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Housekeeping

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Original poster

Do I need an actual telly these days??

24 replies

spots · 01/09/2013 14:02

... or can I just use laptops wired up to a bigger monitor? How many channels are available this way? I hardly watch TV at all these days but dd3 watches tons of cbeebies, usually on laptop. Would love to free up a corner of the living room, and possibly have more flexibility in where we watch.

OP posts:

Cindy34 · 01/09/2013 14:40

No but isn't a tv just the same as a big monitor?

Lots of things are available online via catchup services, ondemand movie services and live feeds like TVCatchup.com

MurderOfGoths · 01/09/2013 14:44

I think you' be fine with a monitor, I know we did it like that for a while. It's easier in a lot of ways. Between iplayer etc there's a lot of choice, and then of course there's netflix and lovefilm. I think even tescos have launched an online library of tv etc.

Our TV is essentially just a monitor now as we realised we only watched TV once a month at most, and that was only out of boredom. So we removed the cables and stopped paying a license fee, the TV just hooks up to a playstation now.

delasi · 01/09/2013 16:55

Murder Same here, only Xbox until it dies and DH gets his way with a brand new shiny PS....

You can also link up a TV or monitor to a streaming box thing (technical term ). We have a TV purely because they're easy to find, come in big sizes, and are often on offer. We haven't had a license in a long time (only had it originally because we didn't realise we didn't need it), TV isn't hooked up to any aerials, and we only ever watch on demand and subscription services (plus a few DVDs and rentals).

In terms of channels, BBC iPlayer and 4OD are the most reliable ime. You can pay for Netflix (£5.99/month, free trials available), which we do because we like the catalogue available. However I believe ITV and 5 also have on demand services, but they don't have anything that I'm interested in seeing.

overmydeadbody · 01/09/2013 16:59

Well a big monitor is just like a tv, but as long as you are happy with the size of the monitor (for ages I only had a little laptop and it was rubbish if I wanted to watch a film with DS and DP, we couldn't all see it).

We have a tv screen but it's not connected to recieve tv, no ariel or anything, just hooked up to playstation and laptops.

MurderOfGoths · 01/09/2013 17:38

Nice to see we aren't alone in this. Other people look at us like we are mad when we say our TV doesn't receive and TV programmes

VikingVagine · 01/09/2013 17:55

If you on
Y watch things on catchup and never live, you can do away with your tv, and more interestingly, your tv licence. Legally.

VikingVagine · 01/09/2013 17:55

If you only*

Original poster

spots · 01/09/2013 18:24

Is that right?? I'm sure I've had a warning of some sort pop up just reminding me that I need one when I've been watching iPlayer or 4OD...

DH would wonder about live sports events I suppose...

OP posts:

MurderOfGoths · 01/09/2013 18:30

Only if you are watching it live. Otherwise you don't need a license. Obviously they'd rather you paid it anyway...

TravelinColour · 01/09/2013 18:30

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

morethanpotatoprints · 01/09/2013 18:35

I don't think anybody has ever needed a tv. They have their place but aren't necessary and if you can access programmes on a lap top then they are even less wanted.

Original poster

spots · 01/09/2013 21:06

I don't need a telly for myself at all, but as a tool for keeping other members of the family happy it certainly has its place. :)

Thanks for all your help y'all.

OP posts:

Cindy34 · 01/09/2013 21:46

Question for those of you without a Tv license, does TV licensing still send you letters frequently trying to get you to buy a license, send people round to check, or have they decided to cease with that now that more people are not having a license.

I am at a cross roads, We don't watch much live TV so don't really need a license. However morally I am not sure about how I feel about not contributing to the things we do watch on iplayer, listen to on the radio.

delasi · 01/09/2013 21:58

Cindy At first we got a few letters: Warning! We will send an officer around! You have not renewed your licence! despite having spoken to them on the phone to explain why we didn't need a licence (we can't watch TV even if we wanted to, there's no aerial connection). But no one ever came and they just gave up sending letters. Haven't heard from them in nearly a year (cancelled licence about a year and a half ago). I've had family do the same - cancelled licence, a few months of red 'warning' letters, and then nothing. I have heard that some people do get checked, apparently they just come and look at the TV and check there's no connection to an aerial or something similar. There are also those vans that drive around scanning for TV signals ...or something.

YoungBritishPissArtist · 01/09/2013 23:42

It's licence, not license.

Vivacia · 02/09/2013 11:31

We still pay for the licence even though we only use the tv for the PS and Netflix. Its more than worth it for the amount of radio and iPlayer we watch.

valiumredhead · 02/09/2013 12:29

Why pay for something you don't need?

Young-what a great contribution to the thread

MurderOfGoths · 02/09/2013 14:26

I think I'm just going to keep writing license just because it's obviously hitting a nerve

MurderOfGoths · 02/09/2013 14:27

We notified the TV licensing lot online, all we ever got was a letter acknowledging that we no longer had to pay, and then nothing since.

YoungBritishPissArtist · 02/09/2013 15:35

Sorry about my spelling strop last night I was feeling ill and grumpy.

I ditched my telly years ago and just watch on the Internet, usually iPlayer and 4oD. If you watch ITV Player, I think you have to subscribe and pay 20p or something to watch things over a week old.

Like being a sports fan, if you watch X Factor, BGT, etc and like to live-Tweet, then it's no good, but I can live with that!

I feel like I've regained so much more time with no TV. I used to switch on and sit in front of it all evening, now I'm more selective.

specialsubject · 02/09/2013 18:39

you can tell Capita Tv licensing that you don't watch things live, and they generally will stop bothering you.

of course if too many people do this, no BBC.

MrsAMerrick · 02/09/2013 21:23

We have an internet enables tv, so can watch live tv as usual, but also can switch it to iplayer, netflix, Youtube etc if we need to. It doesn't take up much room in the living room, no more than a monitor would, and it's fairly light so if necessary we plug it in elsewhere (we have aerial point in kitchen). Well, that's the theory but in practice we usually watch stuff in the kitchen via laptop....

Vivacia · 03/09/2013 20:58

Why pay for something you don't need?
I pay for an awful lot of things I don't need. It's worth every penny of the £145.

valiumredhead · 03/09/2013 21:07

But you don't need to pay for it? That's like paying extra for electricity 'because it's worth it'

It's not even a loophole our dodging the law-if you don't watch live TV then you don't need to buy a license.

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