The Directv Genie is one of the most sophisticated HD DVR receivers provided by Directv, enabling you to schedule up to 5 shows at once, and you can store up to 200 hours of high-definition programming. Another aspect of the Genie that could be of particular value is the possibility of blocking certain programs and channels that contain some adult content. Below is a guide on how to activate and set up parental control in the Directv Genie receiver.
Accessing Parental Controls Menu
To be able to enable the parental controls you first have to navigate to the menu. Follow these steps:
1. If you are using the DirecTV Genie remote, press the MENU button.
2. Select Settings & Help
3. Select Settings
4. Choose Parents, Favorites & Setup
5. Please, insert your 4-DirecTV PIN, which is set by default as 0000.
This will make appear the Parental Controls menu within which you can turn on restrictions.
Enable Parental Controls
Once in the Parental Controls menu:
1. Select Parental Controls
2. Choose the option that turns parental control on.
3. Select Channels
This service disables the capability to view channels and programs, which are marked with a rating higher than a specified limit, without inputting a PIN.
Setting Rating Limits
Under the Parental Controls menu, you can configure rating limits for both TV and movie content:
Configuring TV Ratings Limits
1. Select TV Ratings
2. Choose the maximum rating you wish to permit
3. Select OK
It allows a wide range of options that can range from TV-Y meant for all children to TV-MA meant for mature audiences. If you set your limit at 50, any number 50 or higher will be restricted.
Configuring Movie Ratings Limits
You follow the same process to set movie rating limits:
1. Select Movie Ratings
2. Choose the top rating limit that you would like to allow
3. Select OK
It can be from G to NC-17. It should be pointed out, however, that not all movies are rated and, therefore, you may still wish to block selected programs.
Blocking Specific Channels
If you want to target specific channels to block, regardless of content rating:
1. To begin with, choose Channels in the Parental Controls menu
2. Choose the channel that you would like to block
3. Select OK
This means any channel that has been blocked in the home screen will not be viewed unless the PIN is entered.
Blocking Titles by Title
You can set restrictions by program or movie title as well:
1. From the Parental Controls, choose Lock By Title
2. Choose movie/program title options and exclude them from your children’s list of preferred programs.
3. Select OK
By using Parental Controls, the titles will be blocked and, therefore, the content cannot be viewed until the PIN is entered.
Changing PIN Code
By default, the master PIN is 0000 but you can change it to your preferred 4-digit PIN:
1. In Parental Controls, click on the option Change PIN.
2. Enter current code
3. Re-enter your new 4-digit PIN twice
4. Select OK
Make sure you keep your PIN safe because you will need it to unlock any limitation; you enabled!
Conclusion
The Directv Genie also has very good parental control settings for blocking out mature content if necessary. The programs allow you to set the age rating limits, ban certain channels or programs, and alter the account’s PINs. The proper use of parental control ensures that families do not watch certain programs, while at the same time, they are allowed to benefit from the wide program choices available in Directv.