posted April 24 2008 01:30 PM                

I saw this advertisement for this DVD player that automatically filters out objectionable content from DVD's, automatically. Not only do you buy the electronic device, but you also get a one-year subscription to the filtering information, which apparently comes on a thumb drive. I'm curious if you think you'd ever buy such a thing.

posted April 24 2008 05:15 PM                

I can't think of a reason why I would buy such a thing.  I prefer to be the judge of what is "objectionable" in my entertainment, not a machine.  If I find something so objectionable that I can't or don't want to watch it, I'll just take out the movie or fast forward past it.

Now if I had a machine that could skip all horror movie trailers while I'm watching TV (without me having to tape or TiVo every thing I want to watch and watch it later without commercials), that would be valuable to me--especially around Halloween.  Most horror movie trailers--especially with the advent of "torture porn" like the Saw series--are more than I ever want to see of that crap.

posted April 25 2008 08:46 AM                

Uhm, no. I'll go ahead and continue to parent my children, thank you...don't need a machine to do it. Right now, they listen when I say I don't want them watching particular content (e.g., SpongeBob) and they change the channel voluntarily if it comes up. In the future, I welcome discussions about why I/we view particular content as inappropriate for them. I also welcome dealing with those times when they will choose to challenge authority, as an opportunity for them to learn that there are consequences to making a deliberate decision to do something that is not allowed. This is a relatively non-lethal way to get that last point across...much better than dealing with drunk kids who drove home after curfew.

posted April 25 2008 10:25 AM           

I laughed so hard the first time I saw a commercial for this.  Talk about a hacker's dream.  If this really catches on, it is only a matter of time before folks start downloading Ratatouille filters that spout Tarantino lines.

posted April 25 2008 04:38 PM                

(snort!!)  Or "Big Lebowski"...

(in a related note, Mike Doughty headlines LebowskiFest this year:  www.lebowskifest.com  I'm going and will post photos at some point...)

posted April 25 2008 05:05 PM           

Ok, I may be the only parent I know who lets their kid watch Spongebob.   I'm so ashamed.

It isn't particularly violent, but Dominic has taken to calling me a "moron" all the time.

posted April 25 2008 11:50 PM                

I also welcome dealing with those times when they will choose to challenge authority, as an opportunity for them to learn that there are consequences to making a deliberate decision to do something that is not allowed.

Kudos for your bravery in welcoming that time. I'm already there unfortunately and dealing massive pre-teen issues (which for people more around my age, those issues would have happened in our late teens but now instead strike kids in early middle school). My only message to parents out there who haven't reach this stage is enjoy them while they are young because things change so much when they get older and when parents of older kids tell me that I've only just begun this stage it kind of freaks me out.

Back the subject at hand, the player filter. If I myself could edit out the scenes I didn't want by the click of a button (personalized) and not have the machine do a sweep on the whole dvd for related subject matter, and I had the money for something like this, I'd do it in a heartbeat. I've got a two year old in the house who repeats everything he hears and an almost twelve year old who tries to do (imitate) everything he sees in movies. So right now, it would be a useful tool, that is, if we had the time to watch movies and the money to spend on fancy gadgetry, which we don't, but I could see this being a useful tool for some folks.

posted April 26 2008 11:22 AM                

I'm sorry, but isn't that what ratings are for? If you don't want to watch (or you don't want your kids to watch) a certain type of movie/show on DVD then for Pete's sake, don't rent it or buy it, or make sure they (1) don't watch it with you (2) don't have access to it. Put it under lock and key.

TV is a little bit harder to control since TV stations sometimes air teasers for shows that contain mature subject matter during family time, but people have a choice about bringing or not bringing a DVD into their home.

Having said that, I can see where some people would not object to the subject matter of a DVD, but might object to the language. I understand that bowdlerized  copies  of some movies are available  for people who are sensitive to this kind of thing. And if they like the theme but object to sex or violence then maybe it's not so bad that they can program their DVD player to skip over those parts. I tell ya, though, some movies are going to be painfully short if they do that.

posted April 26 2008 11:55 AM                

Well, I'm sure we've all been in the position of watching a movie with a family member of another generation... maybe your grandmother. Maybe your father. Maybe your nephew... when a scene comes up that makes you feel a little uncomfortable to be watching with them.

I guess this would fix that.

posted April 26 2008 03:01 PM                

I remember watching The World According to Garp with my parents. When the scene in the car and (subsequent accident) came along, my mother asked "What is she doing?" I looked at my father and he smiled and drew a square with his fingers. I told mom I'd explain it to her later.

But this was not nearly as bad as the time I tried to watch Mighty Aphrodite at Craig's (religious) sister's house, along with his parents. The subject matter was a little iffy, but what made me turn it off was that it seemed like every other word out of Myra Sorvino's mouth was "fuck." I apologized and switched it off.

These days I am a little bit more careful about reading the ratings for movies if I am looking for something that will not offend or embarrass. In general, you can expect that an R rated movie is going to contain mature subject matter (language and/or sexual situations and/or nudity and/or violence) and a PG movie is going to contain objectionable language (to some people) and possibly racy material. That leaves G rated movies as the only ones "safe" to watch with older or prim relatives (and/or friends). But for both R and PG there is usually a broad description of the qualities that gave this movie that rating. If a person does not read these things they have only themselves to blame if they are "surprised" by objectionable content.

posted April 27 2008 07:35 AM                

From what I gather from the website and the ad I saw, you subscribe to a service, and every so often, then mail you a thumb drive with new movie profiles on it.