TV Licence question

[Merlot]

We currently pay £135 per year for a TV licence.

We very rarely watch TV, and even less BBC. If anything it tends to be DVDs or streaming from the web.

If I were to (only) stream from the web and watch DVDs (ie, I wouldn't hook the TV to the aerial), do I still need a TV Licence?

[eldar]

Merlot said:

We currently pay £135 per year for a TV licence.

We very rarely watch TV, and even less BBC. If anything it tends to be DVDs or streaming from the web.

If I were to (only) stream from the web and watch DVDs (ie, I wouldn't hook the TV to the aerial), do I still need a TV Licence?

No, provided your TV is not connected to an aeriel at all, and you don't have a mobile phone capable of recieving a TV picture live.

Simple

They won't believe you though, and will send you increasingly snotty letters.

[Ganglandboss]

Do you stream live TV or is it all recorded?

"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."

http://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/information/index.jsp...

If you only watch recorded stuff, the answer is no.

[Ganglandboss]

eldar said:

No, provided your TV is not connected to an aeriel at all, and you don't have a mobile phone capable of recieving a TV picture live.

Simple

They won't believe you though, and will send you increasingly snotty letters.

Whether the equipment is capable of receiving signals is irrelevent; you have to be using it for that purpose to legally require a licence.

[Merlot]

Who on earth put this in Home Cinema & Hi Fi?

[Merlot]

No, nothing live.

We stream from iPlayer, onDemand and so on usually a few days after the program has initially broadcast on TV. This is reasonably rare, though. I can only think of a handful or programs we actually watch.

[ThatPhilBrettGuy]

I think the terms and conditions of iPlayer state you must have a licence.

[pokethepope]

ThatPhilBrettGuy said:

I think the terms and conditions of iPlayer state you must have a licence.

Nope. Which is why I think it is the beginning of the end for the licence. You dont need a licence if its not broadcast live, so you can get the vast majority of programmes without a licence (BBC, ITV, C4 and C5 all have web players).


ETA some evidence:

BBC Webpage said:

Catch-up

You do not need a television licence to catch-up on television programmes in BBC iPlayer, only when you watch or record at the same time (or virtually the same time) as it is being broadcast or otherwise distributed to the public. In BBC iPlayer, this is through the Watch Live simulcast option.

From: http://iplayerhelp.external.bbc.co.uk/help/about_i...

Edited by pokethepope on Friday 5th June 17:45

[ThatPhilBrettGuy]

pokethepope said:

ThatPhilBrettGuy said:

I think the terms and conditions of iPlayer state you must have a licence.

Nope. Which is why I think it is the beginning of the end for the licence. You dont need a licence if its not broadcast live, so you can get the vast majority of programmes without a licence (BBC, ITV, C4 and C5 all have web players).

Interesting. I guess that'll change if the ratio of payers and non-payers changes. Of course there's the small issue of the internet grinding to a halt with all the streaming data, and none of the ISP's wanting to carry the data

[Merlot]

So, those of us with a reasonably fast(ish) broadband connection who watch very little TV and no desire to watch live television (like me) don't really need a licence.

Superb.

[cjs]

£135 a year for all the excellent quality TV and Radio the BBC produce is a bargain, just pay the fee and support quality TV. TV without the BBC will be dire, the BBC set the benchmark which others have to match.

[robinhood21]

cjs said:

£135 a year for all the excellent quality TV and Radio the BBC produce is a bargain, just pay the fee and support quality TV. TV without the BBC will be dire, the BBC set the benchmark which others have to match.

Er, I have just received my TV licence (yearly debit) and it would appear to have increased to £142.50.

[sinizter]

cjs said:

£135 a year for all the excellent quality TV and Radio the BBC produce is a bargain, just pay the fee and support quality TV. TV without the BBC will be dire, the BBC set the benchmark which others have to match.

I'd rather spend that money buying DVDs of one or two series that I really like rather than rubbish that I don't actually watch or listen to.

[Merlot]

cjs said:

£135 a year for all the excellent quality TV and Radio the BBC produce is a bargain, just pay the fee and support quality TV. TV without the BBC will be dire, the BBC set the benchmark which others have to match.

I hardly watch any TV and never listen to the radio. So why should I pay it?

[cjs]

Merlot said:

cjs said:

£135 a year for all the excellent quality TV and Radio the BBC produce is a bargain, just pay the fee and support quality TV. TV without the BBC will be dire, the BBC set the benchmark which others have to match.

I hardly watch any TV and never listen to the radio. So why should I pay it?

Agreed, if you don't watch TV programmes then you don't need a TV licence, however you said you watch them on iPlayer so you should buy a Licence, the BBC needs money to make programmes.

[cjs]

robinhood21 said:

cjs said:

£135 a year for all the excellent quality TV and Radio the BBC produce is a bargain, just pay the fee and support quality TV. TV without the BBC will be dire, the BBC set the benchmark which others have to match.

Er, I have just received my TV licence (yearly debit) and it would appear to have increased to £142.50.

Still great value, I'm happy to pay that for Top Gear, Spooks, Ashes to ashes, Match of the Day, F1.........I could go on.

[Merlot]

cjs said:

Merlot said:

cjs said:

£135 a year for all the excellent quality TV and Radio the BBC produce is a bargain, just pay the fee and support quality TV. TV without the BBC will be dire, the BBC set the benchmark which others have to match.

I hardly watch any TV and never listen to the radio. So why should I pay it?

Agreed, if you don't watch TV programmes then you don't need a TV licence, however you said you watch them on iPlayer so you should buy a Licence, the BBC needs money to make programmes.

Sorry, I meant iPlayer as a collective of the various streaming catch up players.

The only thing I watch on the BBC is one (or two?) series of Top Gear every year. Not really enough for me to warrant paying the TVL fee. I would quite happily buy the series on DVD if required as it is bound to be less than £145!!

[CypherP]

I agree to a certain extent that if you don't watch a great deal of TV and are only making use of catch-up players via the internet then technically, you don't require a TV licence. However, people are right in saying that if the majority did this, then those few programmes you do like will suffer.

Not to mention the fact that if the ratio does switch, there will end up being a tax of some kind on internet broadcasting. If you really insist on not paying for a TV licence, do what i do and download the programmes you want to watch from iTunes. I still pay a TV licence, but thats because there are a few things i like to watch when they are on the TV.

Edited by CypherP on Monday 15th June 20:51

[onomatopoeia]

Merlot said:

The only thing I watch on the BBC is one (or two?) series of Top Gear every year. Not really enough for me to warrant paying the TVL fee. I would quite happily buy the series on DVD if required as it is bound to be less than £145!!

Do you watch or record any other channels live, whether on satellite or by aerial?

If you do you need a licence.

[Merlot]

onomatopoeia said:

Merlot said:

The only thing I watch on the BBC is one (or two?) series of Top Gear every year. Not really enough for me to warrant paying the TVL fee. I would quite happily buy the series on DVD if required as it is bound to be less than £145!!

Do you watch or record any other channels live, whether on satellite or by aerial?

If you do you need a licence.

No, nothing live at all.