ClearPlay RCA DRC232N DVD Player
RCA DRC232N ClearPlay DVD Player
- Product Name: DRC232N DVD Player with ClearPlay
- Manufacturer: RCA
- Performance Rating:
- Value Rating:
- Review Date: October 13, 2004 20:00
- MSRP: $ 158
|
Player type: Single disc DVD player
Features: Digital Cinema & Video mode progressive scan (2:3 pulldown), Digital PhotoView & MP3 combination play
Supported disc formats: Plays back DVDs, DVD+R/RW, DVD-R/RW, Audio CDs, CD-R/RW, Video CDs (VCDs), SVCDs, MP3, WMA and JPEG files.
Remote: Unified TV/DVD/VCR remote (RCA/GE brands ONLY) |
Audio Outputs: Stereo analogue RCA, Coaxial digital audio output
Video Outputs: Component (Pb, Pr, Y), s-video and composite
Dimensions: 2.0" H x 16.9" W x 11.0" D
Weight: 5.50 lbs.
MSRP: $79 |
Pros
- Innovative movie content filtering software
- Progressive scan output
- Small footprint
- Very up to date filters for current DVD releases
- Plays back almost any type of video disc as well as most audio formats.
Cons
- Limited free filters ($79 for subscription)
- Cumbersome filter updating (no internet or phone connection)
- Sub-par construction of RCA-branded player including screws on bottom of unit that can damage non-level surfaces
ClearPlay Concept & Implementation
Parental Controls for Family Viewing of Popular Movies while Filtering Violence, Nudity & Profanity
There have always been movies that in my mind utilized violence, language or sexual situations for no other reason than to supplement for the lack of imagination on the part of the director. Perhaps it was his/her decision to take the easy way out in storytelling, rather than let the viewers' imagination play a part in the story as is my personal preference. This doesn't mean, however that there aren't movies that portray these things in a necessary and relevant context, but too often it is easy for a director to allow a single graphical scene to interfere with what is otherwise a "decent" story. This is a divisive topic, mind you - one that will have one half of the issue up in arms over the authors original intent while the other side screams about family values and choice. Well, I am one for freedom of choice and since this technology involves purchasing the original DVD's it is merely a voluntary act to then select the option of watching them in a way that allows you to shelter your family from violence, profanity, sexual situations and more. Support for ClearPlay filtering includes the CEA, Kids First Coalition, Focus on the Family, the American Family Association, the American Psychological Association, and Electronic Frontier Foundation.
About
ClearPlay
ClearPlay Inc., founded in 1999, develops advanced
parental control technologies for consumer electronic products, including DVD players and recorders,
TV's, cable and set-top boxes, digital video recorders, etc. The company's first product allows consumers
to view DVDs, purchased or rented through conventional retailers, free of unwanted content. It gives
consumers the ability to skip and mute over graphic violence, sex, nudity and profanity if they choose.
ClearPlay filters can be purchased at retail, by subscription and over the Internet, and do not touch,
alter or change the DVD in any way. The technology can also be applied to video on
demand.
The Basic Concept and Implementation
I wanted to give a basic idea of the concept for those unfamiliar with ClearPlay filtering. What ClearPlay does NOT do is alter the content of the movie in any way. For example, it does not substitute text or audio for the original soundtrack. In addition, it is not a means of purchasing edited or adjusted content in the form of sold DVDs or digital media content. It is a distinctive, optional filtering system that works in a flexible manner under the direction and specifications of the user.
The ClearPlay service uses "ClearPlay Filters" that are associated with each different movie. The ClearPlay filters are compiled by a staff of movie professionals. These professionals go through individual movies and identify content which may have contributed to a movie's PG-13 or R rating. The content they identify generally falls under the categories of graphic violence, sexual content, and language.
The user-interface is very simple. You can turn ClearPlay ON or OFF with a single setting. You can also customize your filter preferences by adjusting 14 different filter settings (that gives you essentially 16,384 potential user configurations!). Based on your settings, content will be skipped over or muted during playback of the movie. Great care and effort is taken to ensure that although certain content is removed, the continuity of the story is maintained, and the presentation retains its entertaining value. Many say the end result is similar to an airline or television presentation of the movie.
New filters can be downloaded from the ClearPlay website and new movies seem to be added regularly. As of this review some of the most recent movies, including the new release of the Star Wars Trilogy, were present. New filters are downloaded from the site, burned onto CD-ROM and loaded into the player. In addition, ClearPlay will also mail you updated filter CDs if you are unable to download or burn them yourself.
ClearPlay Impressions, Performance & Conclusion
Powering on the unit without a disc
gets you to a screen where you can set up the features of the player or opt to configure the Parental
Controls. This is where you configure the ClearPlay settings. You'll need to set a password and lock
the player to get into these settings so write down the 4-digit security code once you enter
it.
