I want to buy a new HD TV WITHOUT freeview built in - possible?

King_Nothing

As said, your perfectly within your rights to have a TV with an inbuilt freeview tuner, just don't connect it to an ariel and you'll be fine, the offence is watching live TV as it is broadcast, not; owning a piece of equipment which could potentially receive live TV broadcasts.

thor

King_Nothing wrote: »

As said, your perfectly within your rights to have a TV with an inbuilt freeview tuner, just don't connect it to an ariel and you'll be fine, the offence is watching live TV as it is broadcast, not; owning a piece of equipment which could potentially receive live TV broadcasts.

I've been reading the 'do you need or not need a tv licence' war for many years and I got the the impression that if you bought a tv with a tuner capable of picking up a broadcast signal then you needed to cough up whether it was connected to an aerial or not.

Ectophile

thor wrote: »

I've been reading the 'do you need or not need a tv licence' war for many years and I got the the impression that if you bought a tv with a tuner capable of picking up a broadcast signal then you needed to cough up whether it was connected to an aerial or not.

To quote from the official TV Licencing web site:
"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."


Merely owning a TV doesn't need a licence.

[Deleted User]

So long as you don't watch live TV you don't need a license regardless of whether you have a device (s) capable of receiving it, the crime is watching or recording live TV.

[Deleted User]

anotheruser wrote: »

And when purchasing, just give a house different number and/or postcode if possible.
That will too keep the TVL off your case.

Companies no longer need to inform TV licensing that they have sold equipment capable of receiving TV signals, the law / act was altered to stop this requirement

King_Nothing

thor wrote: »

I've been reading the 'do you need or not need a tv licence' war for many years and I got the the impression that if you bought a tv with a tuner capable of picking up a broadcast signal then you needed to cough up whether it was connected to an aerial or not.

Well you don't, straight from the site itself;

"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."

So, still the offence is watching or recording, not owning something which could potentially receive a broadcast, if you used it that way. I doubt they would get very far, before being hauled up to the courts by numerous people if they said everyone who owns a PC, smart phone, or a tablet HAD to have a TV licence just because they could potentially receive live broadcasts, but were not currently.

Regardless how many times this topic comes up, until they try and change it, it's always going to be; the offence is watching or recording live tv as it is broadcast, not just owning something which could receive live tv broadcasts. And given that the only way they can get evidence to have at least half a chance to prosecute, is to witness you watching live tv in your house, but that's a none starter as you're under no obligation to let them in your house, and can simply state you do not watch or record live broadcasts.

Plus last time I checked a TV doesn't work very well without an ariel.

[Deleted User]

King_Nothing wrote: »

Plus last time I checked a TV doesn't work very well without an ariel.

However, people do still manage to get a serviceable picture even with the cheapest available indoor aerial.

I can see this thread running and running, as it's just an excuse for another "debate" about the license fee.

[Deleted User]

I dont see it as a debate on the license fee its merely informing the person asking the question about TV's that he can have one which has freeview on it without having to have a TV license so long as live TV isn't watched or recorded via it

WTFH

[Deleted User] wrote:

I dont see it as a debate on the license fee its merely informing the person asking the question about TV's that he can have one which has freeview on it without having to have a TV license so long as live TV isn't watched or recorded via it

No, in the original post he said he wanted one without freeview.
If he was being honest with us, then he is looking for a display screen (aka monitor) without a tuner built in.

[Deleted User]

WTFH wrote: »

No, in the original post he said he wanted one without freeview.
If he was being honest with us, then he is looking for a display screen (aka monitor) without a tuner built in.

That he did but pointing out all the alternatives / options is the best way especially when it comes to money saving as more products can be factored in