in the uk it's illegal for a retailer not to report any customer buying tv equipment to the tv licensing people, so one way or another that's probably what's happened. [edit] if the card isn't actually plugged into an aerial then you don't need a license, eg. using it to record xbox etc. [/edit]
It's not the intent, but the capability that matters. For instance, you walk down the street with a loaded SMG, you're going to get jumped in by armed police, it doesn't matter that you were'nt going to shoot any one(/thing) with it. - H.
Sorry thats just not true. You have to have very special situation for them to allow you to have anything like that without a licence. I know someone who has managed with a VCR that was only used for playback of shop bought Videos.. but they were a charity organisation... I don't take the risk of getting caught.. I just keep mine going. I just transfer it from house to house as I move. -J
No, it IS true - you're quite welcome to have a TV sitting in your loft gathering dust and not pay a TV license for it. The license conveys a right to "use or install television receiving equipment to receive or record television programme services"*. So if you're not using it at all, or if you're using it but not to receive TV broadcasts, you're okay. The problem is evidentiary - it's difficult for an individual to explain why they have a TV / VCR / PC TV card if they're not going to use it for watching / recording TV broadcasts. * - source http://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/index_frameset.html
you only need a Tv licence if you A) recieving broadcasts or B) able to record broadcasts. If you have a TV without an aerial you dont need a TV licence, However if you have a Tv with a VCR then you need one no matter what. But try explaining to TV man why you have a TV anyway, there basterds like that.
They have a list of all the houses in the country that haven't purchased TV licences. They go around in their detector van, and if they detect a signal coming from an unlicenced house they send you a letter or knock on your door or something. Sneaky. Apparently these people can be foiled if you simply refuse to let them in - they have no legal warrant to enter your house.
If they'd actually detected you, they wouldn't send a letter, they'd come knocking at the door to issue you a thousand quid fine. The reason k3nn received a letter is that his name and address must by law have been logged with the licensing authority (as fatal_error correctly surmised) when he bought his TV card.
they wont just come and fine you on the spot... i speak from experience here you get a written warning or 2, then they come knocking and warn you to get one straight away and caution you, then if you dont get one shortly and they come around again and if have the tv on or its connected to an aerial they will start the ball rolling to fine you. Personnaly speaking i didnt bother getting a licencse till they came knocking which saved me £50 odd both times it happened and different places.
It is actually very true - you don't need to pay a TV licence if you only hook up a PS2/Xbox/DVD player. You pay to use the tuner, i.e to receive broadcast signals. If you're not receiving signals you don't need a licence. Simple as that Did you know that TV Detector Van evidence is not reliable enough to be used as evidence in court? And yep, no warrant = no entry. As far as I know the only way for them to obtain a warrant is to have visual evidence of you watching a broadcast signal - must be very tricky to prove.
ok i've got a Tv and no licence its not hooked up to an ariel but it is hooked up to a dvd recorder which has my computer hooked up to. like this s-video slot on gfx card-->>>>>---Panasonic Dvd recorder--->>>TV which i use to record things that i have downloaded normally japenese anime that you can not buy in this country. now seeing as you can not buy them in this county and they have not been broadcast in this country, do i need a licence before people start jumping all over me for breaking the copyright protection act the programs. I am talking about are fan subbed and not yet licenced so do not come under the act.
