TV Guardian Model 201 Foul Language Filter

by Principal Solutions Inc.

Product Details

• ASIN: B000ALFCCU
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #73,454 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: July 25, 2005

Product Description

TV Guardian Model 201 Foul Language Filter

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

80 of 82 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The TV/DVD/VCR Cursing Filter. Thank Goodness!!, August 27, 2005

By 

RBSProds "rbsprods" (Deep in the heart of Texas) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: TV Guardian Model 201 Foul Language Filter (Electronics)

Five Big "NON-Cursing" Stars!! TV Guardian is wonderful technology, but with some hookup limitations!

If you're tired of the incessant and unnecessary cursing on TV shows and DVD/VCR movies, this is a great gift for yourself and your family. It shuts down the cursing and specific foul language on any show that has a written closed caption track inbedded in the TV show, VCR, or DVD movie soundtracks. In my case, I have it set to detect any curse word or phrase, briefly mute the sound, and put up a bland written substitute word or phrase on the bottom of the screen so that continuty is maintained, and then restore the sound track immediately following the phrase. It works amazingly well. We have a TV Guardian on all three of our TV sets and we love them. It takes about a week to get used to it and it's clear sailing from then on. If a TV show, VCR or DVD movie doesn't have a caption track, it flashes a "No TVG" on the lower left hand corner of the screen to warn you that "you're on your own" with this show. If it does contain a caption track, it occasionally flashes a "TVG" in the left hand lower corner just to reassure the viewers that it's on the job.

It operates on three levels of filtering: "Tolerant, Moderate, or Strict" and it uses three large groups of targeted words: Religious, Sexual, and/or the specific words "Hell or Damn". Experimentation will reveal a happy medium for the viewer.

Hookup-wise, the unit, the size of a half carton of cigarettes, goes between the last unit of equipment (DVD/VCR/Cable Box, etc.) and the TV. It uses on screen programming to set up the amount of filtering. I have it filtering a cable box, DVD, and VCR using a three-way digital switch, so it 'nails' everything from everywhere. The manual is outstanding. It comes with a power supply and has three types of input: digital, composite video, and S-video; and a coaxial output. Follow the TVG input hookup instructions carefully. I have three TVGs: one hooked to a really old TV and the two more TVGs on two advanced TVs, but NOT on the most advanced HD TVs. All three using different hookups. And it looks sleek atop the equipment stack, although it should be placed in a cool place to prevent screen artifacts and false wording effects.

*****2007 UPDATE: Unfortunately, TV Guardian does not have the 'state of the art' HDMI or DVI connectors that the current HD LCD Flat Screen TVs demand and that could cause the picture quality to suffer if you only use S-video or RCA cables. So that becomes a tradeoff: foul language or picture quality on the best TVs available.********

Set to it's most strict settings, your TV sound will be totally devoid of cursing and "blue" language on captioned shows. Is it perfect? No, once in a six month period a word may slip thru, but that is usually the fault of the person who typed the caption track, not the equipment. But even if it fails twice a year, that still puts TVG miles ahead of the alternative of no filter at all. One day all movie theatres should offer wireless headphones that have this capability. I'm no prude but I've had enough of the 'potty mouths' ruining what is otherwise great entertainment. With TVG I can now watch "Scarface" and "Good Will Hunting" with no problem.

Just remember the connector limitations of the "update" above for HD LCD Flat Screen TVs for you "State of the Art" TV viewers. Investigate your cable connections carefully before buying. Five Big Stars!!!!!

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Works as advertised!, September 24, 2006

By 

David M. Moser "Mike in Carolina!" (Clemson,So.Car. USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: TV Guardian Model 201 Foul Language Filter (Electronics)

It's very rare you get a product that works like it says it does!Gets 99% of the offensive language.Now you can watch a movie without all the @#$%&*.You don't have to explain to the grand kids anymore.A great addition to any American home.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I won't watch TV without it!!! Great for Standard Def TV, January 28, 2008

By 

C. Mentesana "Trust in Jesus" (Kansas City, MO) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: TV Guardian Model 201 Foul Language Filter (Electronics)

This product does not handle High Definition input (anything over 480p), such as Blu-Ray, but I found a way around it. I have an HD TV, Blu-Ray DVD Player, and Dish Network HD. My TV has several input options so I hooked it up like this:
Sat Receiver HDMI to TV
Blu-Ray Composite video and Optical Digital Audio out to TVG (Input 1)
Sat Receiver Composite video and RCA Audio to TVG (Input 2)
Blu-Ray HDMI to TV.

I then hook the TVG Optical Audio output to my surround sound stereo. Then the video out put from the TVG and RCA audio output to the TV on a different input.

This gives me the option of watching Blu-Ray and HD Sat in the High Def video, and have the audio filtered by the TVG through my surround sound stereo. (I turn the TV volume down) I loose the benefit of having the closed captioned alternate words come on the screen, but can enjoy a movie like "Men in Black" with the foul language filtered and the video in HD. NOTE: This does not work with Blu-Ray movies, only regular DVDs played through the Blu-Ray, which up-converts the video to HD.

I also have the hookup directly to the TV that allows me to watch SAT and Blu-Ray movies in Standard Definition programming with the full advantage of the TVG.

Unfortunately you still have to get up and hit the A/V Input on the TVG when switching between Blu-Ray and SAT, but I could get a remote control operated A/B box for another $50, but I have not done that yet.

Bottom line: TVG needs to catch up with the High Definition technology with a new version that handles HDMI and can handle full 1080p video including movies from Universal.

For now, I am just glad to have this unit. It takes a while to get used to, but you will be amazed at the comfort level you will have when you and your kids watch TV.