- Thomson/RCA Television User's Guide

Using the TV’s Features
16 Chapter 2
How V-Chip Works
When turned “on,” the V-Chip software reads a code that most broadcasters send with programs. That code tells the
software the program’s age-based rating (TV-MA, TV-14, etc.) and content themes [(Violence (V), Adult Language (L),
etc.)]. If you have blocked the rating and/or content themes that the program contains, you will receive the message,
“This channel is not approved for viewing,” when you tune to that particular channel.
Broadcasters are not required to provide content themes, so programs received with no content themes will only be
blocked if you block their age-based rating. You can also block out programs that have been given a rating of “Not
Rated,” and programs that are considered “unrated” because no code has been sent by the broadcaster. The TV age-
based ratings and content themes you can block are listed in the table on the following page.