TV Licence Thread Megamerge

FreudianSlippers

Netflix doesn't stream live TV, they only carry films and TV series that have been released on boxset, etc.

Therefore I would mirror BrianD's point:

I wouldn't view Netflix as a television broadcast no more than watching a DVD is.

chipchop

BostonB wrote: »

That would then include any form of a computer, PDA, tablet or even smart phone, Console etc. Which doesn't make a whole heap of sense.

I would take the law as any equipment that can recieve broadcast TV signal, be that satellite, cable or analog TV. But not anything that is streamed from the internet. So if you have a STB or a TV with a tuner only.

I expect the uni has an issue with streaming material over its network rather than TV broadcasts. Some twit of a paper pusher game up with the TV licence idea. That doesn't mean its legally correct.

No this notification/warning was not provided by the uni, we lived off campus and paid for our own virgin tv/internet, but we received these's notifications off the regulatory body in NI as they are aware that the area is highly populated by students i assume as yes they indicated that streaming tv through computer, PDA, tablet or even smart phone, Console etc. requires a tv license I just can't see how they would go about monitoring it!

FreudianSlippers wrote: »

Netflix doesn't stream live TV, they only carry films and TV series that have been released on boxset, etc.

Therefore I would mirror BrianD's point:

Yes but there in lies the problem they provide tv series which means they provide tv, in any case there is going to be contracts drawn up with the studios who provide these and you can be sure that the government will monitor that and make sure it falls under your tv license eventually!

FreudianSlippers

chipchop wrote: »

No this notification/warning was not provided by the uni, we lived off campus and paid for our own virgin tv/internet, but we received these's notifications off the regulatory body in NI as they are aware that the area is highly populated by students i assume as yes they indicated that streaming tv through computer, PDA, tablet or even smart phone, Console etc. requires a tv license I just can't see how they would go about monitoring it!



Yes but there in lies the problem they provide tv series which means they provide tv, in any case there is going to be contracts drawn up with the studios who provide these and you can be sure that the government will monitor that and make sure it falls under your tv license eventually!

I disagree, they are providing the DVD boxset of the TV series. They are not broadcasting the series "live".

By that logic you would need TV licence if you went out and bought a physical boxset of your favourite TV show.

RangeR

My understanding of the TV license is that if you have a tuner in your house, whether you use it or not, you need a license.

So If you...

• have a TV with a Tuner but use it as a monitor, you need a TV license.
• have a TV with no tuner but have Sky or UPC, you need a license.
• don't have a TV but have a sky box or upc box [both of these have tuners], you need a license.
• have a pc with a built in tuner or tuner attachment, you need a license.
• have a TV but don't watch broadcast analog or digital TV but only use it as a monitor. If that TV contains an analog or digital tuner, you MUST have a TV License.

If you have a monitor that cannot receive analog or digital broadcast tv in any form without adding extra hardware [sky, upc, pc tuner], then you DON'T need a license.

The TV License is based on the capability of a household to watch broadcast tv based on the hardware present in that household.

I think I covered all, or most, configurations.

chipchop

FreudianSlippers wrote: »

I disagree, they are providing the DVD boxset of the TV series. They are not broadcasting the series "live".

By that logic you would need TV licence if you went out and bought a physical boxset of your favourite TV show.

You can disagree all you want but that is what the NI/UK regs were and true to form the irish reg's will prob follow suit.

and I could be wrong but as far as i know you need a tv license if you own a tv regardless of weather you watch rte etc on it... A friend of mine in cork got stung for it, he was playing his ps3 on the tv when an inspector saw him thru the window and he didn't have any channels it was just for the ps3... unless there was a tuner in the house like RangeR is saying that he didn't know about

BostonB

chipchop wrote: »

You can disagree all you want but that is what the NI/UK regs were and true to form the irish reg's will prob follow suit. ...

Can you quote the UK regs that cover this.

Seems dubious to me.

