Watch TV Legally without a licence

st999

If you do not have a TV or equipment capable of receiving TV transmissions such as a video recorder, freeview box, satellite receiver, TV or satellite receiver adapter in your computer, you do not need a licence.

Why should you?

If you watch a programme downloaded from the internet, which is actually a digital file, on a computer you are not watching TV.

Therefore you would need a TV licence to watch youtube.

Stan

Swan_2

samba wrote: »

Borrowed from another poster:
It is a criminal offence to watch 'live' television without a TV licence or to posses or control a device which you know or we reasonably believe could be used to watch 'live' TV without a TV licence.

I don't think this is ambiguous - if you watch catchup stuff on iplayer, then you posses a device which you know, and anyone would reasonably believe, COULD be used to watch live TV - you are only one click away from watching it live, so it wouldn't be hard to prove you COULD watch it live. There is no mention of proving whether you actually do or not. The licence is for the equipment, not for the action.

you are mistaken, you do NOT need a licence to own equipment capable of receiving 'live' broadcasts

samba wrote: »

No they don't have to prove you do watch it - they only have to prove you COULD.

again you are mistaken, they do have to prove you have been doing this ---> 'if you watch or record television programmes as they're being shown on TV'

caela_2

samba wrote: »

No they don't have to prove you do watch it - they only have to prove you COULD.

Thanks for your reply. This is my experience. I have spoken to tv licensing and told them I have 2 tvs, one is not plugged in and one is used as a monitor. They said that's fine just don't have the ariel plugged in. I took off all my digital channels and unplugged the ariel. So I COULD watch tv if I plugged it all back in again, but I don't and apparently, according to tv licensing, that's ok.

I know what you're saying, but tv licence aren't allowed to make up their own rules and the law states innocent until proven guilty and not the other way round. I won't let them be bullies or have the implied knowledge that they are some super-power.

If I go into a shop, I could be shop-lifting, until they ask for a receipt or check the cameras, they would have to prove that I was shop lifting. I have some kitchen knives for paring fruit, could I be stabbing people with them? If I have a tv, sure I could be watching it, but they would have to look for evidence that proves beyond suspicion of a doubt that I am watching it- doesn't mean they have to catch me watching it, maybe various other things apply, but just having a tv is not reason enough to warrant a tv licence. So whilst I appreciate your point, I'm going to stand my ground with tv licensing and not buy something I don't need because of their fear mongering.