Bloody BBC

Alan

Fledgling Freddie
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Is it just me or are they taking the piss ?

For those fortunate not to live in the UK, we have to purchase a licence to watch a TV. This has always been the case as we get the BBC channels which are advert free, quite nice to watch something without advert breaks every 15 minutes.

But, they are now talkin about putting the price up to £180 a year. Thats £15 (22 euros) - currently around £8 (11 euros) a month

With this current age of technology why cant we say sod off, i wont pay it just cut off the BBC channels from my TV set.

And on top of this it was leaked that the BBC purchased the domain bbc.com for $375,000.00

Greedy buggers !!!
 

Ezteq

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yeah tbh theres nothing on tv that i actually think "wow thats totally worth the licence fee" and it is a rip off but if we didnt pay it whats the betting that the government would then introduce a TV tax?

Tbh i'd rather have just 2 channels for free than pay for sodding bbc channels.
 

Alan

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Only exception.... Dr Who :) but thats not worth paying £15 for, I can get a shit load of satelite channels for that
 

Ezteq

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well most people know but the TV detector vans are actually crap they dont have a way of tracking you down and even if they do they actually have no leagle way of entering you house (they might try and imply that they have the right to enter your property but think about it, even the police need a warrant).

I'm not encouraging folks to go about willy nilly and break the law here, just giving some information, and despite me knowing this i actually do pay for a full licence i'm stupidly honest so i'd rather pay and feel cheated and grouse about it than not pay and feel like a lousey leaching bum.
 

Mojo

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Chronictank said:
id rather have the option not to have the channels tbh

Me to, it kinda sucks that it's mandatory, like should that not be illegal? :eek:
 

Dandare

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I can honestly say I never watch BBC anymore,only the wife watchs Eastenders and don't she watchs anything else on it.
I used to watch Top Gear and other motorsport on BBC2.
But I watch Top gear on UK gold now.
I must admit we pay for Sky and BBC is included into it so In my theory I'm paying twice right? And twice for a crap service I don't use :)
 

tris-

Failed Geordie and Parmothief
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the only thing i do watch is the shitting bbc so i can get the monies worth :(
 

Deepfat

Fledgling Freddie
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There's England V Poland tonight altho the amount of entertainment England have been providing lately it's hard to see that being televised as a plus point....
 

Gibbo

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I am not defending the BBC but you realise that in a few years time the government will be switching off the analogue television signal and expecting everyone to be alble to receive digital television.

And they are expecting the licence fee to fund it and the BBC to make sure the technology is in place.

So its hardly suprising the BBC want a hike in the licence fee.

Still only means paying 49p a day.
 

Job

The Carl Pilkington of Freddyshouse
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Actually it allready is a TV tax, any broadcaster can dip in if it wants, ITV just doesn't bother, they just produce mindless crap and make the money on the adverts.

The BBC is the only compulsary funded public broadcaster in the world and produces some of the best TV on the planet, it runs the worlds best website, which is translated into just about every language going.
World service, BBC America-Middle East..etc, promoting Britain, well worth the 10 quid a month

I pay Shietsky 30 quid a month to watch repeats and get 20 mins of adverts per hour of programming.

You can watch the Simpsons on the BBC with no advert breaks, practically unheard of anywhere else.
 

Marc

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Ezteq said:
well most people know but the TV detector vans are actually crap they dont have a way of tracking you down

you are so wrong :)

Every household that has a licence is listed on a database. Those that dont are checked out. Its not hard to see if you are receiving tv signals. Every person i know who has said "fuck that I aint paying for a tv licence" has been prosecuted.
 

Ballard

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Marc said:
Its not hard to see if you are receiving tv signals.

You are right for the rest of your post but that is just crazy.... TV antennae just pass on broadcasted TV waves to your TV set. The wave is reflected off the antennae just as it is from any other solid surface no phase shift or frequency change. nada. They more likely just look thru your windows for the tell-tale TV glow :)

EDIT: what they do however is check for the signature of a TV in your house.. so they dont check for you actually recieveing signals but rather just the radiation emitted form the set. Id guess compters etc would fail this test aswell.

On a side note I dont have a TV and so havent paid the license for 3 years and every week or two I get a letter about it ( I cant be assed writing in to inform them I dont ahve one) , I am wondering when they will come round to hassle me about it.
 

Kaun_IA

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well i dont live in the UK, but in here we have 3 "Free" home channels!
but you must use an antenna.

but just recently i got digital TV....the quality is really good compared to the analog. price is nice too...bout 10 eur per month (40 channels, inc BBC channels(no porn tho))
 

Darksword

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.
Ballard said:
You are right for the rest of your post but that is just crazy.... TV antennae just pass on broadcasted TV waves to your TV set. The wave is reflected off the antennae just as it is from any other solid surface no phase shift or frequency change. nada. They more likely just look thru your windows for the tell-tale TV glow :)

EDIT: what they do however is check for the signature of a TV in your house.. so they dont check for you actually recieveing signals but rather just the radiation emitted form the set. Id guess compters etc would fail this test aswell.

