Unutterably Silly Doctor Who New Episode!

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by iain_benson

If you buy a TV you generally have to give your details to the store so that they can inform the licensing people to check up on you.
They also check randomly on any addresses that aren't licensed to make sure you don't own a TV, and they have the power to enter and search premises (I think they need 'grounds to belive there is an unlicensed set on the premises', but lack of a license seems to be suitable grounds), and a generally very rude and obnoxious, refusing to belive there are people out there who could possibly have no wish to own a TV. (I do have a TV, but I have a few friends who are continually harrassed by them).

http://www.marmalade.net/lime/ is an interesting site about it!

In addition to the above, it is an interesting fact that it is a criminal, rather than a civil, offence not to have a TV licence, if you should have one.

[DixieGal]

I never had any idea about this until a couple of years ago. A girlfriend passed up going shopping, because she needed to send her mum $$$$ to help with the TV tax that year. I thought she was kidding, until I looked it up!

Such a thing would never fly in the US. TV's are vital because of things like storm warnings and such. And important stuff like 24 hr per day coverage of Michael Jackson's funeral.

[mklynds]

But DixieGal, the money is just to fund the BBC. We Canadians have our CBC which is publicly funded. But BBC has i think 4 channels as apposed to CBC's 1 channel. Correct me if I'm wrong here all you UK folk. Not to mention that BBC produces a bunch of very good shows as well as some very high budget shows. IE Top Gear. (I am a huge Top Gear Fan)

Thinking about this, is there any option to opt out of BBC content in leu of paying the money?

[Peverel]

Originally Posted by mklynds

But DixieGal, the money is just to fund the BBC. We Canadians have our CBC which is publicly funded. But BBC has i think 4 channels as apposed to CBC's 1 channel. Correct me if I'm wrong here all you UK folk. Not to mention that BBC produces a bunch of very good shows as well as some very high budget shows. IE Top Gear. (I am a huge Top Gear Fan)

Thinking about this, is there any option to opt out of BBC content in leu of paying the money?

The fee does go to fund the BBC and I think they have about 10 tv channels now (I did a quick count on the website so I may be a bit out) and obviously all the radio stations (local/National and worldwide). You do not need a license for a radio btw. There is no option to opt out of the fee if you don't watch BBC other than, as I did, to stop watching broadcast TV.

Now the indepentent TV channels over here (mainly ITV and Channel 4 as I don't believe that cable and sat channels are included) are having a really tough time as there revenue is advertising driven and they have suffered as other forms of media have due to the internet and sat/cable channels taking their advertising revenue. There has been talk recently that the independent TV channels should also get some of the license fee. To date that has been rejected.

[ShellShock]

Originally Posted by DixieGal

I never had any idea about this until a couple of years ago. A girlfriend passed up going shopping, because she needed to send her mum $$$$ to help with the TV tax that year. I thought she was kidding, until I looked it up!

Such a thing would never fly in the US. TV's are vital because of things like storm warnings and such. And important stuff like 24 hr per day coverage of Michael Jackson's funeral.

The TV license is a small price to pay for programmes without any commercial breaks. An hour long programme on BBC really is one hour of content, and not 40 minutes plus 20 minutes of filler (ad breaks). I believe the license fee also compares well with subscription services (satellite and cable).

[HarryT]

No, you can't "opt out" . Personally I think it's money very well spent. It funds the BBC TV channels (BBC1, BBC2, BBC3, BBC4, BBC News Channel, BBC Parliament, plus there are kids channels and things too), innumerable BBC radio stations, and all the BBC web sites. It's what permits the BBC to fund drama and educational programmes that just wouldn't be commercially viable for a broadcaster who has to make a profit.

[HarryT]

Note, by the way, that you get a TV licence free when you reach the age of (I think) 70. It's also free if you're blind.

.

[Amalthia]

Originally Posted by phenomshel

Ok, guess I'm odd or something... I watched the first episiode and loved it. Haven't gotten around to seeing any more though so maybe it got drastically worse?

I think it'll actually probably get better to be honest. The pilots are normally the worst episode of the series because they are trying to cram too much into it. Having said that....I haven't heard much about this series anywhere so I doubt it got any better. So what you saw in the pilot is probably more of what you'll see later.

