Is a licence needed for TV on a mobile?

[Zorba]

You mean you actually have a tv licence?

 

[RedDevil_UK]

years ago i got fined....

Inspector came and i had my TV on... only used it for my then amiga computer, i told him this and that i didnt have an arial.

he asked me to find an arial and plug it in (one that goes on top of TV) anyway after arguing for a while that i didnt have one, he filled in a form and left.

i had to go to court, were i was fined!!!

 

[Analoguesat]

How does that work?

If I go into hospital and take your mini TV who has to have a license?

If I take MY TV round to watch at a mates (who doesn't have a license) can I say I'm using my license to watch my TV?

Students away from home? Watching on a laptop, phone etc at an Airport or hotel again who's problem is it?

All very confusing...

Students are a clear cut case. Not licenced unless it a battery only model Heres the gen from the TV LIcencing website:



Aren't I covered by my parents' licence while I'm away?


No. Unless your TV is powered by internal batteries, such as a pocket-sized TV.

Full rules covering shared accomodation here:

http://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/information/students.jsp

 

[T-E-E-N-A]

I heard a few years ago, that if you have a satellite dish on your wall and you had a black and white tv, then you had to pay for a colour tv licence. It is ridiculous that we have to pay so much for a licence when anyone in Europe with a big enough dish can pick up at least 4 of the BBC channels for nothing. I hardly watch the BBC channels and I certainly don't listen to the BBC radio channels or visit their website. It's extortionate. A couple of years ago the inspector came to my door asking me did I have a licence, I said yes and went to get it and he said, "No it's OK I believe you", I waited for years for someone to call so that I could produce my licence with pride, but he took off down the path, I really should've ran after him waving my licence for all the neighbours to see as I'm sure 70% of them don't have one.

 

[Skip Channel]

years ago i got fined....

Inspector came and i had my TV on... only used it for my then amiga computer, i told him this and that i didnt have an arial.

he asked me to find an arial and plug it in (one that goes on top of TV) anyway after arguing for a while that i didnt have one, he filled in a form and left.

i had to go to court, were i was fined!!!

That's as dodgy as duck. He was in the wrong. It shows how naughty they can be - nowadays, fortunately, there's websites like the one I mentioned. People can find out what TVL can do and what they can't and whether legally they need a licence at all.

If I were you I'd try to get me money back (I can think of a way!)

 

[the_happy_traveller]

Hi all
Just being pedantic but what if:
I have a fta sat receiver connected to a tft computer monitor.
No television!!!!!!!!
No doubt the tvl have a way round that one too.........:-bash

 

[Sir Bronking]

as stated by gameboy,

Statutory Instrument 2004 N0 692

Any device that can receive 'live' TV pictures, whether or not originally designed or intended to do so, must be covered by a licence.

When is 'live' then? If the pictures are delayed - digital, satellite or for censorship purposes - is it OK to watch them without a licence?

Sounds like NO - if the device is 'capable' you need a licence!

So if your sitting at work and log onto the BBC web site to watch the news you better make sure your company has a TV licence even if it doesn't have a TV!

 

[Skip Channel]

They've got that one covered too. Although their "detector" vans might have a bit more trouble (that's if they exist, some believe they're just an urban legend!)

TVL small print will say something along the lines of "equipment used to receive television broadcasts" (or some such thing). They'll go on to say that these could come via cable, satellite, terrestrial earth station, the planet Mars... or even the interweb!

 

[the_happy_traveller]

Can the detectors detect a sat signal??
I did read somewhere that they have trouble with tft and plasma tvs as they're so lo powered.

 

[moffatt]

I'd argue that a PC (without TV card) is not a capable device. If it goes that literally, then is a toaster connected to an aerial capable, because it could morse the signals?

 

[Skip Channel]

Any device that can receive 'live' TV pictures, whether or not originally designed or intended to do so, must be covered by a licence.

When is 'live' then? If the pictures are delayed - digital, satellite or for censorship purposes - is it OK to watch them without a licence?

I wonder what TVL would make of a non-TV viewer who had a videosender/receiver. Even if they were to send a signal from their own DVD player their second (untuned) TV set/video monitor would be technically receiving a live TV broadcast!

That'd probably be okay legally but you wouldn't want a rookie salesman of theirs to get the wrong end of the stick (people have been fined for being quite clearly legal).

How about if that non-TV viewer accidentally picked up his neighbour's cable/Freeview/satellite box on his own videosender? He'd certainly be watching live broadcast TV but it wasn't via cable, internet, satellite, terrestrial, MMDS or UHF and he only accidently stumbled across it because of the nature of 2.4ghz! I wonder if that would be covered?!

 

[gameboy]

About time I repeated a joke posted way back here...

Husband leaving for work meets the detector van man coming up the path. "Hello" says the investigator "can I see your TV license?" - "Look I'm on my way to work, the wife will show you. It's in the shoe box on top of the wardrobe in the back bedroom"
The investigator continues and rings the doorbell - the wife answers.
"Hello, can I see your TV license please" he asks. "I don't know where it is" she tells him.
"Try the shoe box on top of the wardrobe in the back bedroom" he tells her.
The wife disappears up the stairs. A few minutes later she returns holding the license. "That's some F**kin' detector van you've got their" she says!

 

[the_happy_traveller]

Just had a lok at tvl website.
What a load of convoluted gibberish!!!!!
"Yes this is covered but not if you do that etc etc"
An awful lot of this is down to individual interpretation and from what I can gather, tvl is ALWAYS right no matter what the circumstances.

Take me for instance.
I work away all over europe for about 8 month of the year. If I put my telly on, its covered by the house licence. But not if the house telly is on at the same time.
Some of the time the missus is with me so we're covered, but if she stops at home and both watch telly we're breaking the law.
As I can be moved anything up to 10 times a year, am I supposed to re-register a tv licence every time?
Maybe we'd just be better off not bothering with a licence at all.
({}) ({}) ({}) ({}) ({}) ({}) ({}) ({}) ({}) ({}) ({}) ({}) ({}) ({}) ({}) ({}) ({})

 

[spiney]

note on "what is detectable"

The local oscillator, in any superhet receiver, so:

1) Which analogue channel

2) Which Freeview mux

3) Which sat mux, but, lnb polarisation isn't detectable, giving a possibilty of 2 different ones!
(to know which sat, they have to see where your dish is pointing!).

4) PC systems are trickier, they can't directly "detect" watching broadcast tv, but can get indirect info about Internet connections, and which ip packets go where ....

 

[Skip Channel]

Of course TVL don't actually use these methods to catch "offenders", they ask questions and people blurt out their guilt in response!

Licence-less households wouldn't have the chance to watch TV for a few years. They'd be nabbed pretty quick - especially seeing as they have a list of premises without licences.