V chip (was: Going totally OT ) - test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

11 Feb 2000

Here's a resource - not much technical detail, but explains how the system
works better than I did:

http://www.vchipeducation.org/index.html

This gives some of the history of the idea:

http://www.primenet.com/~acacia/soundview/Bio.html

Apparently, the V-chips are only installed in Televisions, not VCRs, and
some content (e.g. news, pay-per-view or cablesystem movies) is not
necessarily rated. And the system uses the "Closed Captioning" signal to
convey the program rating information.

Cheers,
Mark.

-----Original Message-----
From: Hans Franke &lt;Hans.Franke(a)mch20.sbs.de&gt;
To: classiccmp(a)classiccmp.org &lt;classiccmp(a)classiccmp.org&gt;
Date: Friday, February 11, 2000 2:48 PM
Subject: Re: V chip (was: Going totally OT )

...
 > The V-chip is a device that will be installed by
law in every VCR and TV
> manufactured in the U.S., which will allow parents to selectively block
> content that they find objectionable. So, for example, if I think it's
o.k.
...
 > for my child to see a little bit of romance and
sex, I could set the "Sex"
...
 > limit to 2 out of 5. If I wanted to block all
violent programming, I could
...
 > set the "Violence" limit to 0 out of 5.
The device would detect the Sex and
...
 > Violence levels of all incoming programming (I
don't know who would rate
> the programs). If the program is over the limit that I've set, the device
...
   blocks the TV
or VCR from showing the program. 
Let me get this straight - there is some software to be implemented
on TVs and VCRs to disable them on a contend related base ? Just
assuming that there will be some kind of add on signal (at this point
I'd like to get some technical information) suplying the level(s)
of whatever (what classes are named ?), who is responsible to
judge the content ?

Also, are the TV stations also forced to supply the coding all the time ?
Maybe that's part of the US economic 'Wirtschaftswunder' - now TV stations
need not only on guy to handle the clap-o-mat, but a second to rate
the content all the time (asuming its not a preset thing like: Cartoon
Network = Violence 5, Sex 0 etc.).

BTW: I know there is violence on US-TV - but sex ?

Small content providers like local chanels may have some dificulties,
either to supply it at all, or supply it on a constant level - just
think about the 'open' chanels in big cities ... If the judgement is
done by the producer, someone of a 'nude acceping' show may have a
different feeling about the 'sex rating' then the next guy who airs
some TV church stuff.

> Of course, given the number of people who can't even figure out how to
> program their VCRs, I suspect that the kids will be better at changing the
...
 > limits than their parents - I presume that the
system includes passwords or
...
   something to
prevent unauthorized changing of the limits. 
You mean VCRs don't have to blink all the time ?

Well, the thing is doomed from either side.

Gruss
H.

P.S.: is there any _reliable_ source for information on the web ?

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