FreudianSlippers

chipchop wrote: »

You can disagree all you want but that is what the NI/UK regs were and true to form the irish reg's will prob follow suit.

and I could be wrong but as far as i know you need a tv license if you own a tv regardless of weather you watch rte etc on it... A friend of mine in cork got stung for it, he was playing his ps3 on the tv when an inspector saw him thru the window and he didn't have any channels it was just for the ps3... unless there was a tuner in the house like RangeR is saying that he didn't know about

No, the tuner is usually in the TV. You can buy monitors which have no tuners, hooking those to a PS3 or computer or DVD player does not necessitate a TV Licence. At the end of the day if the question is "do you need a TV licence to view netflix" the basic answer is no; that answer gets more complex if you have a tuner in your home.

chipchop

BostonB wrote: »

Can you quote the UK regs that cover this.

Seems dubious to me.

nah, we got flyers warning us about em but it was a few months back so don't have it anymore! that and our landlord was kind enough to sort the license for us Listen i never said i was right on this subject but thats just the way we took the notice we received. this site may help

http://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/check-if-you-need-one/for-your-home/students-aud1/?WT.mc_id=r107

chipchop

and from that site i doubt you'll need a license for net flicks as it aint live... problem solved hopefully sorry for all the panic lol

Our man in Havana

Remove the tuner from a TV, no licence needed.

BrianD

RangeR wrote: »

My understanding of the TV license is that if you have a tuner in your house, whether you use it or not, you need a license.

So If you...

• have a TV with a Tuner but use it as a monitor, you need a TV license.
• have a TV with no tuner but have Sky or UPC, you need a license.
• don't have a TV but have a sky box or upc box [both of these have tuners], you need a license.
• have a pc with a built in tuner or tuner attachment, you need a license.
• have a TV but don't watch broadcast analog or digital TV but only use it as a monitor. If that TV contains an analog or digital tuner, you MUST have a TV License.

...

I think I covered all, or most, configurations.

One more...

• Have a TV with a tuner or tuner attachment and don't watch RTE.

Jev/N

RangeR wrote: »

My understanding of the TV license is that if you have a tuner in your house, whether you use it or not, you need a license.

So If you...

• have a TV with a Tuner but use it as a monitor, you need a TV license.
• have a TV with no tuner but have Sky or UPC, you need a license.
• don't have a TV but have a sky box or upc box [both of these have tuners], you need a license.
• have a pc with a built in tuner or tuner attachment, you need a license.
• have a TV but don't watch broadcast analog or digital TV but only use it as a monitor. If that TV contains an analog or digital tuner, you MUST have a TV License.

If you have a monitor that cannot receive analog or digital broadcast tv in any form without adding extra hardware [sky, upc, pc tuner], then you DON'T need a license.

The TV License is based on the capability of a household to watch broadcast tv based on the hardware present in that household.

I think I covered all, or most, configurations.

Exactly.

And you can, as far as I'm aware, add to that list VHS recorders, DVD recorders, DVR/PVR's etc, if they have an analogue or digital tuner (of which, more of the former do at least)

CptSternn

Regarding the Netflix question, I guess we have our answer...

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/new-broadcasting-licence-to-target-every-irish-household-even-those-without-a-tv-2993767.html

HOMES and businesses without a television will still be hit with a new broadcasting licence fee under government plans.

The new levy is being considered in a bid to ensure people who view public service broadcasting online will not be able to avoid paying.

Communications Minister Pat Rabbitte, who brought the new proposal before the Dail yesterday, said today that a huge number of people now got their news, not from sitting in front of the 9pm news, but from other services offered by the national broadcaster.

UDP

http://www.bai.ie/pdfs/BroadcastingAct2009.pdf
140(1)

“television set” means any electronic apparatus capable of receiving
and exhibiting television broadcasting services broadcast for general
reception (whether or not its use for that purpose is dependent on
the use of anything else in conjunction with it) and any software or
assembly comprising such apparatus and other apparatus;

Bruthal

CptSternn wrote: »

Regarding the Netflix question, I guess we have our answer...

