Tv Licensing ?

[Bob]

Sooo, to sum up, when asked, you can get away with saying "yes my computers capable of watching live TV but I just don't"?

If I didn't have a licence and they sent a guy round to me and he saw my big ass TV, would I get away with saying "yes I have a TV, but I don't use it"?

I thought they just prosecuted anyone without a licence found to have technology capable of receiving live broadcasts, things like iplayer used to be all just on demand/catch up services but now ALL of the channels can be veiwed live in a web browser.

 

[RobMac]

I DO have a TV but no aerial or cable connection I have watched DVD & VHS on the TV but nothing else. Ive had visits from the Licensing Boards to check my equipment (oooeer Mrs) the glanced at it, TV, DVD & VHS player and very politely asked me to contact them if my position changes, which it hasn't, its been 8 years now maybe :?
I get a little reminder in the post now and again, I dont even watch stuff on the computer.

 

[technodup]

I've not had a license for 6 years. I get a letter every month with nonsense about how they've started an investigation, they must have started about 40 and not finished any of them yet.

I'm watching a Sony tv as I type. I also use Iplayer, 4OD, my parents Sky Go etc when it suits. The TV was donated to me (as were the previous two), my box was free from BT. I refuse to pay for television.

Maximum fine is £1000. I've saved approx £800 so far so the threat of it doesn't really have much impact. Never had a visit, I guess most people in my street pay up, especially as the guy across the road used to be head of news for BBC Scotland. Fnck paying his fat pension for 40 years.

 

[firedfromthecircus]

I pay my TV license.
Although I agree that reality TV shows and some of the other guff that the BBC is coming up with these days to 'compete' with the commercial channels should not be on the BBC, overall I think the BBC is pretty good value. The £30 a quarter or so that it costs is worth the vast amount of content produced with no adverts spoiling it.
Someone has to pay for it after all. :roll:

Anyone who has spent time in America or Canada and watched TV there will know how bad the adverts can get.

 

[JeRkY]

I pay my TV license.
Although I agree that reality TV shows and some of the other guff that the BBC is coming up with these days to 'compete' with the commercial channels should not be on the BBC, overall I think the BBC is pretty good value. The £30 a quarter or so that it costs is worth the vast amount of content produced with no adverts spoiling it.
Someone has to pay for it after all. :roll:

Anyone who has spent time in America or Canada and watched TV there will know how bad the adverts can get.

Im with you, amongst the headline grabbing reality crap the beeb still produces alot of great material for which I am more than happy to pay the small fee for.

I actually think your stance is disgusting technodup, essentially theft from a venerable institution that in my book stands as one of the two great assets this country has left, the other being the NHS, both of which are under threat and your actions contribute to the threat.

 

[sylus]

Sooo, to sum up, when asked, you can get away with saying "yes my computers capable of watching live TV but I just don't"?

If I didn't have a licence and they sent a guy round to me and he saw my big ass TV, would I get away with saying "yes I have a TV, but I don't use it"?

I thought they just prosecuted anyone without a licence found to have technology capable of receiving live broadcasts, things like iplayer used to be all just on demand/catch up services but now ALL of the channels can be veiwed live in a web browser.[/quote

With more and more tv's being bluetooth/wifi capable then yes you could still have a tv and use it as a secondary screen to watch stuff linked from your pc/laptop. Although if mr tv man turns up and you have a sky box and or the ariel leads plugged in then your shafted.

As to stealing I don't agree it is. These are the current rules and as long as you abide by them then you havn't broken any rules.

Stealing from the bbc happens by the bbc. The bbc is funded by the tax payer so why do its top executives get bonus's at all?

I will agree on bad tv in the states, it's almost 5 minutes of adds then 10 minutes of tv...the states is the first place I would honestly say that pay as you go would work because most wouldn't pay. american tv is shite.

 

[cyfa2809]

When first asked im sure many would say they wouldnt pay for tv license.

Thinking about it, i agree. The bbc does have some very good programmes without the naff adverts.

Im glad i pay although i barely watch any tv. When i do though, its often something on bbc3. And i listen to a few of the radio stations also.

 

[silverclaws]

What is a tv signal, what constitutes a signal for it to be called a tv signal, discernable and useful sound and vision, or that totally detuned look where it sounds like a heavy rain storm and one is driving through a blizzard, as has anyone tried to receive signals without a digital decoder, just to see if there is any analogue signals still about ? My tv picks up nothing, so therefore I take it it is not capable without a digital decoder, which I no longer have.

But the licensing authority have been accused of playing very dirty games with the British public and extract the licence fee, which is now officially called a tax by threat and deception, as if you look, these top secret tv detector vans they say they use, no one has been prosecuted via evidence from one yet, which kind of asks the question do they exist ?

Crooked practices of extorting the tv license ;
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvan ... stics.html


Freedom of information request regarding the cost to effectiveness ration of the mystical tv detector vans ;
http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/e ... ing-164153

TV licensing is managed as a sales operation;
http://www.capita.co.uk/about-us/Pages/ ... nsing.aspx

Self employed enforcers ;
http://img192.imageshack.us/img192/1473/tvleo.gif


Now the visit I had this morning the enforcer told me I had to have a tv license for a tv set even if it is an analogue tv, because I can go out and buy a decoder, to which I replied hell yes if I could be bothered, but seeing as I believe tv is crap that is highly unlikely, because then it will cost me £145 in tax for the pleasure and as cash is kind of tight, luxuries take a back step, I can live without a tv no problems and five months so far and it is getting a lot easier and perhaps my intelligence might have actually increased, because now instead of vegging out in front of the mind mushing goggle box, I read, write, draw, make stuff, fix things, go out on my retro bike more and go walking for interest instead of slobbing out.

Now I am not a cheat, I find it very difficult to cheat even when I feel the requirement to do so, so as a result I don't cheat and I am confident of the fact that I do not need a tv licence for owning a tv for the purpose of watching dvd's and playing the play station now and again, because neither is the ability or actuality of viewing live broadcasted material.

And neither do I listen to radio, of the two radio's I have, neither have antennae and rain storm soup is just not worth listening too.

As to the computer, I have no idea whether my lappy can, or can't, I have not a clue how to go about it, and further to that, have no interest in it, especially with a dodgy wi fi card that crashes the puter with youtube as it is.

So regarding the licensing authority I know they are going to pester, they always do, but I believe I am not breaking the law, so they will be given the same treatment every time, and if ever they get a search warrant, they will not find what they think I have therefore making the whole exercise a complete waste of money, because they will find not all UK citizens are lying cheating thieves as they seem to think we are, nor are we that gullible any more.

Oh and another thing, for my own protection, I always record conversations with anyone who says they act with authority.

 

[Chopper the ex Copper]

Yes, the fabled detector vans do exist, or AG least did as of about 10 years ago. I'm a radio amateur and and of our local club was somehow able to arrange for us to poke around one. It was quite old even then.

Of course, a retailer now can't sell a new tv without taking the purchasers details a d passing then back to the licensing authority, so within certain limits it's easy to check without even leaving the office.

 

[silverclaws]

Ah well, if they have them, they can send one up here, as I think I need proof they exist and are not just mock ups used to scare from a bygone age.