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Do I need a tv licence?
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If I just want a tv in my house to watch dvd's, do I still need a licence?
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[Deleted User]
Posts: 38 [Deleted User]
Posts: 38 [Deleted User]
Posts: 38
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You even need a licence if you have a tv card in ur PC.
Yes, you will need a license, as regardless of wheather you are going watch BBC channels, you have the ability to. If the license fee is a problem then I believe the post office allow you to purchase TV license "stamps" or some other such spread-payment scheme.
Telewest class channels 1-5 as part of their packages, from the basic package to the most expensive one, they list these channels as part of that package (at least they did last time I looked at a brochure).
If we're paying for these packages, and these channels are included (ie BBC1 and BBC2), then why do we need a license? Surely it's like paying twice?
I dont mind paying, but give me the option of not paying. The problem is the BBC are petrified of the license being revoked, as they'd have to pull their collective fingers out and work for the money instead.
Because those are must-carry channels, telewest doesn't choose to carry them, they are required to.
And non of the money you pay telewest then goes on to the BBC far making the programming etc...
If you don't want to pay the license fee, then don't watch TV it is that simple, no-body forces you to own a TV, therefore you are not being forced to pay the license, it is completely optional.
On the other hand, if you would like the BBC channels to have an advert break every 15 mins, and listen to the weather on Radio 2, "sponsored by powergen". As well as having to close endless pop-ups when you check the BBC news online, then you have an argument for abolition of the licence fee, but I for one would rather pay the fee.
After having a similar discussion on another forum, I decieded to phone the TV license people and get the definitive answer.
According to them (horses mouth) you
Do Not
need a tv licence to watch DVDs
as long as your tv is not tuned in to watch broadcast shows.
I think this is because its about copyright issues and not as most people think reception etc.
E.g. When you buy or rent a DVD/Video you are paying for the copyright to view it.
Info from Tv licence center phone line, see website for phone number if you want to ring them and check.
P.s. TV licence stamps do not count as having a licence, you will still need to have a licence and then collect the stamps towards your next licence. Which is what I do.
eg. If you have cable, sattelite, own a video, Tv or Tv Tuner Card that is capable of recieing channels you must pay for a licence - regardless or not if you watch BBC or other TV channels - also the licence does not guarantee reception of these channels!
The only exception is when you have a portable TV that has its own internal power/batteries, or a student living in 'halls' can be covered under their parents home licence.
Some years back - someone had a dedicated monitor connected to a Video Player, licencing authorities said a licence was required, and took them to court - but the court said in these circumstances a licence was not needed. Therefore it could be assumed the same could be applied to someone owning a DVD player and plasma screen (providing there was no TV or STB tuner involved in the system/at that address).
unfortunatly - "de-tuning" a TV/Video, locking channels on a STB will not be a valid excuse as far as the authorities are concerned.
:cool:
Sorry to burst the bubble, but students are continuously told that it is a myth that they are covered by their parents' licence. They are adults like everyone else now! TV licensing actually target student residences because they know that students assume that their room is like and extension of their parents house or something silly...
Not anymore.
The general rule of thumb is one licence for every residence.
Incidentally, even if you untune and play DVD's you still need a COLOUR licence - the fact that your TV is capable of receiving the frequency is enough.
Contrary to popular believe you have a licence whether you watch BBC or not. It's a licence for the set under the Wireless and Telegraphy Act 1949.
DO NOT
need a tv licence to watch dvds if the equipment is not tuned in or attached to an arial.
This is direct from the tv licence center, feel free to phone them on 0870 242 4567, to confirm this info.
or
check out this site
http://www.jifvik.org/tv/
which has more info and scanned letters (which i assume are not fakes) from the TV licencing people explaining the situation.
Not according to TV Licensing's own guidelines. Their own site says "If you use or install television receiving equipment to receive or record television programmes" (my emphasis) "you are required by law to have a valid TV licence."
I really aint fussed as I have a TV licence lol
link - "Do I need a licence?"
