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Re: [LUG] OT BBC License: Was: get_iplayer

 

Julian Hall wrote:
Gordon Henderson wrote:
On Tue, 23 Mar 2010, Benjamin M. A'Lee wrote:

Sadly it's the law.. not one I have EVER agreed with, but until
someone recognises that we are all being forced to pay a PRIVATE
company regardless of whether we use their services, it will
continue.

In some ways I don't mind paying the license fee - for advert free programming of a reasonable quality it's generally OK.

I never (well rarely) watch the ITV/Ch4/5/etc channels and then it's with the remote in-hand! I hate adverts with a passion. Will never ever listen to commercial radio - to the extent that I've walked out on jobs which had it going in the background.

The BBC isn't really a private company, though, is it? Though you're
right that having to pay for a licence whether or not you watch BBC is
ridiculous.

Personally I don't watch any TV at all, so don't pay for a licence.

That's fine, but what's becoming more worrying is how easy it is to get live TV streamed over the Internet now - basically everyone with a PC and a broadband connection has the capability to watch live TV, (even if it's only News 24!) and that's the definition of requiring a TV license )-:

Gordon

People have been prosecuted (successfully!) for owning a TV with the tuner removed! It can't physically receive a TV signal yet they were forced to pay the license fee. Mad.

Julian

I dont have a problem with the TV license - a lot of people winge about it and then pay sky £500+ for a much lower quality service and having been abroad a lot I can say that the quality of the BBC is not matched anywhere and props up the quality of the whole world.

To answer Julians point - yes people have been prosecuted for not having a tv license where they had TV with the receiver removed - the TV might not be able to receive a TV signal but it can show live TV from the video player that it was used with (if its the case I'm thinking of). So they could (and did) still watch live TV so not as mad as ITV/Murdoch would like you to think. The license really is the least evil of the alternatives. I can fully understand the BBC's desire to comply with the restrictions put on them when they buy in product. The simple solution is not to put it on IPlayer rather than make life incredibly difficult for us. Or not even transmit it in the first place - if they restricted the availability of the programs then the producers would rapidly change their copyright requirements. The BBC is, unfortunately, being conned into acting as a salesman for other companies and is cowtowing to the very people who would kill it off.
Tom te tom te tom

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