[QI Elf]

I know you need a TV license if you have a TV in halls (obviously) althgough what really confuses me is the laptop bit.

(Original post by TV License People)
You need a TV Licence to use any television receiving equipment such as a TV set, digital box, DVD or video recorder, PC, laptop or mobile phone to watch or record television programmes as they're being shown on TV.

I can watch BBCi player but never tried to watch live TV on it. How do I find this out or know if I can watch it live and thus need a license?

Also is it true that if I apply for one in Oct I can claim it back for a 1/4 of the year as I wouldn't be in halls after June?

Thanks

[SillyFencer]

(Original post by QI Elf)
I know you need a TV license if you have a TV in halls (obviously) althgough what really confuses me is the laptop bit.



I can watch BBCi player but never tried to watch live TV on it. How do I find this out or know if I can watch it live and thus need a license?

Also is it true that if I apply for one in Oct I can claim it back for a 1/4 of the year as I wouldn't be in halls after June?

Thanks

There is no live TV on BBC iPlayer.

[QI Elf]

(Original post by SillyFencer)
There is no live TV on BBC iPlayer.

Sorry, I didn't explain myself clearly.

How do I know if I can watch live TV on my laptop and thus need a license?

[Celifein]

(Original post by QI Elf)
How do I know if I can watch live TV on my laptop and thus need a license?

Do you intend to watch live TV on your laptop, or do you just want to know if you can? Your post makes it sound like the latter. If you don't intend to use it to watch live TV, you don't need a licence.

[QI Elf]

(Original post by Celifein)
Do you intend to watch live TV on your laptop, or do you just want to know if you can? Your post makes it sound like the latter. If you don't intend to use it to watch live TV, you don't need a licence.

No, I don't want to watch it on my laptop but wanted to know how I find out if it is capable of recieveing live TV as if it is, I presume I need a license.

[sharp910sh]

(Original post by QI Elf)
No, I don't want to watch it on my laptop but wanted to know how I find out if it is capable of recieveing live TV as if it is, I presume I need a license.

Ifit has a built in tv tuner then you need a license, if it doesn't then you don't.

[QI Elf]

(Original post by sharp910sh)
Ifit has a built in tv tuner then you need a license, if it doesn't then you don't.

Sorry for my stupidity but I've never even heard of that. How do I find out if my laptop has one?

[sharp910sh]

(Original post by QI Elf)
Sorry for my stupidity but I've never even heard of that. How do I find out if my laptop has one?

What laptop do you have? The chances are your laptop doesn't have one.

[QI Elf]

(Original post by sharp910sh)
What laptop do you have? The chances are your laptop doesn't have one.

It's a Compaq Notebook with Windows XP and is 2 years old.

[sharp910sh]

(Original post by QI Elf)
It's a Compaq Notebook with Windows XP and is 2 years old.

Whats the model number?

[QI Elf]

(Original post by sharp910sh)
Whats the model number?

Where would I find the model number?

I've looked in the guides I have for it and can't find it.

Ahhh I really am sorry for being so unknowledgeable about computers

[SillyFencer]

(Original post by QI Elf)
It's a Compaq Notebook with Windows XP and is 2 years old.

You would know if you had a TV tuner, honestly.

[Reue]

If you dont have a clue about a tv tuner, 99.9% chance you dont have one. And even if you did, I'm pretty sure you would be aware if you were using it

[Celifein]

I'll post this here and at the other thread. Not to be confused with spamming.

All this back and forth over what you're allowed to do was giving me a headache, so I e-mailed the TV Licensing people.

The use of television sets, video cassette recorders, set-top boxes or DVD recorders to receive or record television programme services must be covered by an appropriate TV Licence (A video cassette recorder, DVD recorder or colour television, whether used separately or together, will require a colour TV Licence, if used in this way). A licence is also required if a TV-enabled personal computer is used to record or receive television programmes.

The use of a television solely as a monitor for video games or watching pre-recorded DVDs or videos does not need licensing. It is advisable to modify the equipment in such a way that it cannot be used as a television receiver.