I was a big fan of the Terry Goodkind books and I just didn't like the direction they took the series in within 30 minutes of the episode. To me they killed off much of the dramatic tension too soon. But if you enjoyed it then I'd say go ahead and keep watching. Because while it may not have been good to me it doesn't mean it's not good to someone else.

[Amalthia]

Originally Posted by Elsi

Is this a private arrangement? Or do you get them from some public site?

I download via torrents and then I buy the DVDs when they get to American markets.

for American TV I don't do that because as far as I'm concerned the internet is almost like public airwaves. Though with all the stations switching over from analogue to digital I'm not sure how that ruling works anymore. Key item is I'm not paying money for tv cable when they throw in 20 minutes of commercials. And I can't just buy the channels I want to watch.

I would buy from Itunes but they are a day to a week late in offering the episodes and I can't move the episode to any of our other computers in the house. We need to be able to download from our main computers and copy over to the projector computer since the projector computer is not allowed to go online anymore. So yeah torrents end up being easier and fewer commericals.

I would not mind paying a tv tax if it meant no commericals and longer programming.

[Peverel]

Originally Posted by HarryT

No, you can't "opt out" . Personally I think it's money very well spent. It funds the BBC TV channels (BBC1, BBC2, BBC3, BBC4, BBC News Channel, BBC Parliament, plus there are kids channels and things too), innumerable BBC radio stations, and all the BBC web sites. It's what permits the BBC to fund drama and educational programmes that just wouldn't be commercially viable for a broadcaster who has to make a profit.

I do totally agree with this - it is a small price to pay, but I don't use the any TV services and that's how I have opted out. No TV at all. I thought it would be a bit weird and I would miss it but to be honest I wonder where I ever got the time to watch TV now

[phenomshel]

Originally Posted by Amalthia

I think it'll actually probably get better to be honest. The pilots are normally the worst episode of the series because they are trying to cram too much into it. Having said that....I haven't heard much about this series anywhere so I doubt it got any better. So what you saw in the pilot is probably more of what you'll see later.

I was a big fan of the Terry Goodkind books and I just didn't like the direction they took the series in within 30 minutes of the episode. To me they killed off much of the dramatic tension too soon. But if you enjoyed it then I'd say go ahead and keep watching. Because while it may not have been good to me it doesn't mean it's not good to someone else.

Ah, I see. I might have hated it too, if I'd read the books first. I'm going to have to FORCE myself to watch "Secret of Moonacre" (the movie based on Elizabeth Goudge's Little White Horse). I started it,and within ten minutes I was literally screaming at the screen about how wrong they were. (Good thing I was home alone....*grin*). However, if I had come into it without reading the book, I probably would have enjoyed it. It's not a bad movie...it just isn't anything like the book!

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Peverel

I do totally agree with this - it is a small price to pay, but I don't use the any TV services and that's how I have opted out. No TV at all. I thought it would be a bit weird and I would miss it but to be honest I wonder where I ever got the time to watch TV now

I watch very little TV, but there are a few things I wouldn't like to be without. I can't take the final step that you've taken, but I admire you for doing so!

[mklynds]

Originally Posted by ShellShock

The TV license is a small price to pay for programmes without any commercial breaks. An hour long programme on BBC really is one hour of content, and not 40 minutes plus 20 minutes of filler (ad breaks). I believe the license fee also compares well with subscription services (satellite and cable).

Sign me up! I'd pay for no commercials too. I had no idea that BBC was commercial free. We pay for CBC here and they still feed us commercial laden product. Is that why BBC has some rather odd start times for programs? Because they don't use filler?

[mklynds]

Originally Posted by phenomshel

'm going to have to FORCE myself to watch "Secret of Moonacre" (the movie based on Elizabeth Goudge's Little White Horse). I started it,and within ten minutes I was literally screaming at the screen about how wrong they were. (

That's exactly what I was like with Legend of the Seeker!!!

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by mklynds

Sign me up! I'd pay for no commercials too. I had no idea that BBC was commercial free. We pay for CBC here and they still feed us commercial laden product. Is that why BBC has some rather odd start times for programs? Because they don't use filler?

Yes. A standard US "one hour" TV programme is typically scheduled in a 50 minute slot on the BBC, because it's generally about 47 or 48 minutes, minus all the commercials.