Free to View?

LifesLittleBargainHunter

Ok probably a bit of an odd one, maybe not.

My thoughts / questions are related to freeview and TV licencing.
I don't know if this has been asked before, I took a little browse through a few forum pages but didn't see anything specific so here goes.

I posted this as an off the cuff idea somewhere else but now it's gotten me thinking.

Freeview is supposedly freeview isn't it? I mean there are no licence fees attached to the freeview box as I understand it but rather we pay a TV licence fee for TV equipment capable of receiving BBC broadcasts.

Well how does that now sit with people who own analogue only TVs now still? Since analogue has been switched off and the TV isn't capable of natively receiving any TV signals anymore, why do I need a licence for it?

Further more, if my free to view box is now the main receiver of the TV signals and it is the free to view box that is receiving BBC and not the TV, again how can a TV licence be applicable to something that is sold under the massively prominent title of freeview?

Personally, I don't see how a TV licence could be justified under those circumstances but that's just my thinking.

TV_Licence_Website wrote:

The law states that you need to be covered by a TV Licence if you watch or record television programmes, on any device, as they're being shown on TV. This includes TVs, computers, mobile phones, games consoles, digital boxes and Blu-ray/DVD/VHS recorders.
You don't need a licence if you don't use any of these devices to watch or record television programmes as they're being shown on TV - for example, if you use your TV only to watch DVDs or play video games, or you only watch ‘catch up’ services like BBC iPlayer or 4oD.

The law states that you need to be covered by a TV Licence if you watch or record television programmes, on any device, as they're being shown on TV

and yet a freeview box is entitled as free to view, no fees. Something can't be free and paid for at the same time.
Can't see how they can make that cover freeview boxes myself.

Thoughts anyone? I'd be interested to hear what people think..
It's probably a mad train of thought but hey, less to pay is less to pay.

Heinz

LifesLittleBargainHunter wrote: »

Well how does that now sit with people who own analogue only TVs now still? Since analogue has been switched off and the TV isn't capable of natively receiving any TV signals anymore, why do I need a licence for it?

You don't (and you never did UNLESS you used the device to watch or record live television transmissions).

victor2

You don't need a licence for a freeview box either, only if you watch live TV, which may or may not come through it.

jannowretired

If you think you don't need a TV licence then don't buy one.

Just don't come on here moaning that the TV licence people are taking you to court for watching a live TV programme without a licence

What if someone gave you a free car?

Do you need a licence to drive a free car?

LifesLittleBargainHunter

jannowretired wrote: »

If you think you don't need a TV licence then don't buy one.

Just don't come on here moaning that the TV licence people are taking you to court for watching a live TV programme without a licence

What if someone gave you a free car?

Do you need a licence to drive a free car?

And the need for the clear contemptuous attitude in your reply was?

Also where on earth did you get the stupid notion that I plan on not buying a TV licence and then hope to go trolling a forum with complaints about any repercussoins of doing just that?

Would I really be posting to ask about the ins and outs of something if I planned on "just mindlessly doing it" as you appear to be suggesting? :rotfl:

You assume far too much.

And where in the world did you pluck that car analogy from?
It doesn't even remotely apply to the situation.

Freeview is advertised as a product that claims to have no additional payments, subscriptions or fees required, EVER.

What car do you know that is being sold or given away with those claims attached?

Freeview_Website wrote:

Freeview gives you 50 channels and 4 HD channels to play with and features such as series record and Smart TV.
Free from contracts, free from subscriptions. The best bits of telly are free for everyone and free forever.

And finally, YES, I do plan on challenging TV licencing with this and why not. It's not going to cost me anything to plead my case to them is it and it's not hurting anyone else is it. I'm sure if you could save over £100 a year you would and with this being moneysavingexpert, I'm sure others might like to as well.

Why would I want to continue to pay over £100 a year soley to support the BBC when I don't even watch BBC channels? I'd quite happily detune every thing in my home that receives BBC if it meant not paying for something I don't use.

If people like the BBC and wish to support its funding, good luck to them. They've nothing to offer me and I don't see why I should pay for it.

st999

They've nothing to offer me and I don't see why I should pay for it.

You don't pay for a TV licence to watch BBC.

You pay for one to watch TV.

Whether you watch it VIA a freeview box or not.

