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What I really want is a dumb panel with no TV receiver; this makes it a monitor, and not subject to Ireland’s TV licensing law. There are commercial panels, but

What I really want is a dumb panel with no TV receiver; this makes it a monitor, and not subject to Ireland’s TV licensing law. There are commercial panels, but the power draw on the ones I’ve seen is higher than a regular 40 inch TV. Plus, finding one that’s available in Ireland.. well, it’s a smallish island with a population of 5 million, and it’s not a common purchase. I probably need to re-evaluate the pricing on 40 inch computer monitors, if I can find a non-4K one.

microbass 4y ago
I've been using a 40 inch 4k Iiyama monitor for 6 or 7 years, and it's been great as a TV. I've told the TV license people that I don't have a TV, and they leave me alone. Well worth the cost upfront, as I haven't had to pay a stupid licence fee for years.
robomartin 4y ago
> Ireland’s TV licensing law Can you expand on this? What is this law? What's the impact on a TV vs. a monitor?
- unsafecast 4y ago
  I don't live in Ireland, but from what I've read: you need to pay annually for a license if you have anything capable of receiving TV, even if you don't use it.
- cricalix 4y ago
  The law basically says a panel with the capacity to receive a TV signal via integrated receiver is a TV. That means you owe a fee for the privilege of owning such a device. Simply removing the receiver circuit is not valid, since it can be repaired. https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/consumer/phone_internet_tv_and_postal_services/tv_licences.html https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/consumer/phone_interne... Has a summary.
  - cricalix 4y ago
    I suppose technically a panel with HDMI input counts anyway these days, because external receivers put out HDMI, but I don’t know if the prosecution of the law has caught up to that.
  - robomartin 4y ago
    Thanks for the link. From the article: "A TV licence costs €160" "You can be fined up to €1,000 (or €2,000 for subsequent offences) if you do not have a TV licence when you need one." "An Post keeps a database of every premises which should have a TV licence. The database is regularly updated." "A TV inspector could visit your premises to check if you have a TV." "If you have been fined and you breach court orders directing you to pay their television licence, you can be imprisoned." Wow, that is just ridiculous, insane really. Particularly when you consider that lower income households could definitely use the €160. I've always said it, there's a huge difference between what you read about a place or experience as a tourist and actually living there. I see this in comments from Europeans who have never lived in the US.
    - psd1 4y ago
      Not sure about Ireland, but in the UK, the TV license funds the BBC. Until the Tories made that DG a political appointment and the political coverage went to shit, I found that quite fair. I've also spent the bulk of my life neither paying the fee nor owning a telly. The cost is comparable to Netflix and cheaper than buying a console game every second month. Not to moralise, but are you arguing it's a fundamental right to stare at the gogglebox? I'm progressive but that's a step too far for me.
      - cricalix 4y ago
        In Ireland it funds RTE TV/radio. I don't consume the television and radio media that RTE produces, and thus consider the fee a grab for money they're not owed. https://www.rte.ie/news/2022/0711/1309666-media-commission/ https://www.rte.ie/news/2022/0711/1309666-media-commission/ (I get the irony of linking to rte.ie for a news story) indicates that the fee may be changed to be a wider funding of the arts and media in Ireland. That would make me consider changing my mind and stance, but at that point I'd rather see a % based take-off of my income so that less affluent households are affected to a lesser degree.
karmakaze 4y ago
I use a 42.5" LG 43UD79 4k monitor as a computer screen. It's fine for work/text and non-AAA gaming. For photorealism/movies the blacks or vividness of colours is not as dramatic as TVs so I don't use it much for that. Why is a non-4k one preferred? I notice it's discontinued now and there are newer LG 43" monitors (with maybe better blacks/saturation).
vie00001 4y ago
Same law here in Austria. Now we got companies that sell TVs without antennas and receiver. These also dumb TVs. https://nogis.at/ https://nogis.at/
- cricalix 4y ago
  Whoa. Wonder if they’ll ship to Ireland. I can deal with smart -> neutered by not giving it Wi-Fi or Ethernet access..
jtokoph 4y ago
Can you buy an American TV that supports 230v, but doesn’t support the European broadcast format?

microbass 4y ago

I've been using a 40 inch 4k Iiyama monitor for 6 or 7 years, and it's been great as a TV. I've told the TV license people that I don't have a TV, and they leave me alone. Well worth the cost upfront, as I haven't had to pay a stupid licence fee for years.

robomartin 4y ago

> Ireland’s TV licensing law Can you expand on this? What is this law? What's the impact on a TV vs. a monitor?

unsafecast 4y ago
I don't live in Ireland, but from what I've read: you need to pay annually for a license if you have anything capable of receiving TV, even if you don't use it.
cricalix 4y ago
The law basically says a panel with the capacity to receive a TV signal via integrated receiver is a TV. That means you owe a fee for the privilege of owning such a device. Simply removing the receiver circuit is not valid, since it can be repaired. https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/consumer/phone_internet_tv_and_postal_services/tv_licences.html https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/consumer/phone_interne... Has a summary.
- cricalix 4y ago
  I suppose technically a panel with HDMI input counts anyway these days, because external receivers put out HDMI, but I don’t know if the prosecution of the law has caught up to that.
- robomartin 4y ago
  Thanks for the link. From the article: "A TV licence costs €160" "You can be fined up to €1,000 (or €2,000 for subsequent offences) if you do not have a TV licence when you need one." "An Post keeps a database of every premises which should have a TV licence. The database is regularly updated." "A TV inspector could visit your premises to check if you have a TV." "If you have been fined and you breach court orders directing you to pay their television licence, you can be imprisoned." Wow, that is just ridiculous, insane really. Particularly when you consider that lower income households could definitely use the €160. I've always said it, there's a huge difference between what you read about a place or experience as a tourist and actually living there. I see this in comments from Europeans who have never lived in the US.
  - psd1 4y ago
    Not sure about Ireland, but in the UK, the TV license funds the BBC. Until the Tories made that DG a political appointment and the political coverage went to shit, I found that quite fair. I've also spent the bulk of my life neither paying the fee nor owning a telly. The cost is comparable to Netflix and cheaper than buying a console game every second month. Not to moralise, but are you arguing it's a fundamental right to stare at the gogglebox? I'm progressive but that's a step too far for me.
    - cricalix 4y ago
      In Ireland it funds RTE TV/radio. I don't consume the television and radio media that RTE produces, and thus consider the fee a grab for money they're not owed. https://www.rte.ie/news/2022/0711/1309666-media-commission/ https://www.rte.ie/news/2022/0711/1309666-media-commission/ (I get the irony of linking to rte.ie for a news story) indicates that the fee may be changed to be a wider funding of the arts and media in Ireland. That would make me consider changing my mind and stance, but at that point I'd rather see a % based take-off of my income so that less affluent households are affected to a lesser degree.

karmakaze 4y ago

I use a 42.5" LG 43UD79 4k monitor as a computer screen. It's fine for work/text and non-AAA gaming. For photorealism/movies the blacks or vividness of colours is not as dramatic as TVs so I don't use it much for that. Why is a non-4k one preferred? I notice it's discontinued now and there are newer LG 43" monitors (with maybe better blacks/saturation).

vie00001 4y ago

Same law here in Austria. Now we got companies that sell TVs without antennas and receiver. These also dumb TVs. https://nogis.at/ https://nogis.at/

cricalix 4y ago
Whoa. Wonder if they’ll ship to Ireland. I can deal with smart -> neutered by not giving it Wi-Fi or Ethernet access..

jtokoph 4y ago

Can you buy an American TV that supports 230v, but doesn’t support the European broadcast format?