BBC Secrecy

[Benipete]

The TV license is no more than another form of taxation to pay for jobs for the Boys.The old Eaton brigade etc.
They throw us the odd scrap or two but mainly its just a money grabbing racket.
Please don't say there is not enough revenue out there to support them because that was the excuse when we only had two channels,now we've got dozens of them.
End of rant(thank you)

 

[wadey]

Who remembers the Birt scandal?
"JOHN BIRT, the new Director-General of the BBC, has avoided tax by being paid as a freelance consultant - despite being a full-time employee of the Corporation. Instead of paying tax on his BBC salary, he has been taxed on whatever he chooses to pay himself from his private company.

According to the BBC, details of Mr Birt's pay as Director-General have still to be finalised. He took over his new job at Christmas instead of next month, as planned. But for six years as Deputy Director-General he was paid through his private company."

We needn't have adverts it should be able to fund itself by selling programmes abroad and on DVD etc and why do they keep letting them open more and more channels?

 

[Mancie]

I don't like adverts...on some channels there are adverts for up to 7 mins...a 30min BBC replay can be over 40 minutes on an independent channel...the TV license is not bad value when you match it up to most SKY packages.

 

[Neil]

I don't like adverts...on some channels there are adverts for up to 7 mins...a 30min BBC replay can be over 40 minutes on an independent channel...the TV license is not bad value when you match it up to most SKY packages.

But you are forced to pay it, with Sky you have a choice.

Why do the BBC keep starting new channels and new radio stations?
Also why are the BBC doing all the internet stuff they are now doing. They are supposed to provide unique TV programs, they don't need half a dozen TV channels and lots of DAB radio programs for that.

The internet side of things may be very good but how are commercial companies supposed to complete with it when they are not handed £billions every year?

We don't need the likes of Jonathan Ross being paid £millions to have a good TV program. If ITV want to pay him that much then fine, the BBC should be showcasing new artists and giving them a foothold into mainstream TV.

No need for all the reality TV rubbish, the other stations do that so its not very unique and can only be provided by the TV licence is it?

As far as I am concerned the BBC has got to big and inefficient, just like all Government owned companies. I am in two minds if it should stand on its own or be downsized.

We don't need all those TV channels showing repeats all the time. The annoying thing is that they don't repeat the new stuff at different times during the week on its extra channels.

Maybe we need to go to BBC1, BBC News, a childrens channel and 2 or 3 national radio stations only.

 

[Mancie]

here Neil...why don't you just write to Terry Wogan ..talkin bollox on here ain't gonna do nowt!

 

[blazey]

BBC iPlayer offers two services... delayed broadcast which requires no licence and live broadcast, which requires tv licence just like television.

Also, you can have tv channels blocked through sky and other providers so you wouldn't need a tv licence.

If you have a normal tv then don't tune the TV into the BBC channels. You don't HAVE to. I have had tvs in the past that I've not tuned in, it's not difficult with a bit of self control with the remote control.

TV licencing for delayed programmes won't happen because it would interfere with other channels licencing... for example UK gold plays repeats of old classics which were made for the BBC. It would be confusing. So it won't happen.

And if it does happen, well I'll eat my socks.


I can live without television anyway. It doesn't bother me in the slightest.

 

[Benipete]

I don't like adverts...on some channels there are adverts for up to 7 mins...a 30min BBC replay can be over 40 minutes on an independent channel...the TV license is not bad value when you match it up to most SKY packages.

You may find that the channel is owned by the BBC.

 

[Neil]

Also, you can have tv channels blocked through sky and other providers so you wouldn't need a tv licence.

Are you sure about that?

BBC is not encrypted on Sky so works without the Sky card in. I doubt they can block it and if they could pulling the card out would probably allow it to work again.

Freeview can not be blocked because it does not have a card and the providers don't have any access to your box.

Virgin might be able too because they appear to have more control over their boxes as the communicate back to Virgin all the time.

 

[MargaretR]

Virgin might be able too because they appear to have more control over their boxes as the communicate back to Virgin all the time.