Anyone who comes on here and spouts nonsense about not needing a TV licence because they watch TV on a freeview box needs their head looking at.


Do you also think you do not need a TV licence to watch freesat?

What about all the free channels from all the satellites up there?

I wish you luck trying to get out of paying for a TV licence because you think having a freeview box means you don't need one.

The TV licence people will wet themselves laughing when you try that.

macman

The old myth that you only need a licence if you watch BBC (and not the commercial channels) started (IIRC) as a joke by Alf Garnett. I can't believe that people are still peddling it 40 years later!.

Ectophile

Attempting to weasel out of buying a TV licence because the equipment you are using to receive the signal is labelled "Freeview" isn't going to work. It's still a television receiver.

You don't need to buy a subscription for a Freeview box, but that doesn't mean you don't need a TV licence.

In fact, you need a licence to watch live TV, or to record live TV, regardless of yow you receive the signal, whether it is digital or analogue, via TV aerial, satellite, cable or internet.

Technically, you could buy a Freeview box without getting a TV licence, provided you never actually use the box.

davemurgatroyd

If you can give proof of your statement that Freeview have supposedly made such statements then you should report them to the ASA (Advertising standards authority) as those statements are completely incorrect as viewing or recording any live TV programme no matter how it is broadcast or whatever it is viewed on requires a TV license. A Freeview box receives a digital TV signal and processes that signal for display on a display device (be that analogue TV, digital TV or PC monitor. The display device has absolutely no bearing on the requirement for a TV license as long as it is displaying the TV broadcast. Dream on with your misguided logic - it doesn't hold water.

VoucherMan

These companies do have misleading names. I don't believe Sky have a single office up there.

And using your argument how many of us could demand a refund from Virgin?

LifesLittleBargainHunter

I'll just leave this here for you.

st999 wrote: »

You don't pay for a TV licence to watch BBC. You pay for one to watch TV.

And who do you think benefits from the license fees since the other channels primarily raise their income from advertising?

Show me where ITV or Channel 4 or 5 or any other non BBC channel gets a cut of the licence fee that's extorted every year.

guardian(dot)co(dot)uk/news/datablog/2011/jul/12/bbc-spending
bitterwallet(dot)com/what-does-your-tv-license-fee-pay-for-apart-from-a-private-jet/14077

I suppose the BBC faeries just magic up their funding do they?

Attempting to weasel out of buying a TV licence

And what's the point of this whole site then clever clogs if not to save money? You sure you're in the right place?

"Weasel Out" I love how you put that, as if you never came here to try to save money on a MONEY SAVING SITE yourself.
Pfftt.. Please. Go take your moral high ground elsewhere. Trying to slate me off like some kind of peasant for trying to save money when said person is also a member of a money saving website themselves.

LLLLMMMMFFFFFAAAAOOOOOO :rotfl::T

Hypocrite.


Jeeeeeesus, aren't there some MISERABLE people on here..
I thought this was money saving expert.. not miserable people expert.

This attitude is surprising really since none of you have a stake in what I do and therefore it does not affect any of you unless of course it's all down to jealousy. Why should "we" pay for a licence and someone else not. That's what I put it down to myself since there can be no other reason for the disgruntled replies I've been getting.

I pay enough to this sh*t hole of a country and if I feel I'm being charged for something I'm not benefiting from then I have every right to question it. 99 if not 100% of you are here for that very reason (MONEY SAVING) so don't try to look down on me for doing the same. :beer:

What I do and how I do it affects no one else here so there should be no need at all for some of the tones and attitudes I've been receiving from people in their replies.

So you don't agree with what I'm asking, that's fine but keep your insults to yourself. I've done nothing to ask for them (I’ve only been here 5 minutes and most of my posts since then have been helpful to others) SO I can only assume these are people not worth bothering with; either on here or outside of the internet.

Technically, people of this calibre are no better than trolls. Not much constructive or factual to add, just bad personal opinions with insults thrown in to mask the fact that a constructive post is beyond their capability.

Seems it isn't me that needs my head examined around here. I'm not the one trying to look smart by slating new members to a website for simply asking a question or proposing an idea.
Maybe things will get better around these parts sometime in the afternoon-ish, when the meds have been dispensed.:eek:




GL;HF :cool: