TV License :(

Glaucus said:
Look into not using live TV. Then you don't need to pay for a license. The money you save from the license can go towards Netflix and nowtv.
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This, this a million time over. You'll save money and result in getting a better all round service.

If you're struggling for money, having to wait an hour or so before you can watch your favourite stuff can't be much of a compromise?
 
I need to try harder, i really dont need Sky and live tv any more, we have NowTV at every TV anyway :(
 
Jez said:
I want to do this but have you ever tried convincing a woman that we dont need "normal" tv :-/
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It's amazing isn't it. Same issue with my house mates.
Want to get rid of sky, I already have Netflix, nowtv and amazon prime.
Yet they're insisting on keeping sky downstairs(told them I ain't contributing) I mean 95% of the good stuff is on NowTV anyway. So I might as well get freesat for my room, as we still have to pay TV license. Still at somepoint I'll move into my own house.
Then hopefully it'll have a good Three signal. Then I won't have TV license, phone line or internet. Just tether to phone. Would cut so much cost.

Oh and OP, you can use BBC IPlayer, 4od etc etc without a license, as long as you don't watch any live programs.
 
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One stumbling block for us right now is our slow ADSL2+ connection, we are due FTTC via BDUK at any point which is estimated to be very quick indeed, i think this will seriously improve how attractive streaming is to her. I think i will try again once we have a fast connection.
 
Jez said:
One stumbling block for us right now is our slow ADSL2+ connection, we are due FTTC via BDUK at any point which is estimated to be very quick indeed, i think this will seriously improve how attractive streaming is to her. I think i will try again once we have a fast connection.
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Yeah that would cause an issue, what speed do you get? As long as you get 6mbps you should be good for streaming.
 
We do get around bang on 6mbit, but i tend to clog the line with usenet downloads and our cell phones rely on a femtocell which requires decent bandwidth available etc. The connection isnt workable if anything is going on in parallel. For it to be a viable alternative it needs to be absolutely reliable as Sky HD currently is.
 
If you don't watch live broadcasts you don't need a TVL. Its down to them to prove you do watch them, unless you admit to watching live broadcasts. They do NOT have the technology to accurately prove you do, most of their vehicles don't even carry any kind of technology to do so and most TVL reps are in their own vehicles.

You very simply could say "I no longer require a TVL as I do not watch live broadcasts" and thats that. 'Enforcement Officer' - LEL, nothing but a scare mongering as with all of their letters that threaten court action, they require you to admit and sign an admission of guilt before they can 'get you'. I believe by 'live broadcasts' they are referring to ANYTHING currently being shown on the current schedule, regardless of it actually being 'live' or not. Important to note that they'll say almost anything to get their commission, TVL Enforcement Officers are door to door salesmen going to addresses where the system says there is not an active licence. They get around £20 per licence they secure.

It works on a very basic principle of no contact, no contract even if you've been paying it previously you can cancel it. Obtaining proof of channels watched through Sky, Virgin ect is in breach of the data protection act and these companies would be liable for it so they won't give that information up. It is purely down to TVL getting you to admit to it or them seeing you watch live TV which they must enter your property or see through a window visible from the street though I'm not sure on the legality of that, peeping tom?

If a so called 'Enforcement Officer' attends your property, they have ZERO right to enter without your permission. Keep your TV out of view/muted or turn it off if they attend, even so they cannot prove that what they can see or hear is a live broadcast its just better to be safe than sorry.

If they get a warrant to enter your premises unplug it completely requiring them to plug it in and if they do plug it in and switch it on, thats not YOU watching it and it is still not proof that YOU have been watching live broadcasts. You don't even have to talk to them or answer the door to them, you don't have to tell them your name.

Lack of a TV licence is NOT against the law. You are free to have TV to watch DVDs or play games, even catch up on demand is fine.
http://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/check-if-you-need-one/topics/technology--devices-and-online-top8

https://www.facebook.com/activeresistancetothetvlicence - I know, I know.. facebook but there is a good place to ask questions - I've looked into it myself and their statuses are accurately correct though they do bang on about the morality of the BBC a little too much and jump on the paedo bandwagon to convince people, I think an admin of the group has a vendetta against the BBC.

However, plot twist I pay for a TVL but we all need to make savings somewhere and if you don't 'need' a TVL then don't pay for one and save yourself some money.
 
It costs the equivalent of 2 hours minimum wage work per month if you choose to pay it, or £0 if you choose not to. Why not just pay monthly?
 
Nothing to worry about, I haven't paid mine for 7 or 8 years now.

They can only take you to court if you sign the confession when a TVL salesman visits your door. Don't sign and don't enter into any conversion with them and nothing they can do.

If you are so inclined to buy a licence, you can pay it all in one go at a PayPoint shop but remember to keep the receipt as proof.
 
This makes me not want to pay

I can just imagine them coming round with just my partner in now and her saying something stupid tho

Hence I pay for BBC cack which I never watch
 
Don't pay. If they come calling tell them they aren't entering your property without a police officer with a warrant. When they leave to get one remove your aerial and say the TV is just for videos
 
just stop watching live tv and start watching on demand instead, save your self 145 and all the minutes you lose each year due to advert breaks which is a monumental amount of time if you try to add it up
 
I think when it comes to renewal time, I'm just unplugging and storing the V+ box in the loft. I never watch live TV anymore, it's all Blu-Rays, Netflix or On-Demand services.

Nothing but cack on "normal" TV anyhow.
 
Jez said:
I want to do this but have you ever tried convincing a woman that we dont need "normal" tv :-/
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I told my wife if she wants to watch TV, then sort the license out. I sort out 100% of all hourshold bills etc as she's far too busy. So, it's been 18 months now and she hasn't got around to it yet. lol

I just left her with Netflix but after realising she only used that once a month, and I haven't used it for 6 months I cancelled that too.

To be honest, I have found them quite fair when telling them I no longer watched Live TV. I simply stated this to them, and they said they may send someone round at some point to check.
Sure enough, within a few months someone did come to my door and I let him have a look.
I was watching Netflix at the time and he didn't understand at first that it was on-demand.

But, I had no aerial anyway so just to show him Itried to put normal TV on and it said 'no signal'.

So he said they wouldn't bother me again until I notified them of any change.

Fair enough.

Interestingly, my new house does have a Tv Aerial, but I found an interesting thing this week. When the PS4 is ON, the TV displays no signal. Just to test it out, I put Tv on and turned PS4 on and off, sure enough it comes back on as soon as the PS4 powers down. Strange.
 
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Haven't watched live TV since last October, just pay a Netflix subscription, there's plenty to watch.

My other half is more than happy with it too.
 
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