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It wasn't that long ago that hooking up a TV was no more complex than adjusting the rabbit ear antenna on top of the set. Now, satellites, DVDs, cable and game platforms have turned the TV into an entertainment and information center. This is a blessing and a curse: broadening the content coming into the house means that there is lots of content you don't want your kids exposed to. Yet even as the switch between channels children can see and hear things that are completely inappropriate. What can you do?

Be an active parent. More important than any gadget, rating system or new technology, is the role you play as an active participant in your child's television experience.

Try to limit your child's viewing time to no more than two hours a day, and make sure that in addition to tv they are engaged in active play that uses their whole body.

Discuss and plan tv viewing with children in advance -- which will help kids make decisions, see consequences, and learn to make priorities. Try making a chart that plans the week in advance, listing the shows they want to see in 30 minute segments. This is a practical way for kids to get experience with fractions as they map out their week's viewing in half hour blocks. This advance planning gets them thinking critically and turns them into creators, instead of just passive viewers. More important, it gives you a chance to see what their watching and discuss with them the themes and values of the programming. It also gives you an opportunity to steer them to better choices.

Using Technology to Take Control. There are two ways to control what your children watch on TV when you're not physically there turning the channels or TV on or off: 1) Block access to objectionable content and 2) Provide them with preselected content you approve.

Blocking Access. With hundreds of channels coming into the house the first thing you want to do is learn how to block content and turn off channels that are inappropriate. If your tv set was manufactured since 2000 and is 13" or greater it is equipped with a Vchip that makes this easy. From the set's menu access the parental control screen. There you can block content based on ratings based on age or content such as language or nudity. Many new sets also allow you to block channels completely. Once you set the level, the tv will require a password to view higher rated programs. Keep in mind that even if your set has a Vchip, it won't block content until you take control and set it!

What if you don't have a new set? Many cable companies and most satellite tv providers have the same sort of controls built into their set top boxes. Call your provider and ask them for instructions on how to get the new boxes installed in your home.

An alternate approach is to use a product called the Weemote ($29.95 - www.weemote.com). This is a remote control that works with many televisions and VCRs that you program for your child. Only the channels you pre-approve can be accessed by the child. However, this only works as a safeguard until your child is old enough to reach the tv's controls. At that point they can get around the Weemote by entering the channels directly.

Provide your children with prerecorded content that you've selected. Some cool devices make this easier:

The MovieTime™ VCR ($99 www.sony.com) looks like a regular VCR but it just does playback, and parents can also lock a tape in it so kids can't put in the wrong tape by accident. Another nice feature for toddlers and curious preschoolers is that it's specially designed so that kids can't shove fingers and food into the video slot when it is locked!

A DVD/CD changer can also help you select what movies are available to your kids and, at the same time protect your investment in disks from scratches that are a part of the intensified wear and tear inflicted by kids. The Sony DVD changer ($699 www.sony.com) demonstrated on tv can hold up to 300 audio CDs and video DVDs. The price seems high until you consider that the value of 300 disk might be ten times greater than the cost of the unit. Think of it as insurance from mishandling and it looks like a good investment.

Digital Recorders: Tivo (www.tivo.com) and Ultimate TV (www.ultimatetv.com) Recording content from tv is another great source of children's programming. New Digital Recorders make recording a snap: With the Tivo or Ultimate TV units that hook up to a Direct TV satellite antenna, two weeks of television listings are beamed down by satellite. To pick a show you just point to it in the listings. You can search by title or actor. You can even choose a Season's Pass and it will record up to thirty hours worth of the program of your choice! The Tivo unit can only record and show a single show at a time, though they have plans to enable the unit to record and display different programs at the same time in the near future.

The new Ultimate TV/Direct TV unit (a collaboration between Microsoft and Direct TV) can record one show while you watch another. It also comes with WebTV access built right in.

These units lets you preview what your kids are watching and help them be selective and understand the values that the shows are teaching. These satellite TV/recording systems are great for parents of young kids because you can get hundreds of channels and you can even "pause" a live show, like a football game or a sitcom to take care of the kids, and then come back and pick up where you left off. In James' home his kids choose which shows they want to watch in advance, record them on the Tivo, and then - when homework is done - they can watch at their leisure.