Home censor cuts the smut
Film scenes that make parents cringe with embarrassment as they watch with their children are being censored by a new DVD player.
If swearing, sex or violence appear on the original film, the DVD steps in and cuts it out.
So, for example, when Kate Winslet's breasts are suddenly bared in the Hollywood blockbuster Titanic, the DVD's software could censor the scene.
The £45 player goes on sale in America next week and will be coming to British screens soon. It has pre-programmed software that cuts out smut f rom the 100 top releases.
The makers, Clear-Play, also offer software covering their entire library of 500 films for another £12, with updates censoring new releases for a further £24.
The software recognises when a film on its list is being played. Users can then opt to watch in the original form or select from 14 levels of filtering according to how old any children watching with them are.
The highest level, for example, would screen out all nudity, violence or bad language, while the lowest may censor only the most explicit sex scenes.
ClearPlay already faces legal action from a group of directors including Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorcese, and Robert Redford.
They claim that it creates an unacceptable form of censorship which can destroy 'the very meaning and intent of the films'.
But John Beyer, director of pressure group Mediawatch UK, said: 'If people are not allowed to determine in their own homes what they think is acceptable then as a society, we've had it.'
