TV detector van
Discussion
So are they real ?
Do they work ?
Dont get me wrong I have a TV licence (always have and alway will).
Thing is, my son is going off to University and I have offered to buy a TV license for him, but he has said no dont bother, I wont be watching telly.
Now I know he has TV on his computor and I am worried the temptation will be to use it.
I could buy the license anyway (even if I dont tell him) but I dont have money just to throw away.
Does the technology exist to detect a devise reciving TV signals ?
(especially a computor with an LCD screen)
Do they work ?
Dont get me wrong I have a TV licence (always have and alway will).
Thing is, my son is going off to University and I have offered to buy a TV license for him, but he has said no dont bother, I wont be watching telly.
Now I know he has TV on his computor and I am worried the temptation will be to use it.
I could buy the license anyway (even if I dont tell him) but I dont have money just to throw away.
Does the technology exist to detect a devise reciving TV signals ?
(especially a computor with an LCD screen)
I always thought this was b
ks. I don't see how they could detect a tv being used within a street.
EDIT - They usually try to spook uni students into buying them just incase but I never had one for the four years I was there nor did anyone I knew. We had a tv but no ariel that we used for a playstation which means we should have had a license I assume. We had one knock on the door from them once in the four years and I just said I was a mate staying there, walked by and pulled the door closed behind me. I wouldn't bother, the BBC is st anyways. I think they have a cheek to ask for it still. A few weeks ago on a Friday night on BBC 2 at around 8pm was an episode of Dads army. Enjoyable but is this the best theycan do for prime time on the start of a weekend.
ks. I don't see how they could detect a tv being used within a street. EDIT - They usually try to spook uni students into buying them just incase but I never had one for the four years I was there nor did anyone I knew. We had a tv but no ariel that we used for a playstation which means we should have had a license I assume. We had one knock on the door from them once in the four years and I just said I was a mate staying there, walked by and pulled the door closed behind me. I wouldn't bother, the BBC is s
t anyways. I think they have a cheek to ask for it still. A few weeks ago on a Friday night on BBC 2 at around 8pm was an episode of Dads army. Enjoyable but is this the best theycan do for prime time on the start of a weekend. Edited by richyb on Wednesday 3rd September 08:26
They used to work on older analogue tvs by detecting the frequency used in the demodulation of the channels. That frequency would be generated by anything decoding the TV frequencies as they are transmitted.
Not sure about digital systems though but I imagine there will still be some key frequencies used as radio transmissions will always really be an analogue affair.
So yes they do work. Yes they could probably pin point a working tv as accurately as your GPS would work. However finding one thats turned off would require a bit more thought.
Not sure about digital systems though but I imagine there will still be some key frequencies used as radio transmissions will always really be an analogue affair.
So yes they do work. Yes they could probably pin point a working tv as accurately as your GPS would work. However finding one thats turned off would require a bit more thought.
We've got two TVs in our house, one I use for playstation/xbox and one for watching dvds in the living room. Because of the odd layout of the land in the valley we live in, with the construction of a big hospital at the head of the valley we can't receive terrestrial TV, and have never seen the point of shelling out for Sky or Digital or whatever the posh ones called nowadays.
Every few years we used to have a TV license person knock on the door and ask to inspect the premises. We always used to show them the tv in the front room, demonstrate it was only used for watching films (videos in them days) and that even with the aerial all connected it was impossible to get any sort of signal. Think they're finally satisfied as we haven't seen or heard from them for about ten years now.
To be honest I've grown up in the same house for 19 years and I've never missed watching television one bit. If it was a free service then I could understand but there's no way I'd ever pay £100 odd quid for it, much less the hundreds you need to get sky with all the good channels.
TV is over rated.
The internet on the other hand I couldn't do without
Every few years we used to have a TV license person knock on the door and ask to inspect the premises. We always used to show them the tv in the front room, demonstrate it was only used for watching films (videos in them days) and that even with the aerial all connected it was impossible to get any sort of signal. Think they're finally satisfied as we haven't seen or heard from them for about ten years now.
To be honest I've grown up in the same house for 19 years and I've never missed watching television one bit. If it was a free service then I could understand but there's no way I'd ever pay £100 odd quid for it, much less the hundreds you need to get sky with all the good channels.
TV is over rated.
The internet on the other hand I couldn't do without
Darkslider said:
The internet on the other hand I couldn't do without
You can watch TV on the internet now anyway, so problem solved 
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/
http://www.channel4.com/4od/index.html
http://demand.five.tv/Home.aspx
And there's the ITV one, but it's s
t:http://www.itv.com/
Have a look here
http://www.bbctvlicence.com/Detector%20vans.htm
AFIAK, noone has EVER been convicted using detector van evidence, because then they'd have to describe how the vans work in court. Leading many to believe that actually, they don't work.
http://www.bbctvlicence.com/Detector%20vans.htm
AFIAK, noone has EVER been convicted using detector van evidence, because then they'd have to describe how the vans work in court. Leading many to believe that actually, they don't work.
The only thing I would say on this subject it that the TV license doesn't only pay for BBC TV. It also pays for BBC.co.uk, BBC iPlayer, and ALL the BBC radio stations.
Personally I'd like them to change the name of it as TV License is a bit misleading. Lets be honest, when you look at it that way, you do get a hell of a lot of content for the money.
Personally I'd like them to change the name of it as TV License is a bit misleading. Lets be honest, when you look at it that way, you do get a hell of a lot of content for the money.
The detection people actually target addresses where there is no TV licence, on the basis that every home has a TV, or a receiver in some form. I've always suspected the device they use is one of those "eavesdrop on your neighbours" things that used to be advertised in kids comics. 
They have absolutely no right to enter your home without a warrant to do so.
Their uniform also looks remarkably similar to that worn by the postal service. I can't imagine why.
They have absolutely no right to enter your home without a warrant to do so.
Their uniform also looks remarkably similar to that worn by the postal service. I can't imagine why.
Yes, they do 'exist'; at least one apparanetly detected the use of a TV located within a burnt out and derelict house (with no power, no TV and no-one living there)... which was a step up from back in the 70s when they were able to detect the usage of a TV in the same house pre-fire and with power, but without the presence of a TV!
I had just moved into my current property and was due to buy a TV license, just hadnt got round to it.
Knock at the door. "Good afternoon sir, I am Mr. such and such from the Tv licensing branch, do you operate a TV?"
Me..."no"
He stepped back and looked up at my roof, stepped forward again, "I see you have a TV ariel on your chimney"
Me.. "Yes, I also have a pint of milk in the fridge but it doesnt mean that I keep a cow out the back"
He about turned and walked away. Job done.;)
Knock at the door. "Good afternoon sir, I am Mr. such and such from the Tv licensing branch, do you operate a TV?"
Me..."no"
He stepped back and looked up at my roof, stepped forward again, "I see you have a TV ariel on your chimney"
Me.. "Yes, I also have a pint of milk in the fridge but it doesnt mean that I keep a cow out the back"
He about turned and walked away. Job done.;)
At Sheffield Uni we used to regularly have the TV crews around, checking every room for a TV & licence, supported by the university. I had a TV licence, so whenever they called all my mates would bring their TV's into my room, turn them on and we'd all sit there watching a dozen different TV's at the same time, absolutely f all the TV people could do about it which pee'd them off no end
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