8 Using TV Menus
Using TV Menus
The PARENTAL CONTROL menu and V-CHIP
The Parental Controls menu letsyou to program your TV so that children cannot see certain programs and channels.
The Parental Controls menu involve software inside your TV (V-Chip) which allows you to “block” TV programs and
movies based on violence, sex, or other content you think children should not view. It lets you program your TV so it
will not display certain programs. You can “unblock” programs by entering a password.
When Parental Controls is ON the software reads a code that most broadcasters send with programs. That code tells the
software the program’s age-based rating (TV-MA, TV-14, etc.) and content themes (Violence (V), Adult Language (L), etc.).
Broadcasters are not required to provide content themes, so programs received with no content themes will only be
blocked if you block their age-based rating. You can also block out programs that have been given a rating of “Not
Rated,” and programs that are considered “unrated” because no code has been sent by the broadcaster.
The TV age-based ratings are listed below.
PASSWORD You need a password to enter the PARENTAL CONTROL menu. The initial password is 1234.
The first time you use this menu you should change the password. If you forget your
password, please contact the service center.
When you enter the correct password, the PARENTAL GUIDE menu is displayed.
PARENTAL GUIDE Select “OFF” to turn V-CHIP off. Select “ON” to activate V-CHIP.
TV RATING Select to display the TV Rating submenu.
The TV ratings and content themes you can block are listed in the following tables.
Rating
TV-MA
TV-14
TV-PG
TV-G
TV-Y7
TV-Y
Description and Content Themes for Age-Based Ratings
Mature Audience Only. Specifically designed to be viewed by adults; may be unsuitable for children
under 17. Contains one or more of the following content themes: crude indecent language (L),
explicit sexual activity (S), or graphic violence (V).
Parents Strongly Cautioned. Contains some material that parents would find unsuitable for children
under 14. Parents are strongly urged to exercise greater care in monitoring this program and are
cautioned against letting children under the age of 14 watch unattended. This program contains one or
more of the following content themes: intensely suggestive dialogue (D), strong coarse language
(L), intense sexual situations (S), or intense violence (V).
Parental Guidance Suggested. Contains material that parents may find unsuitable for younger children.
Parents may want to watch it with their younger children. The program contains one or more of the
following content themes: some suggestive dialogue (D), infrequent coarse language (L), some
sexual situations (S), or moderate violence (V) .
General Audience. Most parents would find this program suitable for all ages. Contains little or no
sexual dialogue (D), no strong language (L) little or no sexual situations (S), or violence (V).
Designed for children ages 7 and above. May be more appropriate for children who have acquired the
developmental skills needed to distinguish between make-believe and reality. Themes and elements in
this program may include mild fantasy violence (FV) or comedic violence, or may frighten children
under the age of 7.
All Children. Themes and elements in this program are designed for a young audience, including children
from ages 2-6. It is not expected to frighten younger children.
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