On a side note I dont have a TV and so havent paid the license for 3 years and every week or two I get a letter about it ( I cant be assed writing in to inform them I dont ahve one) , I am wondering when they will come round to hassle me about it.


this definatly isnt true, my friend has a TV he just doesnt have an ariel (Watchs films through dvd and video) and he doesnt pay for a tv license.

also consider that every house has a tv, most have computers, home appliances etc etc it would be pretty hard to see if a wave is being emited specifically from a particular house.

Ezte is pretty mcuh right. sure its on the database, just dont have your TV on the ground floor and then they can never tell. Also dont have a big house antenna instead get a small one that goes directly to your TV, its pretty easy to get a good signal if you get a good expensive one.

on another note, the only tv channel i watch is channel 4, and every now and then maybe bbc but rarely.
 

Ezteq

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Darksword said:
.
Ezte is pretty mcuh right. sure its on the database, just dont have your TV on the ground floor and then they can never tell. Also dont have a big house antenna instead get a small one that goes directly to your TV, its pretty easy to get a good signal if you get a good expensive one.


as i said previously im stupidly honest i'd rather cough up and moan about it than not, but i mean hiding your telly like its some nasty dirty secret well thats just out of the question (for me any hoo).

However my bf had a funny story about one of his uni buddies who had a tv for years didnt have a licence, no problem, then his telly breaks so he goes and rents one and taa daa the tv licence people turn up on his doorstep... now if theyve got all this marvelous database hightec eye spy equipment, how come it took them so long to bust his mate?

maybe because shock horror! its all a bit of a fairy story and they just run checks about whos brought a telly lately? not denying they could have signal tracing equipment but as mentioned by some one else, with all the household gadgetry that folk have got these days how the hell would they filter whats from a tv?
 

Kami

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Has nobody ever challenged the government over this legally? It seems draconic that we have to pay a license fee for an item we purchase in a shop. Some would argue I'm paying for the BBC but I'm not as I never watch it. My TV 99% of the time is playing a DVD or is switched off, I'm paying purely because I have the option of recieving thier service via an appliance in my house.

Give people the option to NOT recieve BBC then feel free to up the price of the license fee to whatever they fecking want. I'm actually considering ditching both TVs in my house as they're old and not replacing them.
 

Darksword

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Kami said:
Has nobody ever challenged the government over this legally? It seems draconic that we have to pay a license fee for an item we purchase in a shop. Some would argue I'm paying for the BBC but I'm not as I never watch it. My TV 99% of the time is playing a DVD or is switched off, I'm paying purely because I have the option of recieving thier service via an appliance in my house.

Give people the option to NOT recieve BBC then feel free to up the price of the license fee to whatever they fecking want. I'm actually considering ditching both TVs in my house as they're old and not replacing them.


you have the option, dont have a tv, thats basicly the way it is :) welcome to britain :D
 

Darksword

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Ezteq said:
as i said previously im stupidly honest i'd rather cough up and moan about it than not, but i mean hiding your telly like its some nasty dirty secret well thats just out of the question (for me any hoo).

However my bf had a funny story about one of his uni buddies who had a tv for years didnt have a licence, no problem, then his telly breaks so he goes and rents one and taa daa the tv licence people turn up on his doorstep... now if theyve got all this marvelous database hightec eye spy equipment, how come it took them so long to bust his mate?

maybe because shock horror! its all a bit of a fairy story and they just run checks about whos brought a telly lately? not denying they could have signal tracing equipment but as mentioned by some one else, with all the household gadgetry that folk have got these days how the hell would they filter whats from a tv?

well hiding it from the police not your friends and stuff :p just have your living room on the second floor if you got a big enough house:D
 

Raven

Happy Shopper Ray Mears
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bin the TV and watch anything worth watching on your PC, not as if there is ever anything worth watching that cant be downloaded anyway.

edit, but yes i do have a TV and pay the fee, only for the wife though :)
 

ilaya

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£180 a year to fund classic re-runs of the goon show, round the horn, im sorry i havent a clue, etc.. on radio 7? worth it. as long as the price rises dont mean peeps starve.. lol as IF!! pensioners get it cheap, most peeps even when unemployed have satellite dishes..

what is the whine about? bbc are shit? show me a more informative, entertaining, challenging channel, with LOADS of radio stations - including local radio stations..