ClearPlay allows you to assign settings for the following areas:
- Strong Action Violence
- Gory Brutal Violence
- Disturbing Images
Sex and Nudity
- Sensual Content
- Nudity
- Explicit Sexual Situations
Language
- Vain Reference to Deity
- Crude Language and humor
- Ethnic and Social Slurs
- Cursing
- Strong Profanity
- Graphic Vulgarity
Below you can see some of the applicable screens for setting the player's filtering preferences:
The player has a finite number of movies that can be
stored before having to delete existing movies from the system. The number of movies isn't specified
anywhere but it appears to be around 350. Eventually, if you have a large movie collection, you will
need to delete movies from the unit in order to make room for newer (or older) releases. Somewhat
cumbersome is that it takes about 5 button presses to delete a movie already loaded into the player. If
you plan on clearing out the unit and adding in your 300 DVD movie collection, plan on spending some
serious time in front of this interface.
If you want to skip the ClearPlay filters, you can also set the player to read the ratings flags and disallow movies entirely based on their MPAA rating.
One other note: be very careful how you position the
player in your entertainment center, at least with this RCA unit. There are uncovered screws that poke
out from beneath the RCA player and they actually damaged the top of my Mitsubishi projection
television because not all four feet were setting flat on top of the unit. This is a simple fix and a
big no-no that RCA should never have let slip by quality control.
Watching Content Filtered Movies
To fully test the system I played a movie that
would be tough to filter due to its intrinsically rough nature: Braveheart. In Chapter 11, the first
battle with the English, foul language was muted, rather than skipped, allowing the storyline to
continue unfettered. As the filters (obviously) do not have the ability to eliminate just the dialogue
track, the entire soundtrack is muted during filtering. The famous "mooning" scene was skipped
entirely. Much of the battle was eliminated and cut short; however there was a good bit of close up
contact and weapons making impact. The edits were mostly obvious, and some digital errors were present,
most likely due to the video processing not being able to fully keep up with the edit list. The overall
effect, however was acceptable given the intended result and indeed was not much more worse off than an
airplane or television edit. The advantage to a television edit, of course, is that ADR is generally
performed allowing for replacement dialogue which is remixed with the M
&
E (music and effects) track
to provide a more seamless cut.
Conclusions and Overall Perceptions
The ClearPlay filters work and work well. The software used to implement them is a bit clunky and involves way too many steps to add or delete movies. Perhaps if the remote were more responsive or the screens changed at a faster rate, then the existing system would be more tolerable. I feel, however that there should be a "Loaded Movie Filters" list that can simply be checked and deleted to make more room in the player. This is, in fact, similar to the way new filters get loaded into the player via CD-ROM. Better yet, let's hook up the player to the internet via phone line or Ethernet and allow dynamic or auto-selection of movie filters.
Regardless of its interface deficiencies, the ClearPlay system is currently the best affordable solution for filtering DVD content for your family. Its flexibility and multiple configuration options allow you to set the parameters for your family's viewing habits. If you are looking for a dynamic DVD filtering solution that works with your existing DVD movie collection, this is the most viable the market has seen to date.
NOTE: Due to the nature of this review product, we separated the ratings of the ClearPlay DVD filter software from the review of the player which includes it. This was done simply because the ClearPlay software will be made available to more than just this player in the very near future. Overall, the RCA DVD player performed as expected with no real frills and no major disappointments. The ClearPlay filter technology was above average in its capability, wth room to improve with regards to its interface and configuration.
19 Chapin Road, P.O. Box 867
Pine Brook
NJ
07058
-9777
http://www.clearplay.com
The Score Card
The scoring below is based on each piece of equipment doing the duty it is designed for. The numbers are weighed heavily with respect to the individual cost of each unit, thus giving a rating roughly equal to:
Performance × Price Factor/Value = Rating
Audioholics.com note: The ratings indicated below are based on subjective listening and objective testing of the product in question. The rating scale is based on performance/value ratio. If you notice better performing products in future reviews that have lower numbers in certain areas, be aware that the value factor is most likely the culprit. Other Audioholics reviewers may rate products solely based on performance, and each reviewer has his/her own system for ratings.
Audioholics Rating Scale
— Excellent
- — Very Good
- — Good
- — Fair
- — Poor
| Metric | Rating |
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| Bass Management | |
| Build Quality | |
| Ergonomics & Usability | |
| Ease of Setup | |
| Features | |
| Remote Control | |
| Performance | |
| Value | |
Clint Deboer was terminated from Audioholics for misconduct on April 4th, 2014. He no longer represents Audioholics in any fashion.
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