TV Licensing for Car TV?

[Rab]

A point brought up on another forum...

 

Say you havn't got a TV licence for some reason. BUT you receive broadcasted TV in your car. Do you require a TV licence?

 

And: If you have got a TV licence for your household, does that same TV licence extend to the use of a TV in the car?

 

 

Rab.

[Weird Al Yankovic]

I gather that a licence is required for anything capable of receiving signals, so, yes a car tv would need one, just like a mobile, hand held tv.

 

However, you would only need the licence registered to your home and if you won the car, or a member of your household does, then fine.

 

My understanding anyway.

[buzby]

(1) Yes, you car-TV needs a licence.

(2) Yes, you home TV licence will cover it, as it would if you have a TV in a caravan or motorhome.

 

That said, there is no fleet of 'detector' vans any more, and enforcement is now wholly based on them expecting every address in the UK with a postcode to have a licence, therefore the possibility of your car having its own postcode is slim - and your requirement to exhibit a licence to a TVLC (!) inspector is not going to happed.

[Conniff]

The above are true except that the home license only covers it if it is not used at the same time as the one in the home.

 

So if someone in your house is watching tv, then you can't use the one in the car on the way to work. You will require a seperate license.

(Of course you are not allowed to watch tv in a moving car from the drivers seat anyway)

 

 

A licence -

• (a) to install and use television receivers at each of the places specified in the licence or, as the case may be, in each of the vehicles, vessels or caravans so specified ("the specified locations");

£121.00 for each place, vehicle, vessel or caravan specified in the licence.

(b) to install and use television receivers in any vehicle, vessel or caravan being used or occupied by the licensee or by a person normally living at one of the specified locations, being installation or use not covered by a licence described in Schedule 5, provided that a receiver may not be used in a caravan, other than a touring caravan, at the same time as a receiver is being used at the specified location at which the person using the receiver normally lives; and

 

© for the use anywhere of any television receiver powered solely by its own internal batteries by the licensee or by a person normally living at one of the specified locations.

 

 

I think.

[Weird Al Yankovic]

Conniff, I think you are right.

 

It appears that if you live alone then that is the only time a licence can be used at any location.

 

How bizarre.

[buzby]

I think we have to be realistic here - and in much the same way PC software can be installed on multiple PCs but not for multiple usage, the TV licence operates in exactly the same way.

 

If the user honestly believes there is no concurrent usage then there is no issue. However, for those organisations that provide live TV (say on coaches) this means a TV licence will be required by the firm (and not covered by the driver's home licence), but as pointed out earlier, irrespective of the actual stated requirements, enforcement is unlikely to happen for the reasons previously stated.

[Weird Al Yankovic]

Agreed Buzby.

This does seem to be a grey area despite the explosion of in-car entertainment in recent years.

[buzby]

I remember trialling a set-up in the early 70's, the car (a limo) had a large V-shaped aerial on the boot, and everybody who saw the thing in action agreed that it was impossible to watch anything whilst on the move! Even if you tried, the chances of enjoying anything you watched was minimal 'cos it kept going black and white then disappearing in static. I don't think it has improved any!

[Weird Al Yankovic]

 

I remember watching Italia '90 World Cup on a 'hand held' minature tv in work with a group of lads and the picture was awful and black and white. We just used it for the commentary really.

 

To think now dvd's can be watched in a car.

[buzby]

You mean like a radio...? That might just catch on!

 

You're absolutely right on the DVD alternative - 100% better picture and no prospect of missing sections of the action. I've also seen car systems with hard disk players for showing previously broadcast programming, but the interesting thing here is (and getting back on topic) is that viewing these programmes (as timeshift) means no licence is required!