£180 a year, yet some peeps still pay to play daoc AND wow.. oh plz
 

Marc

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Ballard said:
You are right for the rest of your post but that is just crazy.... TV antennae just pass on broadcasted TV waves to your TV set. The wave is reflected off the antennae just as it is from any other solid surface no phase shift or frequency change. nada. They more likely just look thru your windows for the tell-tale TV glow :)

EDIT: what they do however is check for the signature of a TV in your house.. so they dont check for you actually recieveing signals but rather just the radiation emitted form the set. Id guess compters etc would fail this test aswell.

On a side note I dont have a TV and so havent paid the license for 3 years and every week or two I get a letter about it ( I cant be assed writing in to inform them I dont ahve one) , I am wondering when they will come round to hassle me about it.

i meant its not hard because all they have to do is look through your window. BINGO! BUSTED!!!
 

Chronictank

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ilaya said:
£180 a year to fund classic re-runs of the goon show, round the horn, im sorry i havent a clue, etc.. on radio 7? worth it. as long as the price rises dont mean peeps starve.. lol as IF!! pensioners get it cheap, most peeps even when unemployed have satellite dishes..

what is the whine about? bbc are shit? show me a more informative, entertaining, challenging channel, with LOADS of radio stations - including local radio stations..

£180 a year, yet some peeps still pay to play daoc AND wow.. oh plz
you really dont get it do you?
were paying for a service we dont use, if you never play daoc would you pay the subs for it?
as it happens i do know a few people who will have to tighten their belts to fork out a extra £50 a year
 

Alan

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If you have any equipment that can recieve TV channels :-

Satelite Dish
Set top box
VCR
DVD Recorder (and i mean one with a tuner)
PC with a TV/Satelite card

Then you need to pay the BBC, even if you dont watch their channels.

Rip off britain at its best.
 

Saraden

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In finland it's been 193,95 € per 12kk (16e/month) long as i remember. And we don't get bbc, just our national YLE.

As somone said you don't have to let them in, they have no right to enter your house. In finland they have right to call cops to assist them, but they can't enter without house warrant i either i suppose. In finland if you get catched by not having the licencse they just tell you to pay it, and if you pay it in time there's no extra cost, but if you still don't pay it, then they'll charge more. So basically there's no point purchasing it untill you get caught.

Anyways you can pretty much avoid them by not opening your door to people you don't know.
 

Chronictank

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Saraden said:
In finland it's been 193,95 € per 12kk (16e/month) long as i remember. And we don't get bbc, just our national YLE.

As somone said you don't have to let them in, they have no right to enter your house. In finland they have right to call cops to assist them, but they can't enter without house warrant i either i suppose. In finland if you get catched by not having the licencse they just tell you to pay it, and if you pay it in time there's no extra cost, but if you still don't pay it, then they'll charge more. So basically there's no point purchasing it untill you get caught.

Anyways you can pretty much avoid them by not opening your door to people you don't know.
they can get a court summons ;)
if you get caught with no liscence its £100 fine + go buy liscence
 

Saraden

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oh you were right, 100 e + 2x the tv fee from the time you have used it :S
"tarkastusmaksun 100 euroa sekä televisiomaksun takautuvasti kaksinkertaisena siltä ajalta, jona televisiota on käytetty"
 

Bluevixen

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So if you don't pay a license fee you think the television is free?
It is paid for by adverts....and if you buy the product a portion of the cost of the product pays for the advert.
All television with or without license is paid for by us.

Oh and so you know the BBC license is not a liscense to watch the BBC it is a license to receive a television signal.

Have you looked at news.bbc.co.uk recently? Compare the content of it to www.sky.com/news. The bbc website also has a large text/video archive about historical events, nature and even pop groups.

Go live in USA and watch there TV....if you like global commercialism....you will love it
 

old.Tohtori

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Saraden said:
In finland it's been 193,95 € per 12kk (16e/month) long as i remember. And we don't get bbc, just our national YLE.

As somone said you don't have to let them in, they have no right to enter your house. In finland they have right to call cops to assist them, but they can't enter without house warrant i either i suppose. In finland if you get catched by not having the licencse they just tell you to pay it, and if you pay it in time there's no extra cost, but if you still don't pay it, then they'll charge more. So basically there's no point purchasing it untill you get caught.

Anyways you can pretty much avoid them by not opening your door to people you don't know.

To the point there.

I always ask friends and other people to call before they come, i'm not home for strangers.
 

Alan

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Bluevixen said:
license is not a liscense to watch the BBC it is a license to receive a television signal.

Have you looked at news.bbc.co.uk recently? Compare the content of it to www.sky.com/news. The bbc website also has a large text/video archive about historical events, nature and even pop groups.

Go live in USA and watch there TV....if you like global commercialism....you will love it

Yup although this is true, that you need a license to recieve a TV signal - the monies from the TV license all go to the BBC
 

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