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/new-broadcasting-licence-to-target-every-irish-household-even-those-without-a-tv-2993767.html

Like i said before on this tv licence thing, it was only a matter of time before they change the name of the tax from a tv licence to something else, to encompass everything that has a viewing screen.

So if someone never bothered having a tv in the house, but now gets a laptop simply to do online shopping, or keep in contact with family abroad etc, they now need to pay this licence fee.

And now that they are requiring everyone to register their home ownership details, they will have a database to force everyone to pay this RTE tax, even if you never watch a tv program.

In reality, this charge is just another form of household tax.

CptSternn

From the article...

Communications Minister Pat Rabbitte, who brought the new proposal before the Dail yesterday, said today that a huge number of people now got their news, not from sitting in front of the 9pm news, but from other services offered by the national broadcaster.

'other services offered', in other words, the Internet.

Thats right, the Labour Party just introduced the WORLDS FIRST Internet Tax.

Remember that next election.

psychward

chipchop wrote: »

A friend of mine in cork got stung for it, he was playing his ps3 on the tv when an inspector saw him thru the window

The method of collection for this unfair oppressive disproportionate tax makes me very very angry. What kind of fu(king government pays people to look in your window? Is there no right to privacy for families in their own homes ? Its very creepy to look into someones window. You get some ''stazi operative'' looking in your window if you don't pay whether you are guilty or innocent of having a TV.

UDP

psychward wrote: »

The method of collection for this unfair oppressive disproportionate tax makes me very very angry. What kind of fu(king government pays people to look in your window? Is there no right to privacy for families in their own homes ? Its very creepy to look into someones window. You get some ''stazi operative'' looking in your window if you don't pay whether you are guilty or innocent of having a TV.

Bit of a overreaction there from you. I somehow doubt the inspector climbed up to the second story of the house to look in the window. I suspect the inspector could see the tv as he/she approached the house. Also bringing up the Stasi in comparison to this is an insult to those who had to live in east Germany which Germany was still divided - there is no comparison.

psychward

UDP wrote: »

Bit of a overreaction there from you. I somehow doubt the inspector climbed up to the second story of the house to look in the window. I suspect the inspector could see the tv as he/she approached the house. Also bringing up the Stasi in comparison to this is an insult to those who had to live in east Germany which Germany was still divided - there is no comparison.

Are you East German ? If not then you have no business becoming insulted on behalf of them.
Fu(k any prick whos job is to look in my window into the privacy of my living room where my little toddler might be having a bath in a small plastic tub in front of the fire etc. This is not East Germany where such practices were normal.

Is the word of a law abiding citizen of good character that he never possessed a TV to be taken in court above the word of one of these stasi pricks who cannot tell from a distance whether the screen is connected to a tuner or not ? In order to prove their case in court do we assume that these stasi inspired pricks working for the government need to take a photograph of my living room through the window? Even more invasion of privacy which is unacceptable in 2012.

UDP

psychward wrote: »

Are you East German ?

Yes. :pac:

psychward wrote: »

Is the word of a law abiding citizen of good character that he never possessed a TV to be taken in court above the word of one of these stasi pricks who cannot tell from a distance whether the screen is connected to a tuner or not ? In order to prove their case in court do we assume that these stasi inspired pricks working for the government need to take a photograph of my living room through the window? Even more invasion of privacy which is unacceptable in 2012.

The guy was playing the PS3 on his TV. A TV generally has a tuner built into it so if it didnt have a tuner built in then the person in question could have challenged the case but I highly doubt it had a tuner built in. Also it often doesnt take much to spot a TV that is in someones sitting room when that room is at the front of the house. In fact the inspection officers can search your house althought iirc when I read the law it wasn't clear if a Garda needed to be present.

