4 ms·

I can only imagine the faux ignorance when a TV inspector knocks on your door and asks if your TV is running. "Huh, TV? I don't have a TV..."

sn00tz00t 3y ago
[flagged]
cf1241290841 3y ago
Wouldnt call it faux ignorance, the section of society without one is likely quite large. It was before youtube and co took off and the number of viewers very likely went down afterwards.
- scrollaway 3y ago
  I moved to the UK circa 2009 when I just turned 18. I was raised on the internet and broke enough not to own a TV. Got harassed by so, so many TV tax envelopes and visits over the next couple years, they were just SO convinced I was lying to them because of course some 18-something year old kid would have a TV, how could he not? Left a pretty bad taste in my mouth.
  - semanticist 3y ago
    I informed the TVLA that my mum's flat had been empty since her death and they can stop sending monthly harassing letters. Picked up the mail there again last weekend, we're now on an 'Enforcement Action' and _will_ be visited, etc, etc. Meanwhile, I'm 90% certain I'll be cancelling my own Licence soon and deleting iPlayer off my AppleTV, mostly because the BBC can't figure out how to make subtitles work on it, so if I'm going to have to pirate Doctor Who so my wife can watch with subtitles anyway, why bother paying in the first place? The BBC is definitely an institution whose best days are long past. It's not really their fault - successive generations of political ruling classes have really hated them and wanted to see the end of public service broadcasting in the UK, but when presented with opportunities to showcase their value the BBC are definitely experts at stuffing it up.
    - hunta2097 3y ago
      The TVLA is borderline criminal. It's the main reason I hate the BBC now. What other service is openly accessible but you get fined if you use it?
      - M95D 3y ago
        Use the bus without a ticket? Drive without insurance? Road tax?
        hunta2097 3y ago
        Kids can't accidentally drive a car or ride a bus (and most towns in the UK have pay-to-ride buses).
e2le 3y ago
For those without a TV, you may still require a license to watch live streams on your computer/smartphone. https://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/faqs/FAQ33 https://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/faqs/FAQ33
- IanCal 3y ago
  And on-demand things from the BBC, that got added in the last royal charter.
  - hunta2097 3y ago
    I wish they would just lock it away behind a licensed paywall.
- NikkiA 3y ago
  They word that as vaguely as possible, far more vague than the actual law states, but basically no, only if the stream is the equivalent of watching live on a BBC channel. They're just hoping you interpret their vague nonsense as liberally as possible 'to be safe'.
TheOtherHobbes 3y ago
Happened to an ex of mine. "Who? No, they're out. I'm just visiting." Got away with it too.
- arp242 3y ago
  Unless that person was a complete muppet they probably realized it was an excuse, but didn't think it was worth having a fight about it. And you're not obligated to talk to them or let them enter your home. "I don't have a TV and I'm not interested in having a discussion about it. Good day to you."
RajT88 3y ago
I remember reading about said ignorance once early smartphones and laptops could have a TV tuner.
- DaiPlusPlus 3y ago
  Other than the short-lived “HTC Lobster” (yes, that’s its name), which had a DVB-H receiver, I’m not aware of any phones having a TV tuner. Did any laptops have built-in tuners that weren’t just PC-cards, though? ——- EDIT: Huh… apparently the Lobster was actually TV-over-DAB and not DVB-H, which was used by some Nokia phones.
  - gryn 3y ago
    a lot of chinese, korean, or japanese. basically phones targeting the asian market had them. I remember buying a phone that had a retractable antenna on the side. most you were not able to buy outside asian markets since they would probably not work. much like dual sim phone, there was a lot more of them on phone targeting asian markets but very rare when the phone is targeting the rest of the world.
  - RajT88 3y ago
    Half remembering an article which I can no longer find from more than 15 years back... But I seem to recall there being TV tuners available for SD slots on both Palm and Windows devices. Phones didn't necessarily ship with the capability.
stevewallis 3y ago
In a classic episode of The Young Ones, when the TV inspector knocks on the door, the others stall him while Vyvyan attempts to eat the TV. Finally the inspector barges in and finds Vyvyan with a power cord hanging out of his mouth to which he replies “It’s a toaster”.
- arp242 3y ago
  I miss TV shows like that; just simple plots based on real-life scenarios that we can all relate to.

