Help needed, a thousand quid on the line...

GBDG1

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The idea comes from my utter hatred of the rules regarding students having to have a separate Tv license from their parents while living in uni halls of residence.

I was recently having a scan over the T&Cs on their website and noticed that there is one exception to this rule. If a tv is powered by an internal battery, then it is covered by the license of the parents.

This got me thinking about tv cards and laptops, basically I am wondering if anyone can see any flaw in the logic that a laptop with a tv card is effectively a tv powered by an internal battery and is thus covered by a parental tv license?

Does anyone have any knowledge in this area?

Cheers.
 
I think that the TV licence people will (not incorrectly) argue that, as laptops also run on AC power, anyone pursuing this route will still have to cough up the cash. But that's just my guess ...
 
tricky one to answer.

Laptops run on DC power though, ac into a psu which charges the dc battery at low voltage..........
 
also so do pocket TVs the can run on DC power and batteries, so if you dont need a licence for pocket TVs why a laptop?

is there a screen size restriction?
 
shahedz said:
also so do pocket TVs the can run on DC power and batteries, so if you dont need a licence for pocket TVs why a laptop?

is there a screen size restriction?

Considering the moves afoot to make a license fee probable for watching TV via mobiles,I cant see much mileage in the battery argument.

This also seems to refer clearly to PCs and laptops here...


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/4708170.stm
 
Out of interest, why should students be exempt from the licence fees
 
probably because students live on less than 6 grand a year... well unless mummy and daddy still wipe their botty that is...
 
scouse said:
probably because students live on less than 6 grand a year... well unless mummy and daddy still wipe their botty that is...
Should they also have free fags & booze as well then
 
Good idea Ian :clap:

I'll have a 30 pack of stella with my student loan please.
 
scouse said:
probably because students live on less than 6 grand a year... well unless mummy and daddy still wipe their botty that is...

I've worked and lived in areas with high student numbers ever since I graduated thirteen years ago, and have observed a steep increase in binge drinking chain smoking students in pubs
- it seems that increasing numbers are pi##ing away that "6 grand a year" on fags and snakebites and black (and they seem the type who are just about able to wipe their botties by themselves :D )
 
Londondecca said:
Out of interest, why should students be exempt from the licence fees

More to the point, why should they be watching TV ? They should be bingeing on sex and drugs like we did :rotfl:
 
in my halls there was 3 ways of avoiding it. First of all, if an inspector came round, the whole halls would no about it within 20 mins. In my flat one girl used to have a half filled out form and would say "thats so strange i just got my tv from my house today and im filling the thing out as we speak!" then just pay up the license or see if they let it go as long as she posts it in.
Another flat mate used to throw his arial out the window and grab it back when they left, saying he only used the screen to watch tapes from the library for research.
I used to put my tv in another guys room! mainly cos he was never in, and secondly because he didnt have a tv and it wouldnt look out of place. I had a pc in my room so used to say, nah im more of a gaming man myself, ill watch sports at the pub
BUT you know you dont actually have to let them into your flat unless they are accompanied by the police?
 
Reminds me of The Young Ones when Vyvyan ate the television :D
 
JohnG said:
Reminds me of The Young Ones when Vyvyan ate the television :D

That made me smile :clap:

We just never opened the door.
 
I would personally say that you should contact them and ask them if your laptop runs on battery if it qualifies under the battery rules. This seams like a perfectly valid argument to me. Don't let the BBC article put you off as the BBC are hardly a neutral source of information about TV licenses.

The government will often put out articles or letters or threats to increase revenue when in reality you don't actually have to pay in those situations. As far as they are concerned it is thier jobs to get the money from you and your responsibility to determine if you don't have to pay. If they can sucker you into paying a tax or license for something that you don't have to, they will.

Contact them and find out, then post the information up on the forums so that everybody knows. I believe that it would be a good idea also to get some legal advice about this. I am sure if you approach your local legal aid, somebody would give you some free advice on if you are in the open or you need a license.
 
scouse said:
probably because students live on less than 6 grand a year... well unless mummy and daddy still wipe their botty that is...

i find it much harder to find a student that isnt getting that treatment :D


licenses are for premesis, so if you live in a premesis that has a tv and not a license get one or dont watch tv. i have to pay for one so you bloody well can too!
 
It also depends on whether your TV is in a room which can be locked or not. So if a few people are sharing one property but each of their rooms are lockable, then they will all need a licence if they have a TV in that room.
 
The thing that really puzzles me about the Tv license is why it costs so much. Surely the cost of filling a network with a reasonable standard of television is the same no matter how many people watch it, therefore does it matter to anyone if students don't pay. For example, Holland has 3 none commercial channels, which is manages to maintain by only generating revenue from the 16 million people of the country. Why, because programs are being transmitted to 60 million people would it magically cost more to make them? Certainly the cost of transmitting it would increase, but surely this increase is nominal considering that the infrastructure is already in place. It's not even as if the beeb is allowed to make a profit, if they have a surplus they acctually have to invent ways to spend the money!
 
Who cares, just pay the damn thing and get used to being taxed for completely illogical reasons, there will be a lot more come. The TV Licence people always blitz university areas and on campus digs.
 
Chumpy said:
just pay the damn thing and get used to being taxed for completely illogical reasons, there will be a lot more come.


How very true. Such is life.
 

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