I suggest this move will no doubt severely damage any plans that the
government have regarding the analogue switch off in 2010. I suggest that
this move is unneccesary and will result in a downturn in the popularity of
digital tv via satellite, with many hundredes of people just pulling the
plug on their digibox. I already know of six people local to me that have
disconnected their digibox and have started planning a 'no digital' future.
I think in general people are sick of digital tv due to the constant
changes/rules etc, things keep changing all the time, leaving the viewer in
a state of not knowing whats what, half the time.

I am about to put pen to paper here and contact my local MP on this subject.
At my location I have no access to 'channel five' on analogue, and most of
the other channels are poor signal even with a booster and high-gain aerial.
I have no access to DTTV through my aerial (I have had various tv installers
in to try and get reception of DTTV with no luck). I was told that the only
option on offer was a digibox and dish. I signed up on the advice of a
local satellite tv dealer, who told me that we would always be able to
access the five main channels through the digital box, with or without
subscription, as these were free channels that would always be available.
We now know that this will not be the case for much longer, without paying a
monthly charge for channels that are free on analogue and DTTV and have been
since they launched many years ago. I am now left in a situation where I
have a digibox as my main source of the 5 main channels and soon I wiill
have no access to 3 out of the 5 without paying a monthly subscription.
There are at least seven local families on my street all in the same
position. Well I for one will not be paying anything to anyone. I dont see
why I should have to pay a montly charge on top of my tv licence, just to
see channels that I have been watching for over 30 years!

I suggest everyone who is in this situation should contact their local MP
immediately, in order to help get a resolution to this ludicrous situation.

Steve

DES wrote:

It seems to me that the BBC who are refusing to fund the replacement free to
view cards out of "their / our" money have an enormous cheek.

Why? The BBC channels no longer require a card at all and you can
receive them with any Sky or non-Sky digital satellite receiver.
Should the BBC also pay for you to have a TV?


A large
proportion of Wales doesn't even have nicam, while there are large areas
where channel 5 isn't transmitted by the relay stations and at between 5 and
7 watts, the results are so snowy from the relay stations that satellite is
the only sensible alternative.

Then complain to C5. And complain again when they tell you that if you
want to get C5 via satellite with a decent picture then you will now
have to subscribe to Sky to get a card. Complain to your MP too:
that's what he's there for.
This problem with C5 is purely C5's and Sky's doing. They have several
options for ensuring that this service continues to be available free
or very cheaply to all viewers, and some options wouldn't even incur
any expense for themselves.

--
Digibox problem? : A reboot solves 90% of these.
The Sky Digital FAQ: http://tinyurl.com/guiv
How to get UK TV overseas: http://tinyurl.com/6p73
Fed up with logos / red buttons? : http://logofreetv.org/
BBC gone? : http://www.astra2d.cjb.net/
----
Only the truth as I see it.
No monies return'd. ;-)

DES wrote:
A large proportion of Wales
doesn't even have nicam,

Every single analogue TV transmitter in the UK now radiates a
Nicam signal. ITV and C4/S4C completed this task a number
of years ago. The Beeb finally finished their roll out last year

while there are large areas where channel 5
isn't transmitted by the relay stations and at between 5 and 7 watts,
the results are so snowy from the relay stations that satellite is
the only sensible alternative.

That is very true.

DES wrote:

How strange that "Jomtien" seems quite unable to grasp the point that ONLY
the BBC receive money from the public in the form of a licence fee.

I do grasp this. But what does it have to do with the price of fish?


He
doesn't seem to know either that the relay stations to which I referred are
actually controlled by the BBC. I say "are" although strictly speaking I
should say "were" as I have now moved from the area where the BBC had no
monitoring system in force for their relay stations. When I listed the
thirteen times the relay station had failed in the last three months, the
BBC "engineer" on their control desk told me that as far as they were aware
it had only failed twice. He also told me there were NO plans in the
foreseeable future when the relay station might either broadcast Nicam or
Channel 5.

So why not ask C5 or Sky or your MP why there are no such plans? And
use the opportunity to explain to them that given that you can't get
C5 apart from via satellite using a Sky digibox maybe they should pull
their collective finger out and ensure that a free viewing card is
made available for you to do this. It is NOT the BBC's business: they
don't use cards at all any more.


Why "Jomtien" should ask whether I would expect the BBC to buy me a TV is a
very odd question and I fail to see why he should ask it.

