Black & white TV license

stacey1stacey2stacey3

I pay a standard TV license but have just seen on the website that you can get a black and white TV license for £49 per year. This may be a stupid question but if I were to change the display settings on my TV to black and white would I be able to pay a black & white TV license? Uns :)ure of whether the license is to receive programs in black and white or just view them in black and white. And could anyone prove or disprove that I'm watching tv without colour?

TIA

[Deleted User]

stacey1stacey2stacey3 wrote: »

if I were to change the display settings on my TV to black and white would I be able to pay a black & white TV license?

no


flabbergasted at the suggestion

Kurtis_Blue

stacey1stacey2stacey3 wrote: »

Uns :)ure of whether the license is to receive programs in black and white or just view them in black and white. And could anyone prove or disprove that I'm watching tv without colour?

All transmissions are the same, so the licence is not to receive in black and white, it is as you state to view in black and white.

lammy82

I think that if the equipment can be used to view in colour, then you need a colour licence. Turning the colour settings down does not entitle you to have a B&W licence.

If your digibox has the ability to record, then you need a colour licence, even if you only have a B&W TV connected. This is because you are receiving the signal in colour.

Given that digital TV receivers receive and output a colour signal, it seems that allowing the B&W licence to continue to be used is looking increasingly tenuous. But, for now, it's allowed if you have a B&W-only TV, and the digibox doesn't have a recording facility: http://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/faqs/FAQ111

Kurtis_Blue

lammy82 wrote: »

I think that if the equipment can be used to view in colour, then you need a colour licence. Turning the colour settings down does not entitle you to have a B&W licence.

If your digibox has the ability to record, then you need a colour licence, even if you only have a B&W TV connected. This is because you are receiving the signal in colour.

Given that digital TV receivers receive and output a colour signal, it seems that allowing the B&W licence to continue to be used is looking increasingly tenuous. But, for now, it's allowed if you have a B&W-only TV, and the digibox doesn't have a recording facility: http://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/faqs/FAQ111

As you state you can have a colour STB receiving and decoding in colour but displaying on a black and white monitor and this is clearly stated as not needing a colour licence.

Is that any different to having a TV with inbuilt tuner receiving and decoding colour transmissions and displaying in black and white.

Nobody knows.

I wouldn't want to be the test case though.

Kernow666

After reading todays money saving email and seeing the difference between colour and B&W license i wonder how many 1000s are still supposedly watching in B&W , i reckon if they went round the properties in person 99% of them would have a colour TV

Chino

Kernow666 wrote: »

After reading todays money saving email and seeing the difference between colour and B&W license i wonder how many 1000s are still supposedly watching in B&W

As of eighteen months or so ago, apparently "fewer than 12,000":

http://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/cs/media-centre/news/view.app?id=1362435715092

[Deleted User]

Are these people properly colour blind? I can't think if any other reason why you'd still have a black and white TV. Can you even connect a free view box to an old b&w TV?

HappyMJ

Deleted_User wrote: »

Are these people properly colour blind? I can't think if any other reason why you'd still have a black and white TV. Can you even connect a free view box to an old b&w TV?

Yes you can get a freeview box to output an RF signal which can be picked up by a B&W TV.

I was in the charity shop yesterday every colour TV was £10. I think the B&W TV licence should be scrapped.

I doubt there's that many left watching on really what are now very old sets.

Norman_Castle

Kernow666 wrote: »

After reading todays money saving email and seeing the difference between colour and B&W license i wonder how many 1000s are still supposedly watching in B&W , i reckon if they went round the properties in person 99% of them would have a colour TV

About 15 years ago a friend bought a B&W licence for their colour tv . Very soon afterwards they had a visit from tv licencing to check their tv was B&W. Its hard to deny you watch tv when you've bought a licence!.

Kurtis_Blue

Norman_Castle wrote: »

About 15 years ago a friend bought a B&W licence for their colour tv . Very soon afterwards they had a visit from tv licencing to check their tv was B&W. Its hard to deny you watch tv when you've bought a licence!.

But how hard is it to say "yes my tv is B&W, thanks for checking. Have a nice day"