Re: [Hampshire] I am a person not a PC...

On Thu, 4 Dec 2008, Jack Knight wrote:

>>> Stephen Rowles wrote:
>> I just find I don't watch TV, or even have time to watch TV, with a 7
>> month old child around ;)
>>
>> I've doubled checked and according to the TV license web site:
>>
>> "You must be covered by a valid TV Licence if you watch or record
>> television programmes as they're being shown on TV."
>>
>> And from an article on the BBC news:
>>
>> "The law says that anyone who uses a TV, or any other device, to receive
>> TV signals, must buy a licence."
>>
>> The key thing being there was no receiving of TV signals go on, therefore
>> no license required.
>
> How does this affect devices such as Slingbox I wonder? Presumably there
> is a delay during payload assembly and retransmission of the relayed TV
> signal - does this then count as "live" - as in "as they're being shown"
> ?
>
> If the answer is yes, how about if they introduced a delay in the feed?
> Surely the signals are then being received *after* being shown on TV
> then.

My understanding (though IANAL) is that if the source of the program you
are watching is broadcast TV you need a license. So if a friend records
something for you and weeks later hands you a DVD of it you still need a
license to watch it at home, it doesn't matter how you delay or come by
the recording if it came from a UK broadcast you require a license to view
it.

If however you buy a legitimate DVD of something which was once broadcast
on TV (say Dr. Who) you don't need a license to watch the DVD.


Andy