TV Licence Super Thread

  • Thread starter Thread starter Ken
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Vonhelmet said:
You're partially right, but without the BBC other broadcasters wouldn't even be attempting to compete. Downton Abbey only gets made because the BBC have made other comparable class type period shows. If the BBC weren't doing that we'd just have more populist cobblers to get eyeballs on adverts.
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forgot to reply to this - I'm not buying that else you wouldn't see commercial broadcasters in other countries also make these shows. Fact is plenty of these dramas are commercially viable - ITV has had it's fair share of period dramas in the past - I remember watching Sharpe and Hornblower as a kid for example.
 
spoffle said:
What the hell? You don't need a TV licence to view the BBC news website.
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Correct me if it’s changed as it’s been a long time since I visited. But how do you view BBC.co.uk or BBC news sites without the live view or embedded Iplayer parts that require a TV licence? I lost count how many times in the past people would post links to a sub page and Iplayer or live news would either auto play or download into cache. So I stop visiting.

Just going to bbc.co.uk will download and display a ton of Iplayer content all of which requires a licence. So unless I missed something you need a licence to use the bbc websites.
 
Pottsey said:
Which puts them years behind the big TV options like Netflix or Prime which just goes to show how outdated and irrelevant BBC is becoming. So BBC are only just trailing what the rest of us have been enjoying for years. That's why I gave up on BBC its an outdated system that's a waste of money. BBC is expensive for little content. Why go to BBC when you can enjoy 4k, HDR content now on Netflix or Prime?

EDIT: I cannot read that link. Don't have a TV licence so cannot view BBC websites.
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you have been enjoying 4k and HDR for years? i only just got a fully compatible 4K AVR this year. before that they hadn't confirmed the correct encryption or HDMI format or something.

HDR also is quite a modern thing it's still not been decided which format will win or whether we will have both HDR10 and Dolby Vision. also broadcasting is completely different from streaming, they have ran out of broadcasting bandwidth. they need to get rid of all SD channels. there is no way they can have SD, HD and 4K broadcasting simultaneously. effectively they have reached capacity.
 
Pottsey said:
Correct me if it’s changed as it’s been a long time since I visited. But how do you view BBC.co.uk or BBC news sites without the live view or embedded Iplayer parts that require a TV licence? I lost count how many times in the past people would post links to a sub page and Iplayer or live news would either auto play or download into cache. So I stop visiting.

Just going to bbc.co.uk will download and display a ton of Iplayer content all of which requires a licence. So unless I missed something you need a licence to use the bbc websites.
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just what, you just go to them. in no way do you need a license for http://www.bbc.co.uk/news
 
The problem is if you previous paid it and then stop, they are more likely to harass you than if you never had one.

This will be the last year I'm paying mine though, it's just not worth the money. Theres maybe 2 or 3 decent shows and you can watch them elsewhere for less. BBC need to move their business model out of the 70s.
 
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CircleFaust said:
you don't need a license to go on the bbc website. you need it if you use iplayer, hence the message that now pops up when you try to play anything on iplayer.
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Interesting, having had BBC blocked for years due to the licence problem I wasn't aware of those changes. In the past Iplayer used to display, play without warnings and auto download to cache which was why I had BBC blocked.
 
https://www.neowin.net/news/uks-tv-licensing-says-some-amazon-prime-users-need-to-buy-a-license

"The UK’s TV Licensing agency has put out a message that some Amazon Prime Video users will need to be covered by a TV license should they choose to pay for the option which allows for live streaming offered by the platform. The announcement came after Amazon announced that it would begin to offer live TV channels for the first time in Europe and the UK."

So how are they going to differentiate between someone with Amazon Prime that watches only movies & someone that uses it for live whatever?
I used the free trial recently to get a free next day delivery & ended up checking out Man in the high castle, but (apart from zero interest in it) what's to stop me or anyone watching live & saying "Nope, I don't"?

Talking of... Playing a game with headphones on & around half hour ago thought I heard knocking at the door. Paused & sure enough a light knock but around a dozen connects.
Welp, having ******** neighbours I ignored it, only to hear a vehicle start up outside shortly afterwards.
Can't have been neighbours after all as didn't hear any slamming doors, so think I've had a visit.
Similar happened last Sunday too.
 
Fishbait said:
snip
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only the channels that are shown on uk tv, like discovery.
if it as just amazon own channels then you don't need a license as they aren't a broadcaster,

edit-
even then I think the tv license is being disingenuous, after looking on Amazon these channels don't appear to be live anyway, they're just back catalogues, unless they haven't implemented those yet. Perhaps they'll have the latest episode live?

either way there is zero or essentially zero content on there you need a license for. there usual, lets be clever with words and try and make people think they need a license, whilst if you read what they say properly then 99.9999% of people don't need it.

edit 2 -
scratch discovery no live content, the only channel I've seen so far on there with live content is eurosports 1 oh and itv, it is also an extra subscription and not included in prime.
 
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Even if Discovery was shown live in blighty, would the beeb be allowed to force you to pay for it?
It's a foreign channel, so they get no money from the licence.
I forget how it works for other channels here that aren't part of the beeb.
 
Fishbait said:
Even if Discovery was shown live in blighty, would the beeb be allowed to force you to pay for it?
It's a foreign channel, so they get no money from the licence.
I forget how it works for other channels here that aren't part of the beeb.
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its not a foreign channel. its on sky uk.

if its shown on sky, virgin or normal tv then you need a license to watch it live.
 
thewanted said:
For the first time in 10 years I've just had a TV license inspector knock on my door. I didn't feel like arguing so I showed him our TV, turned it on and changed the source to Freeview. No picture was displayed so he was happy and left.

Not really sure of my rights in this situation, but I had nothing to hide.
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People have done this and then had court papers come through anyway :/

You should never let the in if you have ANY screens in the house.
 
Funny how you lot still think you require a license by law (and no just because they can enforce it through bully tactics and corruption doesn't make it a legit law)
 
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