I have read that all HD equipment, (be it either an HD ready tv or an HD box), is equipped with a camera and microphone which is capable of relaying sound and vision BACK down the cable......interesting.....tones of 1984?
Maybe tv engineers can confirm or deny that.

 

[Neil]

I have read that all HD equipment, (be it either an HD ready tv or an HD box), is equipped with a camera and microphone which is capable of relaying sound and vision BACK down the cable......interesting.....tones of 1984?
Maybe tv engineers can confirm or deny that.

That is not correct Margaret.

Virgin equipment does talk to virgin and Sky does through the phone line.

A Virgin box is a bit like a piece of internet equipment, it has MAC and IP addresses. Virgin know what channel your box is on and what you are watching. This comunication between your box and Virgin is what makes Virgin so good. You can select programs on demand and watch what you want from a big list of stuff. You can also watch it when you want, so you can pick a film and watch it now if you want, not wait until the next scheduled start time. The program is then sent to your box (sort of).

You can also access BBC iPlayer from your set top box and watch the programs on your TV like any other program. This is great because most normal people want to watch TV in the living room not sat at the PC (yes you can connect your PC to your TV but Virgins is an idiot proof system for normal humans) Sky's satellite system can not do this as there is no real communication back to Sky. Yes with Sky+ you can select some programmes to watch but these have been saved to your box by Sky so the choice is more limited.

 

[jaysay]

That is not correct Margaret.

Virgin equipment does talk to virgin and Sky does through the phone line.

A Virgin box is a bit like a piece of internet equipment, it has MAC and IP addresses. Virgin know what channel your box is on and what you are watching. This comunication between your box and Virgin is what makes Virgin so good. You can select programs on demand and watch what you want from a big list of stuff. You can also watch it when you want, so you can pick a film and watch it now if you want, not wait until the next scheduled start time. The program is then sent to your box (sort of).

You can also access BBC iPlayer from your set top box and watch the programs on your TV like any other program. This is great because most normal people want to watch TV in the living room not sat at the PC (yes you can connect your PC to your TV but Virgins is an idiot proof system for normal humans) Sky's satellite system can not do this as there is no real communication back to Sky. Yes with Sky+ you can select some programmes to watch but these have been saved to your box by Sky so the choice is more limited.

Don't know much about Virgin Neil, having had Sky since around 1992 and been quite happy with hat I have, have ever bothered much. I now have HD well I've had it for over two years and its very good, as for programs on demand there are more and more programs coming available on Sky Anytime which I use quite often especially for films

 

[blazey]

At the end of the day, if you don't want to pay a tv licence then don't use a service that forces you to, like Sky, if that is the case though I am not convinced that they can force you to buy into another service like that as well that requires a licence...

But at the end of the day, tv licensing doesn't affect me because I just use the online services and I'm happy enough at that. I can understand if you want to watch tv immediately... but patience is a virtue

 

[Neil]

At the end of the day, if you don't want to pay a tv licence then don't use a service that forces you to, like Sky, if that is the case though I am not convinced that they can force you to buy into another service like that as well that requires a licence...

I have no choice, that is what is wrong. I want to watch TV but am forced to buy a licence. Watching TV on a PC is not a viable option for my family.

 

[accyman]

I have no choice, that is what is wrong. I want to watch TV but am forced to buy a licence. Watching TV on a PC is not a viable option for my family.

get one of those flat tv's and put it on teh wall you share with your neighbour and run your ariel lead off their roof ariel

that way they cant say for sure which house the tv is in when the detector van comes around

just hope next door has a licence lol

 

[blazey]

get one of those flat tv's and put it on teh wall you share with your neighbour and run your ariel lead off their roof ariel

that way they cant say for sure which house the tv is in when the detector van comes around

just hope next door has a licence lol

As you'd have a tv in the room transmitting BBC channels, I think it would be pretty obvious...

People actually do this with bandwidth and I'm pretty sure they are committing theft when they get tried for it. Certainly don't get off lightly for it anyway.