System and method for using emergency alert system messages

1. A home gateway comprising:

a first receiving component;

a second receiving component;

a controlling component operable to output a controlling signal;

a tuning component operable to output, based on the controlling signal, a first tuning signal and a second tuning signal, wherein:

said first receiving component is operable to tune, based on the first tuning signal, to a first hypermedia-information-based media streaming communications protocol channel to receive a first sequence of hypermedia-information-based media downloads, and

said second receiving component is operable to receive, based on the second tuning signal, an emergency alert system service content on a second hypermedia-information- based media streaming communications protocol channel;

a first buffer operable to store the received emergency alert system service content;

a second buffer operable to store transcoded emergency alert system service content; and

an output component operable to output an emergency alert notification that includes a first tag identifying a location of the received emer enc alert service content in the first buffer and a second tag identifying a location of the transcoded emergency alert system service content in the second buffer.

2. The home gateway of claim 1 , wherein said controlling component is operable to output the controlling signal when said second receiving component is not receiving any hypermedia-information-based media downloads.

3. The home gateway of claim 1 , wherein said controlling component is operable to output the controlling signal when said second receiving component is not receiving any video-on-demand downloads.

4. The home gateway of claim 1 , wherein said controlling component is operable to output the controlling signal such that said second receiving component is dedicated to the second hypermedia-information-based media streaming communications protocol channel to receive an emergency alert system service.

5. The home gateway of claim 1 , further comprising:

a reformatting component,

wherein the emergency alert system content comprises an emergency alert system message is in a first format,

wherein said reformatting component is operable to output a reformatted emergency alert system message in a second format, the reformatted emergency alert system message being based on the received emergency alert system message.

6. The home gateway of claim 5 , further comprising an output component operable to output an emergency alert system notification, based on the reformatted emergency alert system message, to a client device.

7. The home gateway of claim 5 ,

wherein the received emergency alert system message comprises an MPEG2 format, and

wherein the transcoded emergency alert system message comprises a H.264 format.

8. A method for operating a home gateway comprising:

outputting, via a controlling component, a first control signal and a second control signal;

outputting, via a tuning component and based on the first control signal, a first tuning signal;

outputting, via the tuning component and based on the second control signal, a second tuning signal;

tuning, by a first receiving component and based on the first tuning signal, to a first hypermedia-information-based media streaming communications protocol channel to receive a first sequence of hypermedia-information-based media downloads;

tuning, by a second receiving component and based on the second tuning signal, to a second hypermedia-information-based media streaming communications protocol channel to receive an emergency alert system service;

storing, via a first buffer, the received emergency alert system service as a first buffered message;

storing, via a second buffer, the transcoded emergency alert system service as a second buffered message; and

outputting, via an output component and to a client device, an emergency alert notification that includes a first tag identifying a location of the received emergency alert system service in the first buffer and a second tag identifying a location of the transcoded emergency alert service in the second buffer.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein said outputting a controlling signal comprises:

outputting the controlling signal when the second receiving component is not receiving any hypermedia-information-based media downloads.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein said outputting a controlling signal comprises:

outputting the controlling signal when the second receiving component is not receiving any video-on-demand downloads.

11. The method of claim 8 , wherein said outputting a controlling signal comprises:

outputting the controlling signal such that the second receiving component is dedicated to the second hypermedia-information-based media streaming communications protocol channel to receive an emergency alert system service.

12. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:

outputting, via a reformatting component, a transcoded emergency alert system service in an H.264 format,

wherein the emergency alert system service comprises an emergency alert system in an MPEG2 format.

13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:

outputting, via an output component, an emergency alert system notification to a client device based on the reformatted emergency alert system message.

14. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:

wherein the received emergency alert system message comprises an MPEG2 format,

wherein the transcoded emergency alert system message comprises a H.264 format.