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April 14, 2004
Just Call Me "Mr. Remote Control Freak"
RCA is coming out with a new $79 DVD player that will be available soon at Wal-Mart and Kmart stores nationwide. (Walmart.com already has it listed at $69.84.) The real excitement over this new product is because it uses ClearPlay's filtering technology to give the user the power to "automatically skip sexual content, graphically violent scenes and language deemed offensive."
With all the noise about the "new Puritanism" in America as a result of the FCC crackdown post-Janet's-boob-gate, a DVD device that can make Hollywood movies "family-friendly" seems like a hot ticket item indeed. And the truth is, I want one!
For all my ranting against the governmental efforts to "legislate morality" on TV and radio, I still want to have as much control over what Hollywood pipes into my home as possible. There are a ton of movies that I'd watch again and again if I knew I could just skip the sex and the nudity (violence and profanity are lower on my tolerance scale, frankly).
I think it's ridiculous for filmmakers to argue that a DVD player that edits out offensive content (in my personal viewing of a movie I've purchased or rented) "produces an unauthorized and illegal version of their artistic work." These artistes need to get over themselves and realize this is 2000-freaking-4. Art schmart. It's entertainment — and I want to be in control!
This is also the motivation behind my growing interest in buying a Digital Video Recorder (like Tivo) — power to the people!
Posted by Steve K. at April 14, 2004 10:11 PM
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Comments
"...violence and profanity are lower on my tolerance scale, frankly."
I'm going to @%*#!-ing kill you. Actually I probably won't. Power to the People. Long Live Knightopia.
Posted by: Wes at April 15, 2004 12:39 PM
So here's a crazy question... what is violence? Is it merely physical damage being inflicted, or does it take many other forms?
There's a scene in Fight Club (when Ed Norton is beating Angel's face to a pulp) where after the MPAA warned the director it was too violent, he replace the scene with reaction shots from the other fighters. It's a really disturbing moment. Seeing the faces of hardened men wince in pain is way more affecting than the actual violence.
Although I realize that Fight Club will never make it onto this service, it raise the important question- is filtering the answer at all?
Posted by: Nick at April 15, 2004 01:58 PM
I'd be curious to see how these players edit out the content without making you wonder even more what you just missed. I, for example, am still trying to figure out what word Wes was trying to get at with "I'm going to @%*#!-ing kill you."
It's an interesting idea, though. I'm going to have to look into how the technology works.
Posted by: Dave at April 15, 2004 06:01 PM
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