See also: http://www.kevinboone.com/lawglos_television_licence.html
But as soon as you put a "tuner" inside a dvd machine - ie: a DVD Recorder with in built tuner - then you do require a license. It is capable of receiving tv signals, so you need a license, even if you only connect it to a monitor.
Same thing goes for Video. A "monitor" and Video player (no tv tuner) should be ok without license. But as soon as either part is changed for one with a tuner such as a regular tv or regular Video Recorder, then you must have a license. This rule is expanded to cover Black & White - Colour. If you have a Black & White tv, you only need pay a reduced "Black & White license". But if you connect a Video recorder, you must pay a "Full Colour license". This is because the Video recorder has a built in tuner, and it's colour compatible - even if you only have a black & white tv!
You could buy one of these PC LCD monitors which has no tuner. You wouldn't need a license for it. But, if you connect a Freeview, Cable, Sky Digital box, then you would need a license. Also if you have a PC TV card (any type) with on board tuner, you would require a license since you could pick up tv signals with it.
I suppose if your main tv was only Black & White, and you were paying just the black & white license, that would be fine. But if you bought a hand-held colour tv, you would need to pay a full colour license.
Dave
You need a TV licence if you can recieve TV broadcasts even if you don't do so. If you have a TV or a video recorder they will each contain TV receiver.
I guess that, if you are capable, you can remove or destroy the receivers and hence no longer need the TV licence. If you do this the TV will only be able to display input from SCART devices (e.g. video or DVD) and the video will only be able to play back prerecorded tapes and record from the DVD.
YOU DO NOT
i repeat
DO NOT
need a tv licence to watch dvds on a tv (es a tv not a monitor)
Stop posting that you
DO need one as you are posting miss information.
NOT TRUE, if you only use it for watching dvds or videos, and have it not tuned in or plugged into an arial.
Phone the tv licence people to confirm.
to receive or record television programmes
especially ones sent from the UK,
think of it like driving a car on private land,
You do not need a driving licence to do that.
Same with using a tv to watch pre recorded programs or play console games. The TV Licence people are just tryiing to scare you into having alicence when you are not using it to watch broadcasts.
Think about it - milions of people must try to use this as an excuse not to pay, but unless you can prove that you can't receive signals (which you can't, as every tv is set up to) then why would they take your word for it?
Students need to get a licence if they have a tv in their halls as they all have seperate tenancy agreements. If you live in a shared house but sign an agreement for your room only, if you have a tv in your room and communal area then you need a licence for both. If there is only a tv in the communal area, then you only need a licence for that tv.
we need the licence fee to fund the bbc. otherwise it can't run within the guidelines it has been running to ever since it was founded. without the licence fee, there's no money going into the bbc and theoretically without it, it would have to carry adverts. which means that programmes eventually would have to pander to the advertisers' wishes and not the public, which the licence fee ensures happens.
sorry to go on, but this is an old argument that there is never a resolution to. it may not be fair, but then life isn't.
Er, I was agreeing with you. That was the bit I emphasised.
http://forum.digitalspy.co.uk/board/showthread.php?s=&threadid=70177
Sadly for mrfreeze and me, you can present any amount of evidence (such as this letter that I received from TV Licensing) and no one will believe us. Ynara, contact TV Licensing for yourself - you may be pleasantly suprised by the answer!
opps missread the italics, thought it was all in italics.
thanks anyway
Thanks for the support, just read your letter from the TVL, thats another little piece of info that the TVL dont tell you. It amazes me how much effort goes into getting people to buy a tv licence, when there is so much more like cowboy builders, and spammers etc that need chasing up.
How about I just hide my TV aerial in the washing machine and direct the man in the van to my vast collection of dvds, saying the signal must have come from the flat upstairs?
If it was that easy to 'opt out' of getting a licence then we'd all be doing it.
While I don't exacly whole-heartedly agree with sending people to prison for not having a licence, providing people with ways on how to 'cheat' the system in such a relatively simple way just makes it worse.
A licence is definately not required if you can prove when they visit that it is not tuned in to a broadcasting channel and unlikely or unable to be due to lack of aerial etc.