OT Totally, and a little bit rude... The side effects of fixing empty buildings...

[Tim S]

Ed Sirett coughed up some electrons that declared:

Sorry...

Everyone has a story about an inept CORGI bloke, but on the whole, I think that the general public do believe that CORGI is there to try to make paid-for gas work safe.

Crapita are running the gassafe register - are they actually going to manage people like you (assessments etc)?

FFS. They know how to be dickheads morelike.

"We know you have a boiler but our records show no Crapita-GasFitter has attended your address for x-years. Sign up for an authorised system check or we'll RIDDOR you immediately".

I thought it was "use of apparatus capable of receiving broadcasts".

So, technically, unless the device is tunerless, that may be the case.

For recorded shows (use iPlayer later than the original broadcast), no, I don't think so (might be wrong). I'm not sure on the technicalities of a simulataneous iPlayer/TV broadcast. One could argue iPlayer isn't radio-wave based and that's what the license covers - but I don;t know the wording of the act. I seem to recall that the whole iPlayer/license thing hasn;t been fully resolved.

I've found iPlayer to be poor quality anyway - might as well P2P it, if it's a popular show.

Cheers

Tim

[geoff]

As far as I'm concerned, they can bleat all they like

I don't have a TV receiver at work, nor would we have time to watch one if we did

mind you, it might be worth getting one and having it sitting somewhere prominent, but with no mains lead or aerial cable. Using, not possessing, is what you need a license for, lets not forget that.

[Andrew]

How about claiming to write software - and suggesting you may turn up at their offices to check if any unlicensed copies are in use on their computers!

The OP asked if he will end up in prison. If he does he will no doubt find his cell has a TV! Perhaps the court of human rights will consider this to be a cruel and degrading punishment!

Andrew (who has suffered years of harassment from TV licensing)

[<me9]

Or installing, but that need a working aerial. A TV not tuned in to any local station isn't installed.

I wonder how many cases have gone to court without an admission of guilt.

I gathr viewing in (near) realtime via the internet is also covered by recent amendments, hence the talk about computers.

[John Rumm]

In fact I think you can actually use a TV without one if you are in the business of repairing / designing them etc, since you need to be able to prove them with an off air signal. Should be easy enough to pull off in your workshop ;-)

[John Rumm]

From 205+VAT (or about £10 more at CPC)

[John Rumm]

No, you need to actually use it for the purpose of watching or recording to require a license:

Does iPlayer count as 'broadcast' and therefore any Laptop, PC, games

I don't think iPlayer counts - you are watching a recording - so its the "person" making the recording that needs the license.

However watching the news channel live may well.

In fact from the FAQ "Will I need a TV Licence to watch programmes on BBC iPlayer?

If you use the BBC iPlayer to watch TV programmes at the same time as they are being shown on TV (live) then you will need to be covered by a valid TV Licence.

If you use the BBC iPlayer to watch BBC programmes after they have been broadcast - either to download, or via streaming 'on demand' you will not need a TV Licence. "

[John Rumm]

Indeed, but even that has complications... how far do you have to be out of sync for it not to count?

What about if you watch a recording that someone (with a licence) made for you off air. No license required typically. Now what if they happen to be broadcasting a repeat of the program at the same time you happen to choose to watch your recording?

[The Natural Philosopher]

Ah. so what if the system imposes a natural half second delay..like all digital TV does.. ;-)

[clumsy bastard]

more likely his cell will contain an unplumbed toilet facility and a very large thug who has decided any sex is better than no sex.

[dennis]

You do download it and not just click play?

[Rod]

iPlayer, used via Virgin cable, automatically plays what is on BBC1 when you first enter it. So it is impossible to view programs without first having 'received' the current broadcast live, albeit for just a few seconds.

(I *know* it would be very unusual, not to say perverse, to watch *only* iPlayer programs and yet have cable installed. But it is not entirely impossible.)

[Clint Sharp]

In message , The Natural Philosopher writes

Your average STB used to be a nasty emitter of RFI on the HF bands as did the analogue Sky decoders (28MHz oscillator that leaked massively and verified across several boxes). Haven't checked for a few years as I decided a future of dodgy sweaters, bad teeth, pipe smoking, NHS glasses held together with sticking plaster and BO wasn't really for me (I decided not to become a radio amateur).

>

[dennis]

That's not a problem. the law that allows you to make a personal recording doesn't allow you to give it to someone else. You have broken copyright so you may as well break the TV license laws too. (unless it was a recording of a live event.)

[Huge]

Ho, hum. I'm just going on what I was told by my friend who designs front ends for military radios....

[Mike]

No, not even when I bought a new one just the other day.

The last one of them got invited into the house and was handed a paint brush on the night we moved into a house. He was after the previous owner who had done a runner leaving behind huge debts. We let him go after he'd finished a wall :)

[dennis]

I had cable broadband for ages but I did not take *any* TV from them.

(Sky broadband is better and cheaper for me now. If virgin offer 20+M unlimited without their stupid peak time caps for £10 pm I might go back.)

[John Rumm]

You possibly can lend a recording... not sure how much "fair use" is enshrined in our legislation (less than in the US I believe). Having said that I am not aware of any civil prosecutions being brought for technical violation of the time shifting provisions in copyright law.

Just seems to be another case of poor law resulting from sloppy drafting.

[Tim S]

John Rumm coughed up some electrons that declared:

Are you saying that our glorious legislators don't always think things through.

Oh, it can't be!

hehe

[John Rumm]

Indeed, I suppose the broadest interpretation of "while it is being broadcast" would require that you wait until the program is over before watching a recording.

But you could easily visualise a block of flats that has one licensed flat and a pile of media PCs streaming all the muxes to a NAS, with WifFi or Homeplug access for all the other flats that are then able to watch the broadcast streams 10 mins behind schedule.