# Self censoring DVD player, now at Wal-Mart (big surprise - not) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 9, 2004, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-censoring-dvd-player-now-at-wal-mart-big-surprise-not/239232 "2004-04-09T21:31:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![RikWriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/49beb7/32.png) [@RikWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RikWriter)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2004, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-censoring-dvd-player-now-at-wal-mart-big-surprise-not/239232/81 "2004-04-12T21:44:49Z")
> [@Evil Captor](#): > > Oh, come on. You expect us to believe that a U.S. government that has a long history of getting involved in censorship and which is CURRENTLY in the middle of an anti-pornography campaign – DESPITE the fact that we are under attack by terrorists whose fondest desire is to KILL lots of Americans – a government that DESPERATE to censor would sit there and IGNORE a technology that could easily become a stealth form of censorship? > > Tell me another one. I don’t see an anti-porn campaign as “desperate censorship,” and although both involve censorship in principle, in application they are two very different things. If you can show me now or in the near future any news that any government official is interested in making this technology mandatory, I will admit you are right with my apology, but I don’t see it happening. ---
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2004, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-censoring-dvd-player-now-at-wal-mart-big-surprise-not/239232/82 "2004-04-12T23:02:00Z")
> [@Zap\_Rowsdower](#): > > Yes, and the price would be even lower if they didn’t have to have that extra chip that I won’t use. Actually, there is no physical chip called a “v-chip” inside a TV. What was actually added was software called v-chip technology. It works similar to closed captions. ---
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2004, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-censoring-dvd-player-now-at-wal-mart-big-surprise-not/239232/83 "2004-04-12T23:11:13Z")
> [@Tentacle Monster](#): > > …or a copy of _Blow Me Sandwich, Vol. II_. Hmmm, I couldn’t find this title anywhere. I checked IMDB, and the closest I could find was [this](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0304706/)😉 ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2004, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-censoring-dvd-player-now-at-wal-mart-big-surprise-not/239232/84 "2004-04-13T13:01:45Z")
> [@RikWriter](#): > > I don’t see an anti-porn campaign as “desperate censorship,” and although both involve censorship in principle, in application they are two very different things. If you can show me now or in the near future any news that any government official is interested in making this technology mandatory, I will admit you are right with my apology, but I don’t see it happening. Maybe you don’t see the irrationality of having many FBI agents spend their time prosecuting producers of pictures of naked people when terrorists want to blow Americans up, but I’m hoping you’re in the minority … a VERY small minority. And the time to get on the stick about censorship isn’t when it’s on the point of being in place, it’s early on. It’s hard to head off censorship once it’s going full steam. So I’ll not wait until the knife is at my throat to respond to a threat – thanks very much for the kind advice, though. ---
**Author:** ![RikWriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/49beb7/32.png) [@RikWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RikWriter)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2004, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-censoring-dvd-player-now-at-wal-mart-big-surprise-not/239232/85 "2004-04-13T13:43:38Z")
> [@Evil Captor](#): > > Maybe you don’t see the irrationality of having many FBI agents spend their time prosecuting producers of pictures of naked people when terrorists want to blow Americans up, but I’m hoping you’re in the minority … a VERY small minority. I wouldn’t count on it. Most polls show that a majority of Americans favor this sort of thing, at least in a general way. > [@](#): > > And the time to get on the stick about censorship isn’t when it’s on the point of being in place, it’s early on. It’s hard to head off censorship once it’s going full steam. > > So I’ll not wait until the knife is at my throat to respond to a threat – thanks very much for the kind advice, though. Should have started a few decades ago then…porn has always been pretty regulated. ---
**Author:** ![jkirkman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ac8455/32.png) [@jkirkman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jkirkman)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2004, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-censoring-dvd-player-now-at-wal-mart-big-surprise-not/239232/86 "2004-04-13T15:30:24Z")
Does anyone else think they could sell a lot more of these if you could set it to work BOTH ways–that is, you could set it to ONLY show profanity, sex, and violence? It could be a real time-saver on some movies… Then, in the next generation device, it could actually ADD sex and violence to boring movies. Sady, it is probably too much to ask of the technology to create a DVD player that could add, say, an actual PLOT or good dialogue… ---
**Author:** ![Mockingbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c68b51/32.png) [@Mockingbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mockingbird)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2004, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-censoring-dvd-player-now-at-wal-mart-big-surprise-not/239232/87 "2004-04-13T18:07:54Z")
> [@RikWriter](#): > > I don’t see an anti-porn campaign as “desperate censorship,” and although both involve censorship in principle, in application they are two very different things. If you can show me now or in the near future any news that any government official is interested in making this technology mandatory, I will admit you are right with my apology, but I don’t see it happening. Yes, I would doubt your apology as well. ---
**Author:** ![beagledave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6de8d8/32.png) [@beagledave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beagledave)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2004, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-censoring-dvd-player-now-at-wal-mart-big-surprise-not/239232/88 "2004-04-13T19:14:43Z")
> [@Mockingbird](#): > > Yes, I would doubt your apology as well. I ain’t got no dog in this fight…but is this the Pit? ---
**Author:** ![RikWriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/49beb7/32.png) [@RikWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RikWriter)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2004, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-censoring-dvd-player-now-at-wal-mart-big-surprise-not/239232/89 "2004-04-13T21:31:43Z")
> [@Mockingbird](#): > > Yes, I would doubt your apology as well. Doubt whatever you like. When I am proven wrong, I apologize and admit it. If you live your life differently than that, more power to you. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2004, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-censoring-dvd-player-now-at-wal-mart-big-surprise-not/239232/90 "2004-04-14T03:13:46Z")
[whipcrack] Holy SHIT, don’t you people pay attention? I blew the Moderator whistle, and I wasn’t goddam kidding. **Evil Captor** , you may now consider this a FORMAL WARNING that you have violated the rules of this forum. Next violation, and serious consequences may well follow. THAT MEANS BANNING. The rest of you, goddam it, when a Moderator says “play nice”, pay attention. This thread is done. You want to carry on, go to Great Debates forum or the Pit, as you choose. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-censoring-dvd-player-now-at-wal-mart-big-surprise-not/239232.md?page=4)