Surviving without a television to dodge license fee

[308mate]

It got me thinking today, with everything that can be streamed from the net or viewed on iplayer, with a projector hooked up to a PC, I could easily do away with the telly.

DVD? Through the PC and projector

Top Gear? iplayer (how come you dont need a license to view that, even though it BBC content?)

News? Sky news live via the iphone, Im sure it can be got off the net on the PC too.

The only stumbling block Im having at the moment is good quality live coverage of bike racing and Premier League.

How feasible is all this?

[chinesechicken]

308mate said:

It got me thinking today, with everything that can be streamed from the net or viewed on iplayer, with a projector hooked up to a PC, I could easily do away with the telly.

DVD? Through the PC and projector

Top Gear? iplayer (how come you dont need a license to view that, even though it BBC content?)

News? Sky news live via the iphone, Im sure it can be got off the net on the PC too.

The only stumbling block Im having at the moment is good quality live coverage of bike racing and Premier League.

How feasible is all this?

If you watch any form of LIVE TV (sky news), you need a license

iPlayer is 'catch up', so you don't need it.

I suggest you look at tvcatchup.com (free).

[308mate]

chinesechicken said:

308mate said:

It got me thinking today, with everything that can be streamed from the net or viewed on iplayer, with a projector hooked up to a PC, I could easily do away with the telly.

DVD? Through the PC and projector

Top Gear? iplayer (how come you dont need a license to view that, even though it BBC content?)

News? Sky news live via the iphone, Im sure it can be got off the net on the PC too.

The only stumbling block Im having at the moment is good quality live coverage of bike racing and Premier League.

How feasible is all this?

If you watch any form of LIVE TV (sky news), you need a license

iPlayer is 'catch up', so you don't need it.

I suggest you look at tvcatchup.com (free).

Ive got TV catchup.

But if youre streaming Sky News down your iphone, why do you need a tv license?


And how would they youre watching it?

[chinesechicken]

308mate said:

chinesechicken said:

308mate said:

It got me thinking today, with everything that can be streamed from the net or viewed on iplayer, with a projector hooked up to a PC, I could easily do away with the telly.

DVD? Through the PC and projector

Top Gear? iplayer (how come you dont need a license to view that, even though it BBC content?)

News? Sky news live via the iphone, Im sure it can be got off the net on the PC too.

The only stumbling block Im having at the moment is good quality live coverage of bike racing and Premier League.

How feasible is all this?

If you watch any form of LIVE TV (sky news), you need a license

iPlayer is 'catch up', so you don't need it.

I suggest you look at tvcatchup.com (free).

Ive got TV catchup.

But if youre streaming Sky News down your iphone, why do you need a tv license?


And how would they youre watching it?

1) It doesn't matter what device you use to watch LIVE TV, you still need a license.

2) They won't know. They'll just pester you saying they do know.

For the sake of £100, I'm happy to pay the license, not having to rely on ISP, bandwidth, quality, streaming, boot up times etc.

Only worth doing if you have a fairly good Media PC / HTPC

Edited by chinesechicken on Wednesday 14th July 15:56

[limpsfield]

Why bother though? For the sake of 150 quid and having all that hassle.

There are easier ways to save less than 50p per day I am sure.

[308mate]

limpsfield said:

Why bother though? For the sake of 150 quid and having all that hassle.

There are easier ways to save less than 50p per day I am sure.

Well, when you put like that

[Eric Mc]

PLEEEASE

It's LICENCE.

Is it time for me to give up on this? It feels like a losing battle.

[mybrainhurts]

Eric Mc said:

PLEEEASE

It's LICENCE.

Is it time for me to give up on this? It feels like a losing battle.

I think we need to tattoo it on their foreheads....

[TuxRacer]

Eric Mc said:

Is it time for me to give up on this?

No, it saves the rest of us being called grammar Nazis.

FWIW I went without a TV licence for a while, moving between houses and not wanting the hassle of transferring it or claiming unused months back. Just plugged a computer into the TV, used my phone over wireless as a remote control. It was relatively ideal, the only thing I missed out on was channel flicking between crap, even with a TV licence I just PVR everything.

[chinesechicken]

mybrainhurts said:

Eric Mc said:

PLEEEASE

It's LICENCE.

Is it time for me to give up on this? It feels like a losing battle.

I think we need to tattoo it on their foreheads....

Noted.

[limpsfield]

PW said:

limpsfield said:

Why bother though? For the sake of 150 quid and having all that hassle.

Why bother paying it if you don't need to though?

Lets say you never ever watched live tv then of course you don't need it. But the OP was looking at, what was in my view, a fair bit of hoop jumping, to still be able to watch stuff.

I just think for most of us, it just is not worth the grief of having the purchasing power of..a can of coke?..every day to not have a licence.

Anyway, I think we are all exerting more than 50p's worth of effort on this so I am off for a drive which I am sure will use 50p to start the engine

[crofty1984]

Eric Mc said:

PLEEEASE

It's LICENCE.

Is it time for me to give up on this? It feels like a losing battle.

defurnatlee

[skeggysteve]

I'm sure I've said it on here before but I'll say it again.

The EU (or whatever they are called this week) say you do not need a licence (have got it right Eric?) to watch TV.

Sorry but I really can't be arsed to dig out the relevant bits.

[limpsfield]

skeggysteve said:

Sorry but I really can't be arsed to dig out the relevant bits.

Maybe you should


http://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/about/foi-legal-frame...

Is the requirement to pay a fee for a TV Licence in breach of EU regulations?

No. The Communications Act 2003 states that a TV Licence is needed to install or use a television receiver. EU regulations have no bearing upon this. The UK is not alone in operating a broadcasting licence fee system: other European countries with comparable systems include Austria, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Ireland and Switzerland.

[Eric Mc]

TuxRacer said:

Eric Mc said:

Is it time for me to give up on this?

No, it saves the rest of us being called grammar Nazis.

It's nothing to do with grammar.

It's not even to do with spelling. The word "license" is a legitimate word - if used in the correct context.

It's about the creeping Americanisation of English as it is written in the UK.

[Eric Mc]

limpsfield said:

skeggysteve said:

Sorry but I really can't be arsed to dig out the relevant bits.

Maybe you should


http://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/about/foi-legal-frame...

Is the requirement to pay a fee for a TV Licence in breach of EU regulations?

No. The Communications Act 2003 states that a TV Licence is needed to install or use a television receiver. EU regulations have no bearing upon this. The UK is not alone in operating a broadcasting licence fee system: other European countries with comparable systems include Austria, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Ireland and Switzerland.

Exactly - and in Ireland even the state broadcaster, RTE, which is funded by the licence, carries advertising (both on TV and radio).

[skeggysteve]

OK, if I find the time I'll dig it out, just for you guys!

But I will say I've not had a BBC licence for years, about 8 years ago someone called on me, I told him that according to the EU I didn't need one.
He said OK and left.
I have never had any contact from them to this day.

[TuxRacer]

Eric Mc said:

TuxRacer said:

Eric Mc said:

Is it time for me to give up on this?

No, it saves the rest of us being called grammar Nazis.

It's nothing to do with grammar.

Oh I know, but that doesn't normally make a difference!

[Eric Mc]

To what?

[Puggit]

In France, the licence fee is collected with the equivalent of the council tax. You need to opt out, instead of opting in, like we do.

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The end of the licence fee in its current form is nigh - with the advent of TV over IP the goalposts have moved to a different pitch.