sn00tz00t 3y ago

[flagged]

cf1241290841 3y ago

Wouldnt call it faux ignorance, the section of society without one is likely quite large. It was before youtube and co took off and the number of viewers very likely went down afterwards.

scrollaway 3y ago
I moved to the UK circa 2009 when I just turned 18. I was raised on the internet and broke enough not to own a TV. Got harassed by so, so many TV tax envelopes and visits over the next couple years, they were just SO convinced I was lying to them because of course some 18-something year old kid would have a TV, how could he not? Left a pretty bad taste in my mouth.
- semanticist 3y ago
  I informed the TVLA that my mum's flat had been empty since her death and they can stop sending monthly harassing letters. Picked up the mail there again last weekend, we're now on an 'Enforcement Action' and _will_ be visited, etc, etc. Meanwhile, I'm 90% certain I'll be cancelling my own Licence soon and deleting iPlayer off my AppleTV, mostly because the BBC can't figure out how to make subtitles work on it, so if I'm going to have to pirate Doctor Who so my wife can watch with subtitles anyway, why bother paying in the first place? The BBC is definitely an institution whose best days are long past. It's not really their fault - successive generations of political ruling classes have really hated them and wanted to see the end of public service broadcasting in the UK, but when presented with opportunities to showcase their value the BBC are definitely experts at stuffing it up.
  - hunta2097 3y ago
    The TVLA is borderline criminal. It's the main reason I hate the BBC now. What other service is openly accessible but you get fined if you use it?
    - M95D 3y ago
      Use the bus without a ticket? Drive without insurance? Road tax?
      - hunta2097 3y ago
        Kids can't accidentally drive a car or ride a bus (and most towns in the UK have pay-to-ride buses).

e2le 3y ago

For those without a TV, you may still require a license to watch live streams on your computer/smartphone. https://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/faqs/FAQ33 https://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/faqs/FAQ33

IanCal 3y ago
And on-demand things from the BBC, that got added in the last royal charter.
- hunta2097 3y ago
  I wish they would just lock it away behind a licensed paywall.
NikkiA 3y ago
They word that as vaguely as possible, far more vague than the actual law states, but basically no, only if the stream is the equivalent of watching live on a BBC channel. They're just hoping you interpret their vague nonsense as liberally as possible 'to be safe'.

TheOtherHobbes 3y ago

Happened to an ex of mine. "Who? No, they're out. I'm just visiting." Got away with it too.

arp242 3y ago
Unless that person was a complete muppet they probably realized it was an excuse, but didn't think it was worth having a fight about it. And you're not obligated to talk to them or let them enter your home. "I don't have a TV and I'm not interested in having a discussion about it. Good day to you."

RajT88 3y ago

I remember reading about said ignorance once early smartphones and laptops could have a TV tuner.

DaiPlusPlus 3y ago
Other than the short-lived “HTC Lobster” (yes, that’s its name), which had a DVB-H receiver, I’m not aware of any phones having a TV tuner. Did any laptops have built-in tuners that weren’t just PC-cards, though? ——- EDIT: Huh… apparently the Lobster was actually TV-over-DAB and not DVB-H, which was used by some Nokia phones.
- gryn 3y ago
  a lot of chinese, korean, or japanese. basically phones targeting the asian market had them. I remember buying a phone that had a retractable antenna on the side. most you were not able to buy outside asian markets since they would probably not work. much like dual sim phone, there was a lot more of them on phone targeting asian markets but very rare when the phone is targeting the rest of the world.
- RajT88 3y ago
  Half remembering an article which I can no longer find from more than 15 years back... But I seem to recall there being TV tuners available for SD slots on both Palm and Windows devices. Phones didn't necessarily ship with the capability.

stevewallis 3y ago

In a classic episode of The Young Ones, when the TV inspector knocks on the door, the others stall him while Vyvyan attempts to eat the TV. Finally the inspector barges in and finds Vyvyan with a power cord hanging out of his mouth to which he replies “It’s a toaster”.

arp242 3y ago
I miss TV shows like that; just simple plots based on real-life scenarios that we can all relate to.