New electronic system 'censors DVDs'

A personalised censorship system, ClearPlay, which filters offensive content out of films shown on DVD players, is set to be launched in the UK.

ClearPlay could be a blessing for red-faced parents who watch films with their children, only to suffer awkward moments when characters become overly passionate or language too explicit. The technology automatically edits scenes containing nudity, violence, swearing, blasphemy and other offensive content according to a user's individual preferences.

The filtering system, which launches in the UK this weekend, uses technology integrated into the next generation of DVD players to skip and mute undesirable content based on seven categories. The system works with hundreds of films already released and will apply to new films with 48 hours of their release on DVD.


A censoring filter for a film is downloaded to the player from the internet via an online system, which will cost about £1 per week, and undesirable content is masked from the film.

DVD players featuring the necessary technology have just become available in France and will be on sale in the UK in July.

Andrew Duncan, head of ClearPlay International, said: "One of the biggest disputes over TV choices comes from arguments with kids about whether something is suitable for watching or not.

"Our system effectively ends the important but tiresome debates and enables families to get on with more important debate about who makes the popcorn."

The technology is also adaptable to video on demand services, and ClearPlay is currently in talks with digital TV operators in the UK about a potential launch on their platforms.

It has been developed by the same US team who invented the VideoPlus system, which simplified the recording of TV programmes on video recorders.

The seven categories it can filter out are violence, blood, nudity, sex, offensive language, blasphemy and offensive content.