TV Licence

[goneleft]

As I've said in another thread Ive just started uni and i dont have a tv.
There was a guy giving out leaflets for this thing called freewire where you basically watch TV through the internet.

He said that even though we should have a TV license because were not receiving a traceable signal then no1 will no and even if they do think you are watching tv they cant legally check your laptop to see if you have the necessary software due to privacy laws.

Is this true?

I understand its immoral and basically theft not to pay for a tv licencse but £140 quid is alot of money.

 

[fenton_jd]

I believe we only pay a TV license dude to the BBC not having adverts on their channels to fund them, therefore money has to come from somewhere else.

There are enough bull**** adverts and general crap on every other tv channel, so why should we even bother paying it?

Use the net.

 

[GeorgeDamper]

If you laptop is powered by its own internal batteries - you might be covered by your parents licence.

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

 

[Hellcat]

You don't need a TV licence to watch Freewire as it's just streamed internet content. No BBC. If you were watching TV via a TV card plugged into the laptop... that would be a different story.

 

[Andy Monty]

I had a portable TV out of a caravan it had a battery port and held 8 C size rechargeables which i charged up on mains when not in use although i sometimes forgot to unplug it

 

[sledge]

Interesting how the salesman says you dont really need a TV license and can get away with it yet the Freewire website FAQ section states in no uncertain terms that you DO!

http://www.freewiretv.com/tvfaqs.html#2

 

[Chas Uno]

Interesting how the salesman says you dont really need a TV license and can get away with it yet the Freewire website FAQ section states in no uncertain terms that you DO!

http://www.freewiretv.com/tvfaqs.html#2

This section of the above link looks like a big *wink* though!

"Freewire does not share confidential user details with any third party organizations and your private data is protected under the Data Protection Act"

 

[T14086]

I thought even if you had a monitor you needed a TV licence, I had a TV that had a broken internal tuner (couldn't pick up any tv stations) but used it for SNES games (yes it was long ago) but TV guy said I still needed a licence!

 

[The Beard]

Traditionally, if you had an operating TV then you needed a licence. The only way round it would be to have a monitor-only set, which before home computers were few and far between. I know this is a bit inconvenient, but how about having your family record your favourite programmes onto DVD-RW
and post them to you. A computer does not have an inbuilt tuner and therefore does not come under the terms of the law that requires you to have
a licence. I think. Please note, my ramblings won't necessarily constitute a satisfactory defence in a court of law.

 

[fenton_jd]

I personally think the 'TV license' requirement is absolutely ridiculous in this day and age. Maybe in the 1950's were it was a new thing, but now with the generally quick speeds of broadband etc you can always watch a program you want to watch if you look for it.

Almost seems to have been just a gimmick to make money, especially now with things like BBC i player.

You can subscribe to setanta sports online and watch everything live there, do you need a TV license for this?

 

[y2dom]

Ive read a similar question over at either digitalspy.co.uk or avforums.com and the answer was if you have no tv in your premises you dont need a license.

There are plenty of things out there on the net for you to watch tv online.

Use the tv channels web players to watch things from terestrial then use other sources to watch other channels. I use this site sometimes http://www.myp2p.eu/index.php?part=home

 

[dan-the-man]

you don't need a licence if you have a tv but don't watch any channels or have the ariel plugged in etc, they sit in their van outside looking for a signal coming from your house and keep sending you letters but if you're not watching anything you'll be ok.

What about them portable handheld TV's you used to get? do you need a licence for them?

 

[Moss1984]

I believe we only pay a TV license dude to the BBC not having adverts on their channels to fund them, therefore money has to come from somewhere else.

There are enough bull**** adverts and general crap on every other tv channel, so why should we even bother paying it?

Use the net.

yes that was true but they have adverts on channel DAVE ukgold and other channel like that which are owned by bbc so now we still have ta pay £138 for a tv licence and still watch bloody adverts its a bloody joke:bang:

 

[5abr3]

I didn't have a TV in my first year at uni but had 2 computer monitors, the law says if you are receiving the TV data direct off the TV companies such as through iPlayer or the TV then you do unless it is powered by batteries, most monitors do not require a TV license as they cannot decode the signals but if you have a video player hooked up to a monitor you do.

 

[sledge]

The definative answer....from the people who know.......

http://tvlicensing.metafaq.com/temp...ftvst:topicID=$&id=PN6S3N8KSKSOKCFUNC4M0N4L9S

 

[vikerina19]

If you have a TV - Yes, need a TV license. I had a friend who stayed in uni halls last year, and even though she only used her TV to watch dvd's, she still needed a license. The laptop thing is a bit dodgy, and I don't think you'd have a leg to stand on if anyone was to grass you up.

Also... beware if you're in Halls/Shared Accommodation - I know a few people who have been done out of this! My uni stated that if you were in Halls, where for example there would be 5 people to a flat, and each person had a room with a lock on each of their doors, then you need a TV license. If however you are in shared accommodation (i.e. private rent) and although you all have seperate rooms, they don't have door locks with them, so therefore you only pay 1 TV license for the whole flat and everyone chips in (and there might be 2/3 TV points in the house!). Maybe worth checking it out?!

 

[jug]

i had a tv at uni halls and no tv license. they didnt come to my halls during my stay. the next year i was sharing a house and we didnt have a tv license. we got busted, they even read me my rights. after that i had to pay for a license starting from the day we were busted.

what did i learn? only a fool pays for a license before they get busted. there is nothing to gain from paying, so you might as well wait until you get busted. there is every chance you wont get busted at all, so take the chance.