can tv license detect you are viewing TV thru internet?

[waqasahmed]

. A bit of a loophole there couldnt you just say my laptop runs on batteries and I never use the mains?

[tinman]

licence

Icannot beleive that being away from England that they still make you get a licence over here one network cbc keeps whining from the government but all the others have to exist from commercials but i guess if they do not keep interupting with them it is worth a couple of pounds

[ruudvandan]

if your friend watches TV streamed from a site such as Hotdubz or IraqiGoals then no.. If your friend buys a USB Freeview stick and doesn't plug in the laptop ac adapter then also no TV licence is needed.. Battery operated TV's need no licence, if your laptop is not plugged in to th mains then its running off its battery..

Not strictly true. For portaable devices not license is needed as long as it's powered by its own internal power source AND the place where it is normally kept has a TV License.

I suppose the loophole comes in having to prove that the laptop is normally kept at your address.

[Gadge]

I don't know how true this is but one of our university lecturers during a networking security seminar mentioned that on the older CRTs it was possible to view what was on the monitor from within a 50metre range

This was due to the higher levels of radiation given off by the monitors

Couldn't really tell if he was pulling our legs and I don't really fancy researching either to find if its true :P

I also wonder how TV licences work for Cars now? since when you purchase a licence its only for the home isn't it?

[forntida]

The licence allows installation and use of TV equipment:

• at the licensed premises by anyone.
• in a vehicle, boat or caravan by:

• You and anyone who normally lives with You at the licensed place (so long as TV equipment is not being used in a non-touring caravan and at the licensed place at the same time).
• anyone, who normally works at the licensed place (so long as the vehicle, boat or caravan is being used for a business purpose).

Use of TV equipment powered by internal batteries anywhere:

• by You and anyone who normally lives with You at the licensed place.

Remember it is illegal to have a tv, sat nav, video etc in a position where the driver of a moving vehicle can see the screen.

[bonus2010]

if your friend watches TV streamed from a site such as Hotdubz or IraqiGoals then no.. If your friend buys a USB Freeview stick and doesn't plug in the laptop ac adapter then also no TV licence is needed.. Battery operated TV's need no licence, if your laptop is not plugged in to th mains then its running off its battery..

Yeah, know it's an old post now.
But, I've never bought a TV Licence.
(Okay, I tell a lie, once chipped in when sharing a flat with some work collegues
about twenty years ago)

Anyway, I get these letters every month from TV Licensing.
(don't bother reading them any more- they go straight into the shredder)
but remember reading one a good few months back just for a laugh,
Where it said, if you have a mobile phone - you require a licence, or to that effect..

Ma phone won't pick up any TV signals, but I do know there's phones that
do - they're battery operated - is TV Licensing just talking a load o' siht again?

BTW, I've got the full Virgin package, and if any inspectors appear at
my door having a degree in clip board management, they will polietly told
to fcuk off! And... believe me, they will, because even the dogs have to go about
in pairs where I live. Hey, heard there's no TV inspectors in Northern Ireland, and
nobody bothers paying for TV licence either, maybe for the same reasons.....

[janobi]

can tv license detect you are viewing TV thru internet?

@fortinda your info on the pc is wrong. There was an article yesterday that the goverment are to try and get money for watching the iplayer, you do not require a license to watch tv online.

tvlicensing.biz

That website explains it way better. There was also a legal precedent set where someone modified their tv to not pick up BBC, they had a signed declaration from the company that modified the tv and went to court. Judge ruled that the BBC/tv licensing agency did not have a case and the plaintiff won.

You actually only need a license if your watching/recording live tv. As iplayer is not live or online tv is not live (slight delay) then you do not need a license.

[gmb45]

incase u aint seen it---> http://www.digital-kaos.co.uk/forums...15/#post696531

[Sajuk101]

there many ways like databases. most stores by law send ur address to them when u purchase anything tv related

[badmonkey]

Du you need a license to watch TV on Internet

Officially, you need a license ? depending on what you watch. The law states that anyone watching or recording TV programmes as they are broadcast must have a licence. It really doesn't matter if you use a TV, a computer or a mobile phone ? if it's live, you have to pay. Catch-up services such as the BBC iPlayer or 4oD fall under different rules and don't require a licence. But how does TV Licensing, which collects and enforces licence fees on behalf of the BBC, know when a PC is receiving a live broadcast? Have the mysterious detector vans been fitted with some new kit? TV Licensing is very secretive about its detection methods, fearing that disclosing too much could help potential evaders. In a Freedom of Information request last year the BBC refused to reveal the technical equipment used by its vans, stating it "relies on the public perception that the vans could be used at any time to catch evaders". This lack of information has only encouraged speculation. A common theory is the vans can pick up a signal transmitted by components from within the TV. To receive a broadcast, the TV must be tuned to the correct frequency, which is generated by a local oscillator. TV Licensing could potentially use this signal to find licence-dodgers. Whatever the method, it can't be used to detect unlicensed computer use, as TV broadcast over the internet doesn't generate a TV signal. TV Licensing admits it has no separate strategies for catching those who watch online, and while it has caught people watching TV illegally on something other than TV sets, it won't provide records of the equipment used. Is there a danger that people will ditch the set and go online in order to avoid paying? TV Licensing doesn't think so. A spokesperson said: "It is clear more people are beginning to watch TV online, in addition to watching on their TV sets. But while we do constantly review our enforcement methods to keep pace with technological change, the reality is that more than 97% of UK households have TV sets which need to be covered by a licence, and evasion remains low, at 5.2%." The licence fee is safe for now then, but this could change. According to the BBC Trust, which published a review of TV licence collection this March, 40% of students in halls of residence use a laptop as their main way of watching TV. While this may just be due to the nature of student living, it could indicate the beginnings of a change in the nation's viewing habits ? and the need for a new form of licence-fee enforcement.