Parental Control
For parents, Digital Cable offers newfound control
Public concern over TV content some viewers find objectionable has prompted a multi-million dollar cable industry initiative to raise awareness about parental-control technologies offered through Digital Cable services.
As the ControlYourTV initiative notes, one of the hallmarks of Digital Cable is its ability to let viewers customize the way they receive and enjoy television. With Digital Cable, customers can go through an easy on-screen progression of prompts and commands to set up limits on what members of their households can watch – based on a variety of factors including program ratings, channels, times and dates, or even the type of content. Digital Cable service also makes it possible to prevent the titles of TV programs with adult themes from showing up on the program guide.
Although cable’s most comprehensive parental control features are available mainly through Digital Cable service, some other variations of cable service may also feature parental controls.
For example, some types of cable receivers use customer-created PIN codes to block channels. Viewers can’t see these channels unless they know, and supply, the PIN code. An alternative method that some cable companies use for blocking analog channels is an electronic filter that “traps” out a particular channel. This filter is physically installed on the cable equipment outside a customer’s home and provides complete blocking of the specific channel until the device is removed.
Finally, “cable ready” television sets equipped with a V-Chip also provide an opportunity to block certain programs. All television sets with screens 13 inches or larger sold after January 2000 – about 100 million – contain V-Chip technology.
The point is that cable companies are providing a number of tools that let families decide for themselves what’s appropriate to bring into the home. For a comprehensive list of resources and more information about using cable technology to control the TV that comes into your home, visit www.controlyourtv.org