Help with BBC iPlayer on a TV monitor please

Why not just use your TV as a TV.

You have a tv in your home so by law you must have a TV Licence.

Stu.

Not so. A TV licence is only required if watching live broadcast TV. Owning a TV does not require a licence
in itself.

Peter

I think you're being a bit cheeky asking those of us who fund the BBC (including the development of the iPlayer) and pay our TV licences to help you watch the BBC for free.

Either get a licence like the rest of us or don't watch TV. 

Kevin,

BBC iPlayer is a perfectly legitimate service provded by the BBC and its use does not require the purchase of a TV licence. I did not implement this legislation. You appear to be suggesting that I should not use iPlayer because I don't have a TV licence. I cannot see any basis for your objection to me using it.

You do not have to buy a TV licence yourself - it was your own decision to buy one, it is not compulsory. If you object to funding the BBC and the development of services such as iPlayer then I suggest you don't buy a TV licence and do without watching live TV as my wife and I do.

Peter

I have no objection to paying the licence fee.In fact I'm quite happy to do so to keep the BBC going. When in my post did I suggest that I did?

I have no objection to you using the iPlayer. At no point did I say I did. And at no point did I suggest that there was anything illegal in what you were doing.

What I did say was that it was it was a bit cheeky for you to come on here and expect us licence paying drones within the Naim community to help you watch telly for free, for free. Which it is.

Kevin,

I quote your previous post above. You are now contradicting yourself. You now say that you have no objection to me using iPlayer. Then why did you say "either get a licence like the rest of us or don't watch TV"? This sounds like a clear objection to me. If it was not, then perhaps you would explain what you meant by it?

If you don't have any objection to me using iPlayer or to paying your TV licence fee then why on earth should you think I'm being cheeky in asking the forum for help? People ask the forum for help in various matters all the time, do you think that they are being cheeky as well?

I am asking the forum to help me watch TV for free via iPlayer, which you think is cheeky, even though you have said that you have no objection to me doing it!!!

It seems to me that you are not being honest. The truth is that you resent me watching the BBC for nothing , albeit not live transmissions, while you, through your own choice, are paying for the privelage to watch live BBC. That is why you think I am being cheeky - "Why should I help him watch TV for free when I'm paying?!"

If that is your attitude then fair enough. But be honest and own up to it.

Peter

Peter,

You are 100% wrong.

If you have a tv with a tuner in it capable of picking up broadcasts its against the law to not have a tv licence.

Even if its not in use.

Same goes for a free view box even if you dont have a tv.

If the tv licence man knocks on your door because they don't have a licence listed for your address on there computer and you have a tv you will get a fine believe me.

Stu.

No contradiction at all. Either you're not reading my post properly or you're indulging in a bit of wilful misinterpretation. I don't resent you, I just find your attitude a bit brazen.

The reason why you are being cheeky is that you want to get the BBC's services - which include radio, web, orchestras, live events and a plethora of other cultural services in addition to TV broadcasts - for nothing, without contributing yourself. And you want Forum members to help (again, free of charge) you to do it, when the vast majority of them in the UK do contribute.

Which presumably  explains why members of this forum have thus far been queuing up to offer their advice. Not.

Well this an interesting point of law. In the olden days, certainly, simply having a functional TV in the home made having a License a legal requirement, and if the situation was proved of having a good TV and no license, then the fines were and still are massive, but I enquired about this, and the impression I was left with was that it is legal to have a functional TV in the house with no license so long as you do not use it for receiving live TV broadcasts. For myself, I would not want a functional dedicated TV in any case now. I tend to have a belt and braces approach to keeping within the law.

I suspect that the regulations were changed when anyone with a broadband connection and a computer could stream live TV at a few clicks.

Indeed I made sure of this as I have a computer and broadband, but certainly don't watch live TV broadcasts, but have watched a few delayed streams so as to comply with the law, when some rare programme is if interest.

In fact I was trying to watch a recent Panorama, and until the programme had ended and the iPlayer listed it as a delayed stream, the only thing on offer was the live stream. I actually was confused about the timing, and clicked on it, and a warning came up that I needed a current TV License to watch the stream. I left the page, as if it says, "Don't walk on the grass," then I don't. I watched it an hour later.

I do realise that if everyone declined to watch live TV, then the funding of the BBC would cease. 

I am guessing that this issue will be dealt with when the BBC Charter is renewed in 2017, if I have my facts straight.

In the meantime I really wish that there was a voluntary Radio License for the BBC. I would happily pay say £50 PA for this wonderful service.

In terms of the requested help, unfortunately I have no idea how this may be solved, but the legal position may be clarified with Licensing Authority at the cost of a phone call.

ATB from George

Stu is right. If you have a TV capable of receiving live broadcasts in your home - whether you use it or not - you need a licence.

If you have a "dumb" computer monitor or a TV with its tuner permanently disabled you don't.

Of course there is another point about having a perfectly functional TV of the older analogue type. As there are no more analogue TV broadcasts then the TV is not required to have a License unless hooked up to a digital tuner.

ATB from George

Kevin,

Even if you have a computer or monitor with a tv tuner in it disabled or not they will still do you.

It happened to a bloke down the road from me.