If your television receiving equipment is used to watch or record television services, you should buy a TV Licence at once. However, if your equipment is not used for these purposes, please let me know. I will then make sure our records are changed to show you do not need a licence for your address.

I should inform you that a Visiting Officer will visit your property in due course to confirm the situation.

A television licence is required if you use television receiving equipment to record and/or receive television programme services. Television receiving equipment could be a television, video recorder, DVD recorder/player, PCTV (computer with facility to receive television programmes), or a television card for a computer. If your lap top computer is capable of receiving live broadcasts, whether on-line, or through an aerial or satellite dish, then it is classed as television receiving equipment. This means a licence is needed to receive BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Five, digital television, other terrestrial services, satellite television and cable television.

If you receive programme services (as defined above), live via the Internet, BBC Online for example (Newsnight is one such broadcast), then a television licence is required. If you are using the Internet to browse archived programme services websites, then a television licence is not required.

If you are using your laptop powered solely by its own internal batteries to receive programmes, a licence held for your main address will cover its use in other places. However, if you use an external power source then a separate licence will be required.

If your equipment is not used to receive or record television programmes, please let me know your address. I will then make sure our records are changed to show you do not need a television licence.

As you can see, whoever it was that said laptops running off their battery are in the same bracket as portable TVs was right. No licence required (paragraph 7).

You don't need a licence to watch iPlayer, etc. (paragraph 6).

Also, even if you have something that is capable of receiving TV, you don't need a licence unless you will be using it for that purpose. They advise you to disable its receiving capability, but it looks like they can't demand it (paragraph 2).

[Theorist]

Concerning laptops, is it legal to connect your laptop to the mains and not pay for a TV licence so long as you are not watching live TV during the time in which the laptop is connected to the mains?

So if you wanted to watch live TV, you could run your laptop on its battery only for the period of watching, and you wouldn't have to pay for a TV license?

[SillyFencer]

(Original post by Theorist)
Concerning laptops, is it legal to connect your laptop to the mains and not pay for a TV licence so long as you are not watching live TV during the time in which the laptop is connected to the mains?

So if you wanted to watch live TV, you could run your laptop on its battery only for the period of watching, and you wouldn't have to pay for a TV license?

Yes! It's been said so often in this thread. Even in the post above yours.

[Theorist]

(Original post by SillyFencer)
Yes! It's been said so often in this thread. Even in the post above yours.

Sorry. I just didn't realise that to avoid having a TV licence, but watch TV on your laptop, all you needed to do was unplug your laptop power cable from the mains. Hardly seems worth it for the TVLA, not that I'm complaining.

Just one more thing: in the email Celifein received, it said that Celifein had to inform the TVLA that he wouldn't be using TV services, but I remember Reue saying not to bother. What's the way to go?

[SillyFencer]

(Original post by Theorist)
Sorry. I just didn't realise that to avoid having a TV licence, but watch TV on your laptop, all you needed to do was unplug your laptop power cable from the mains. Hardly seems worth it for the TVLA, not that I'm complaining.

Just one more thing: in the email Celifein received, it said that Celifein had to inform the TVLA that he wouldn't be using TV services, but I remember Reue saying not to bother. What's the way to go?

I've never contacted them. Why should I? If you don't own a car, would you contact the DVLA to tell them?

[Celifein]

If I can contact them for free (i.e. via e-mail), then I probably will. If I'm required to spend money to contact them (i.e. phone, letter), then I'll just wait for them to turn up on my doorstep and tell them then.

I think it's worth the minute it takes to e-mail them to avoid twenty demanding letters.

[SillyFencer]

(Original post by Celifein)
If I can contact them for free (i.e. via e-mail), then I probably will. If I'm required to spend money to contact them (i.e. phone, letter), then I'll just wait for them to turn up on my doorstep and tell them then.

I think it's worth the minute it takes to e-mail them to avoid twenty demanding letters.

Well apparently it doesn't work, and you still get the letters.

Another thing to bare in mind, is that the letters are not addressed to you if you are in student accommodation. They're addressed to "the legal occupant."