CptSternn

The point was made in another forum I was reading -

If this is a 'broadcast tax' that is supposed to cover TV/Internet, then why are we paying VAT on our broadband and TV services? Isn't that a double tax?

If I am forced to pay a yearly fee no matter what, if I do decide to get the services I am already being taxed for, how can they justify taxing me a second time once I officially get the services which they are already forcing me to pay for?

RangeR

CptSternn wrote: »

The point was made in another forum I was reading -

If this is a 'broadcast tax' that is supposed to cover TV/Internet, then why are we paying VAT on our broadband and TV services? Isn't that a double tax?

If I am forced to pay a yearly fee no matter what, if I do decide to get the services I am already being taxed for, how can they justify taxing me a second time once I officially get the services which they are already forcing me to pay for?

Realistically everything after income tax is double tax. Your case appears to be a triple / quad tax.

seamus

CptSternn wrote: »

If this is a 'broadcast tax' that is supposed to cover TV/Internet, then why are we paying VAT on our broadband and TV services? Isn't that a double tax?

No. The "broadcast" tax is covering the cost to the person providing the broadcast. The charge on your TV and broadband service covers the cost of providing access to the broadcast. The VAT charged on this is a standard rate and unrelated to the actual service being provided.

A double taxation would be charging VAT on the broadcast charge.

wasay911

Can somebody tell me what you have to do when you are moving out of the house that you are renting, do you have to inform them that you won't be needing the tv licence anymore or what. Say if i don't have a tv in other place where you are moving to?

seamus

The TV licence buys you the entitlement to have a TV at your premises for one year. It's not a tax on having a TV at your premises. So if you lose or dispose of the TV, I don't think there's any way to get a refund.

You can transfer the licence to a new premises, but to the best of my knowledge you can't get a refund.

wasay911

seamus wrote: »

The TV licence buys you the entitlement to have a TV at your premises for one year. It's not a tax on having a TV at your premises. So if you lose or dispose of the TV, I don't think there's any way to get a refund.

You can transfer the licence to a new premises, but to the best of my knowledge you can't get a refund.

no i'm not looking for a refund say if i move out of the house a month before my license expires, will they send me a notice for renewing it. Basically how would they know that i'm still at the same address or not, So that i don't receive a fine for not paying the licence for the next year when i'm not at that address.
thanks

seamus

wasay911 wrote: »

no i'm not looking for a refund say if i move out of the house a month before my license expires, will they send me a notice for renewing it. Basically how would they know that i'm still at the same address or not, So that i don't receive a fine for not paying the licence for the next year when i'm not at that address.
thanks

Well, you can't recieve a fine for not having a TV licence if you don't live at that other address.

If your current licence hasn't expired when you move out, then just contact an post and they will move your current licence to the new address.

Then you will get a renewal notice to you new address and you can ignore it. The TV licence man will come around and you invite him in and show him that you have no TV.

wasay911

seamus wrote: »

Well, you can't recieve a fine for not having a TV licence if you don't live at that other address.

If your current licence hasn't expired when you move out, then just contact an post and they will move your current licence to the new address.

Then you will get a renewal notice to you new address and you can ignore it. The TV licence man will come around and you invite him in and show him that you have no TV.

Thanks

BostonB

What the tax is used for is irrelevanty they are just finding ways to fill the overall tax take. Ultimately they'll reach a point where its too expensive and people working will leave and go pay tax somewhere else.

They are doing this to recoup 24 million they think they are missing. They could cut this out of RTE's budget and make the same saving.

BrianD

psychward wrote: »

The method of collection for this unfair oppressive disproportionate tax makes me very very angry. What kind of fu(king government pays people to look in your window? Is there no right to privacy for families in their own homes ? Its very creepy to look into someones window. You get some ''stazi operative'' looking in your window if you don't pay whether you are guilty or innocent of having a TV.

Many countries have a TV licence and the accompanying enforcement.