BBC and new internet dectection vans

Cornucopia

brewerdave wrote: »

...not sure why you are bothering?

I have a Youview box. It has the iPlayer app on it, which I cannot remove. I have no intention of getting rid of the Youview box just because the Licensing requirements have changed. (Nor of buying a Licence).

I therefore need a method of stopping anyone (including a visiting TVL person) from having one-click access to iPlayer, and the easiest way to do that is by blocking the URL. Blocking it in this way actually prevents access from any device connected to my Router, not just the Youview box (which is a bonus).

Since such a block can be easily removed/reinstalled via the router interface ... Also unless you lock your router away, anyone visiting can easily do a full reset to restablish the availability.

I take your point (does that really wipe the blocked list?) however, I am with Talktalk who provide an ISP-blocking capability that cannot be changed without my UserID & Password. I can therefore block it twice, making doubly certain that it is effective.

...can't see it being accepted as a defense.

My posting on MSE is just the tip of the iceberg of my TVL-hounding activities, and as such (even though it would be foolish of them to "try anything"), I am wary of having a capability to break the law apparently installed in my home.

More generally, I don't think it does any harm to be prepared, especially since we don't know the detail of the law yet, nor how BBC/TVL will interpret or enforce it.

I'm not sure what you mean by "defence"? Will it be effective at preventing a TVL person from bringing up iPlayer on my AV equipment? Yes. That's really all that matters. They won't be fiddling with the configuration, and it won't do any good if they try.

brewerdave

@cornucopia have you actually done this??
As a full paid up member of the BBC Licence club this is all a bit theoretical but......I tried blocking bbc.co.uk on my router -seemed to stop me seeing on the PC but I player still seems to be available via Sky box?

Double_V

kingrulzuk wrote: »

Who cares still not going to pay

Do we have a choice in paying TV License ?
I thought it's mandatory.
I pay £12 a month.

Cornucopia

Double_V wrote: »

Do we have a choice in paying TV License ?

Yes. Don't take my word for it, here's the MSE article on when you need one, and when you don't...

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/utilities/tv-licence

I thought it's mandatory.

Only if you need one.

I pay £12 a month.

That's how much it is (give or take).

Cornucopia

brewerdave wrote: »

@cornucopia have you actually done this??
As a full paid up member of the BBC Licence club this is all a bit theoretical but......I tried blocking bbc.co.uk on my router -seemed to stop me seeing on the PC but I player still seems to be available via Sky box?

Yes. I've had the Live Stream blocked on my Youview box since it was introduced (about 12-18 months ago). The URL for that is/was:-

a.files.bbci.co.uk

I have had a look for a similarly specific URL for catch-up, but can't find one. (I'm of the opinion that the BBC should make one, and publicise it - maybe I will ask them?)

So, I've added the basic:

bbc.co.uk

That works for me, across Youview and Windows PC (although it blanks the whole non-news BBC website as well). I don't have Sky, so can't advise on that, and Sky isn't really a suitable platform for someone without a Licence, anyway.

With that URL blocked, you select iPlayer from the main Youview player menu, and it shows "Loading..." for longer than usual, and then gives a completely black screen, which stays black indefinitely. The YV menus are still available after that, so it looks as though it is crashing out of iPlayer in a reasonably stable way.

anotheruser

brewerdave wrote: »

...not sure why you are bothering? Since such a block can be easily removed/reinstalled via the router interface,can't see it being accepted as a defense.

So can a wire going from the ariel box to the TV, but that seems to satisfy the TV licence people...

50Twuncle

Didn't BBC detector vans used to detect "LINE OSCILLATORS" on old CRT (Tubed) TV's - which modern LCD screens, do not have ?
How do they actually claim to pick up non-existent signals ?

EdSwippet

Cornucopia wrote: »

That works for me, across Youview and Windows PC (although it blanks the whole non-news BBC website as well).

Presumably this also blocks the BBC radio site, which is something I'd rather retain when blocking the iPlayer proper. It's annoying that the iPlayer lacks a distinct and unambiguous URL domain name.

Cornucopia

EdSwippet wrote: »

Presumably this also blocks the BBC radio site...

Yes, it does.

It's annoying that the iPlayer lacks a distinct and unambiguous URL domain name.

I don't rule out finding a suitable URL - it's quite likely that there is one. (Or maybe one for Windows and another for Youview).

It's frustrating that this is something that would be trivial for the BBC to do. We can speculate about why they haven't, but top among my guesses would be that they are fundamentally technophobic and because their priority is in selling more Licences, not making people feel comfortable with the alternative choice.

brewerdave

Unblocked it because we couldn't even get the weather or news headlines!
Even if I wasn't licensed, I think blocking the whole BBC web presence to be able to say I can't get I player, is a step too far.:)