Until he got the system a little over a year ago, Weidle had stopped seeing all but G-rated movies with his wife, 14-year-old daughter, and 5-year-old son. But these days Weidle is watching movies he had long avoided because of what he said was gratuitous profanity and violence.

"I don't miss the language," Weidle said. "I don't need to see someone's head blown off to know that they died."

Backers also argue the content-skipping filters or sanitized DVDs are analogous to movie watchers shutting their eyes or pressing the mute button to avoid glimpsing a sex scene or hearing profanity.

"It's no different than if I were to choose to mute something," said Bill Aho, the CEO of the 14-employee ClearPlay. "The director may not like that, but the fact is, it's my home."

Movie studios often make different versions of films for different venues, such as on airlines or on television. The difference, according to the entertainment industry, is that those are made in conjunction with film creators.

"Here, (ClearPlay) leaves the people who own the movie out of it and is going to make a profit on their work by distorting it," said Rep. Howard Berman, D-Calif.

"There is a right for consumers to edit their own versions of movies, but this isn't the consumer editing," Berman said. "This is some young employee of some profit-making company, who is going to create filters unlimited in nature. And he keeps the director's name" on the film.

Berman contends that consumers ultimately have plenty of alternative options when it comes to screening content. Chief among them: Don't watch the movie.

"If you want your kids to see a World War II movie that doesn't have those violent scenes, you don't show your kids 'Saving Private Ryan,"' Berman said. "You don't totally change 'Saving Private Ryan' and then claim it's a Steven Spielberg movie. It's not the same movie. It isn't the movie he wanted to make."

Critics point to such films as "The Graduate," one of the titles for which ClearPlay offers a filter. The movie just wouldn't be the same without its infamous hotel seduction scene, opponents say.

The movie industry — and its advocates in Congress — vigorously fought earlier versions of the legislation.

But Hollywood decided to back off this year, when new, industry-favored provisions that would crack down on movie piracy were added to the bill. The legislation now also would authorize a National Film Preservation Board and task the Library of Congress with working to conserve movies.

"Notwithstanding all the problems, we made a calculated decision" to call a cease-fire because of the anti-piracy and film preservation provisions, Berman said.