC M/H SI tables separately of each M/H ensemble and M/H parade including the M-EAS relevant tables SMT and EAT

M-EAS Service Announcement – SMT

M-EAS Service Announcement – EAT