TV licensing help

[admin_exported]

As I dont watch that mutch TV I'm thinking I could quite easily forego any TV at all and watch the news etc online, would this mean I dont have to pay ?

Anyone know what the rules are ? What If I only watch DVD's and bluray ? or what about Sky HD, is that seperate from a terrestrial TV license ?

I'd like to know as £140 a year doesnt seem worth it to me.

 

[John Duncan]

"You must be covered by a valid TV Licence if you watch or record television programmes as they're being shown on TV. It makes no difference what equipment you use - whether it's a laptop, PC, mobile phone, digital box, DVD recorder or a TV set - you still need a licence.

You do not need a TV Licence to view video clips on the internet, as long as what you are viewing is not being shown on TV at the same time as you are viewing it.

If you use a digital box with a hi-fi system, or another device that can only be used to produce sounds and can't display TV programmes, and you don't install or use any other TV receiving equipment, you don't need a TV Licence."

 

[nads]

do you have a TV?

If yes then you pay.

 

[Anonymous]

I see, so as I understand it, if I only watch DVD's and watch internet TV video clips that are'nt being shown simultaneously with normal TV then I dont have to pay.

 

[Andrew Everard]

As I understand it, if you have equipment capable of receiving broadcast TV signals - ie anything with a tuner in it, be it a TV, Sky/Virgin/BT Vision box, or even a DVD recorder - then you need a licence.

Certainly if you had any of these with a monitor connected to it in any way, you'd have fun trying to explain to the TV licensing people that you never use them to watch TV.

 

[John Duncan]

I'm not so sure (not sure why I care, but I hate not knowing stuff

)....

"Using TV receiving equipment to watch or record television programmes as they're being shown on TV without a valid licence is against the law."

Doesn't say "having a TV but not using it to watch or record television programmes as they're being shown on TV etc etc".

I am so on to this.

 

[Andrew Everard]

Points taken, and of course you are right.

But then I bought a TV for review some months back, giving the office address, and it took ages to stop the licensing people sending threatening letters demanding I bought a licence,

Of course we have a licence here, but it wasn't a case of being caught using it; it was the fact that when you buy any equipment covered by the licensing regs, the shop has to - well - shop you to the authorities.

So not actually using it to receive. etc..., but having the capability to receive... Assumption, not discovery.

My point being that while the letter of the law is one thing, the way it's enforced may be slightly more draconian.

 

[John Duncan]

Especially since license enforcers are on commission

 

[The_Lhc]

This is the thing that really annoys me about TV licensing, it's the *property* that is licensed, not the viewer and yet they clearly search the database on NAME AND ADDRESS, so you get the threatening letters if anyone other than the person the license is registered to buys a TV! I'm getting fed up with ringing up their helpline to tell them that we already have a license, it's just unnecessary, it's wasting my time, their time and all the paper that they must send out, and they wouldn't have to do any of it if they just checked if the property was licensed without a viewer name! It cannot be that difficult to implement, in fact it would probably make their database searches more efficient!

 

[John Duncan]

But anyway, summarising. If you have a satellite or cable box and ever watch anything live, or record anything, you need a license. If you only watch DVDs or Blurays, and have no aerial attached to your TV, and have detuned your TV so it can't receive any signals, no you don't need a license, but good luck with telling the TV licensing people that.

But finally I say - stop being such a cheapskate, we have the best telly in the world because of the TV license.....

 

[Andrew Everard]

JohnDuncan:... no you don't need a license, but good luck with telling the TV licensing people that.

Agreed.

JohnDuncan:But finally I say - stop being such a cheapskate, we have the best telly in the world because of the TV license.....

Absolutely.

 

[Anonymous]

JohnDuncan:

But finally I say - stop being such a cheapskate, we have the best telly in the world because of the TV license.....

Yeah riiight.

 

[John Duncan]

forbes:
JohnDuncan:

But finally I say - stop being such a cheapskate, we have the best telly in the world because of the TV license.....

Yeah riiight.

Yeah, right.