A tuner is a tuner in there eyes. It cost him a £500 fine.

He had to let the TV licence guy in and was read his rights before he took his statement just like the old bill do it on tv progs.

The only way round it is just use iplayer on a computer/laptop or what ever that does not have a tuner in it.

Stu.

Seems a bit easier to just pay £11 a month for your licence .

I have it from the TV Licensing Authority in person after discussing the issue with them by telephone last year. They assured me that provided that no live TV transmissions were viewed then there is absolutely no requirement to purchase a TV licence, regardless of whether one owned a functioning TV set or not. The whole purpose of my call to them was to discuss the need to renew our licence because we owned a TV set but did not watch TV. I was told emphatically that provided we did not watch TV then we do not require a licence. Those who doubt this should contact the TV Licensing Authority for themselves to confirm it.

Kevin,

I think you are still contradicting yourself.

Why on earth should I want to pay for a free service such as BBC iPlayer when I don't have to? Clearly the BBC must think it fair for people to use this service without a licence otherwise presumably it would not have implemented it as such. If a licence were required then I would either buy one or not use the service, which I think is perfectly reasonable.

If you disgree with the principle of people being able to watch BBC TV on iPlayer without a paying for a licence, which clearly is the case, then that is your perogative. I disgree with you that I am being brazen in asking for help. I think I would only be being brazen if I were asking for help to do something which was clearly illegal. I am happy for you or any other forum member to decline their advice to me on the basis of their personal beliefs - but please make it clear that they are personal beliefs rather than trying to imply that I am morally at fault in any way. 

Peter 

George,

A grey area as they will want to know why you still have it ?

Stu.

To use as a monitor for your computer?

I would not, but these things are worth nothing now, since digital TV came in.

Mind you my house is too small to accommodate a CRT! I last had one way back in 2002, when I parted with it, and got a rebate on my TV License.

Ever since it seems the Licensing authority have hated me, though we have reached a truce in the last six months. They cannot believe that a sensible person could possibly do without live TV!

ATB from George

Peter,

Sorry they gave you wrong info on the phone.

I just hope they don't knock on your door one evening.

Stu.

To quote from the TV Licensing Authority website:

You need to be covered by a valid TV Licence if you watch or record TV as its being broadcast.

Please note that it does not say that you need a licence if you own TV receiving equipment.

I really can't understand why the belief persists that you need a licence if you own a TV. Don't take my word for it - check with the authority to confirm that what I am saying is correct.

Peter

A look on Wikipedia under TV Licence will also confirm that I am correct.

Peter

Dear Peter,

This a change from ten years ago, and I questioned the TVLA carefully to know where I stood. The result was that they assured me that provided I did not watch live TV broadcasts through equipment that is without doubt capable of doing so, then I was keeping the law correctly.

It is probably worth your while to make a phone call to the Authority to make sure your precise conditions are legal, but the emphasis has changed since computers, broadband, and live streaming changed the situation that was normal in the old days. 

This is a massive issue for the funding of the BBC in a way that is not directly under Government administration, and will no doubt be a major part of the new BBC Charter when it occurs within a few years. 

"Brave new world," and all that!

ATB from George

Dear George,

After discussing my situation with the authority last year they sent me a form to fill out in which I had to declare that I owned a TV but did not use it to watch live TV broadcasts. They said that an inspector may call round to check this. I asked them how this could prove anything, as I could start watching TV ten minutes after the inspector had left. They replied that they could not do anything about that!

Best,

Peter

Years ago in the mid 80s a bunch of us went to France on a early morning boos trip.

It was for a friends 40th birthday party later that night.

We got back and spent a hour in his local (They used to close at 3 in those days) before going back to his little two up two down mid terrace cottage two mins walk from his local.

We all opened a few beers and sat back to watch a Monty Python film.

About a hour into the film and a few more beers there was a knock at the door.

Some one looked round the corner of net curtain and shouted in a quiet voice it looks like a tv licence man.

He went to the door and opened it.

It was a tv licence man.

While he was talking to him three of the guys got the tv and video machine and hot footed it off down the garden and over a 7/8ft high rag stone wall into next doors flower beds.

No mean feet with one of those old large in a cabinet with doors tvs.

He let the tv bloke into the living room and said see i don't have a tv.

The licence bloke laughed and said i don't no what your mates have done with it but i saw it through your nets as i came past.

I like Monty Python .

He got a £300 fine for that and when the tv came back it was bust.

Stu.

Stu,

I think I can see where the confusion may be originating from. What I am saying re- the requirement for a licence only if one watches live TV (rather than owning a TV) is correct, and you can check this for yourself with the authority. However, if one owns a TV and does not own a licence because no live TV is watched there is a requirement to inform the authority that this is the case.They may then send someone around to confirm that you are not watching broadcast TV, No-one has called here yet though but I have no fear if they do - there is no aerial connected to the TV!

Peter

Peter,

You have a tv that has a tuner in it .

They will do you whether its on or not.

You can't prove its not been used even if its not on when the licence man comes a knocking.

I will say no more on this.

Stu.

Absolutely wrong.

It does not matter whether you have any equipment capable of recieving a signal, the test is whether you use such equipment to watch or record a real time broadcast:

http://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/check-if-you-need-one/