Because you apparently expect the BBC to pay for other equipment (a
viewing card) that would be needed to receive C5, even though it is
none of their business whether you can get C5 or not. Ask C5 or Sky
and they will tell you that C5 is now part of the Sky subscription
package. So address your complaints there. The BBC has nothing
whatsoever to do with Sky subs and they have done everything in their
power to ensure that all viewers can receive the BBC channels from
satellite without using a Sky box or card.


I have four
television sets which I purchased myself, these are linked to three VCRs
which I purchased myself and they are coupled to an analogue dish and
receiver and a digital dish and receiver with a quad LNB. The reason for
this set up is to be able to watch and record various channels
simultaneously.

All the more reason to complain long and loud to the people who by
design or inaction have made C5 sat reception impossible for new
viewers without subscribing to Sky: C5, Sky and the government in the
form of the DCMS and your MP.

--
Digibox problem? : A reboot solves 90% of these.
The Sky Digital FAQ: http://tinyurl.com/guiv
How to get UK TV overseas: http://tinyurl.com/6p73
Fed up with logos / red buttons? : http://logofreetv.org/
BBC gone? : http://www.astra2d.cjb.net/
----
Only the truth as I see it.
No monies return'd. ;-)

"Jomtien" wrote in message
...

I am sure that this will come as a big surprise to you "Jomtien", but the
licence fee is paid to the BBC to allow the operation of a television
receiver.
Now is that simple enough for you to understand?
If you care to consider the sale of goods act, it demands that the goods,
among other things, are Fit For the Purpose for which they are sold.
Now very simply put, if you by a TV licence in order to watch television
programs, then the licence in not fit for it's purpose when suddenly three
fifths of the channels are withdrawn from use.
It will surprise people like "Jomtien" no doubt, but there are a number of
places in the U.K. where terrestrial reception varies from poor to
impossible. We are still expected to pay the same licence fee as you lucky
people with proper transmitters, properly maintained and properly sited.


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DES wrote:

I am sure that this will come as a big surprise to you "Jomtien", but the
licence fee is paid to the BBC to allow the operation of a television
receiver.

The licence fee is a tax on TV users which is paid to the BBC. The BBC
then use the money to finance their activities.


Now is that simple enough for you to understand?
If you care to consider the sale of goods act, it demands that the goods,
among other things, are Fit For the Purpose for which they are sold.
Now very simply put, if you by a TV licence in order to watch television
programs, then the licence in not fit for it's purpose when suddenly three
fifths of the channels are withdrawn from use.

You are batty.


It will surprise people like "Jomtien" no doubt, but there are a number of
places in the U.K. where terrestrial reception varies from poor to
impossible.

This doesn't surprise me at all. And I for one see no reason why those
who can't receive the BBC at all should be required to pay a licence
fee. But this isn't the case, is it? You can receive the BBC. Anyone
with a digibox and a dish can. No card required.


We are still expected to pay the same licence fee as you lucky
people with proper transmitters, properly maintained and properly sited.

If you can get the BBC channels by some other means, which you can,
then this seems quite fair. Bear in mind that the satellite signal
gives you many more BBC TV and radio channels, most in widescreen
and/or good quality stereo sound. This is more than analogue hertzian
viewers get yet you pay no more. Not to mention the interactive
services.

Your problem is that you still don't understand that the licence fee
does NOT finance the non-BBC channels. They finance themselves. And if
you can't receive them because of the lack of a viewing card then the
people to complain to are those channels, Sky and your MP. I fully
support you in this but it has nothing to do with the BBC.

--
Digibox problem? : A reboot solves 90% of these.
The Sky Digital FAQ: http://tinyurl.com/guiv
How to get UK TV overseas: http://tinyurl.com/6p73
Fed up with logos / red buttons? : http://logofreetv.org/
BBC gone? : http://www.astra2d.cjb.net/
----
Only the truth as I see it.
No monies return'd. ;-)

On Tue, 22 Jul 2003 12:44:33 +0100, "DES"
wrote:

snip

Troll.

plonk

--
QrizB

I sound like I know what I'm talking about, but don't
be fooled.

I assume that being abusive is your normal response when you have nothing
intelligent to say

"R W" wrote in message
...
DES wrote:

[big snip of complete and utter rubbish]

Have you seen your psychiatrist recently, DES?

Why should the BBC do anything to help you watch ITV or C4 through a SKY
platform. That is a matter between ITV/C4 and SKY





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