 

[The_Lhc]

forbes:JohnDuncan:

But finally I say - stop being such a cheapskate, we have the best telly in the world because of the TV license.....

Yeah riiight.

Have you watched much foreign TV? <shudder>

 

[laserman16]

You ought to try TV in some other countries and then you would realise how lucky we are in this country.

 

[Anonymous]

As an ex-TV Licensing employee, here is an extract from the TVL website.....

Q. What if I only use a TV to watch videos/DVDs/as a monitor for my games console? Do I still need a licence?
A. You do not need a TV Licence if you only use your TV to watch videos and DVDs or as a monitor for your games console.

However, please notify us in writing that this is the case. One of our Enforcement Officers may visit you to confirm that you do not need a licence.

Please write to us including your name, address and the reason you believe that you don't need a licence at:

TV Licensing
Bristol
BS98 1TL.

In short, you might be able to get away with it, but only if you find an agreeable EO (and yes, they do exist).

If however, as the OP suggested, you have the obvious ability to receive a TV signal (you mentioned SKY HD), you haven't got a hope in hell my friend.

PS. JD, they don't work on commission!

 

[John Duncan]

Ketch:PS. JD, they don't work on commission!

Well, my sincere apologies to all those TV license enforcers whom I have so unjustly impugned. Except this one.

 

[Anonymous]

People who sit at home all day and watch 'The jeremy kyle show' or 'Trisha' followed by 'loose women' and 'this morning' and 'neighbours' / 'going for gold' /'dicksinsons real deal' / 'murder she wrote' / 'hollyoaks' / 'quincy' / 'emmerdale' / 'eastenders'/ ' celebrity big brother' / ' i'm a celebrity get me out of here' etc etc etc should be made to pay the fee,in fact they should just get a labotomy and be done with it, but me ? i'm not up for it, you can keep it.

 

[Andrew Everard]

forbes:they should just get a labotomy

You'd take away their dog???

 

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't worry about upsetting them, they're pretty used to it. ha-ha!

Yeah, I remember that story.

For reference, the bonus they are referring to was actually just based on the completion of a doorstop interview, regardless of the outcome.

In most instances, the interview just resulted in identifying the actual licence holder as the name was incorrect on the system. Usually because (as was mentioned above) someone other than the licence holder buys a TV from a retailer who has to by law notify TVL. TVL systems then flag up that the new name doesn't match the name associated with the address which starts the enforcement process (it assumes that someone else has moved in), culminating with an EO visit if you don't contact them.

 

[John Duncan]

forbes:People who sit at home all day and watch 'The jeremy kyle show' or 'Trisha' followed by 'loose women' and 'this morning' and 'neighbours' / 'going for gold' /'dicksinsons real deal' / 'murder she wrote' / 'hollyoaks' / 'quincy' / 'emmerdale' / 'eastenders'/ ' celebrity big brother' / ' i'm a celebrity get me out of here' etc etc etc should be made to pay the fee,in fact they should just get a labotomy and be done with it, but me ? i'm not up for it, you can keep it.

Even though they're mostly on commercial television?

 

[Anonymous]

I cannot stand paying a TV license and if my girlfriend could live without the tacky reality shows I would be £140 better off.

I never use to have a TV license as I just use to watch DVD's etc.ÿ

I really find it annoying that we are paying the fee just for the BBC! I never watch it and I never listen to it! So why should I have to pay for it? If they gave people an option to opt out of the License I bet the majority would.ÿ

 

[The_Lhc]

Shimminator: If they gave people an option to opt out of the License I bet the majority would.

...Bolton, it's the top answer!

We asked 100 people if they'd rather not pay for something, our survey said...

 

[hammill]

the_lhc:

Shimminator: If they gave people an option to opt out of the License I bet the majority would.

...Bolton, it's the top answer!

We asked 100 people if they'd rather not pay for something, our survey said...

Well put.

 

[John Duncan]

Shimminator:If they gave people an option to opt out of the License I bet the majority would.

Yeah, let's take a vote. Hands up who would pay the TV license just for David Attenborough?