Another thing the Apple TV needs

I am really liking where the Apple TV is going. With the last major release of code it's almost like having "Apple TV 2.0" having the ability to rent content from iTunes, play content from machines on the same LAN (1.0 feature), sych with a primary iTunes machine on the network (1.0 feature), etc, etc.

We, like many people I know who own Apple TVs, use the device as a "DVD and music Suitcase" of sorts. Going on vacation? No need to pack a few dozen DVDs, just pack up the Apple TV and hit the road (and don't forget the remote). This is a great thing and something I've been wanting for a long time.

But there is a minor problem. What if I had children (which I don't) and they wanted to watch Disney content on the Apple TV that had been synched from Daddy's computer? No problem there, kids, go crazy and watch what you'd like. But what if Daddy also had, say, The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover on the Apple TV as well? Adults might appreciate the intricate tapestry that is this fine piece or art but I would be called insane if I would suggest that any movie involving the gross mistreatment of women, forced eating of dog shit, full frontal male (and female) nudity, running over of dogs, rape (or sexual assault at the very least), forcibly choking someone to death using pages torn from books, murder and, ta-da, cannibalism as time well spent by youth.

So why can't I place a lock-out on the device that would force the entering of a PIN each time "protected content" wanted to be watched? Better yet, why not just display the names of movies that are NOT protected content unless the PIN is entered? I think the latter scenario is preferable because Daddy might, for reasons known only unto him, decided to load a movie or two starring his favorite actress. Maybe Jenna Jamison or Shayla LeVeaux. You certainly wouldn't want the kiddies getting into that content nor would you want to embarrass yourself at a dinner party by displaying titles of movies starring either one of these ladies.

But let's go back to the Disney analogy. My Apple TV contains Never Cry Wolf a fantastic and truly underrated movie of the 80s. It's even a Disney movie! And one where a man runs around naked for 1/3 of the movie (if you don't count his boots). So you got me, it wasn't 1/3 of the movie and it's tastefully done and woven into the script so it actually makes sense. The movie isn't even rated "R". But still I could understand a parent not wanting a young child to watch this movie.

Furthermore, if these protections existed it would be conceivable that a family could get rid of the DVD player. Now you would have to be very paranoid to worry about a child's friend bringing a DVD with them to play unreasonable content on your television but it does happen. This is how I saw my first adult movie. DVD players are more easily scurried away than VHS or Betamax players ever were and you can't play a DVD directly on the Apple TV (for some reason). Oh, and if you wanted to allow another machine to stream content? Sorry, not without the PIN.

Parental controls exist on the Mac, why not the Apple TV? Heck, perhaps you won't want you child surfing YouTube. What's to stop him or her from doing so on the Apple TV? Again, it's easy enough to block this using a Mac. The Apple TV should provide the same protections.