Obviously nobody has purchased recently an "up to date" PC! My new one has all the whistles and whats its that anyone could need including a TV connection, and looking at other machines now on sale this is becoming the norm. The point being that before the retailer would sell me the machine I had to complete and sign a declaration that I had a current Television Licence. So without any new legislation there is already in place a method of ensuring that the now emasculated BBC gets it "pittance". How many of you have actually down loaded more than a small amount of items from their sites - methinks that they protest too much! Based on usefulness if there is to be a queue for hand outs then perhaps Google might head the list!!! Though I'm fairly sure that you will have your own priority list ready <GGG> Peter Rogers.

Hi Peter, However, when one buys a Television Card, the British retailer does not check! Nor I suspect if one buys any mother board with a 10/100/1000 Lan Card of the type used to connect via a digital set top box to a Broad Band service There is more than one way to skin a cat! Hence my reference to the "self built" by individual components. There are enough Box Shifters who given the necessary "readies" will sell one any computer components necessary. [ I suppose any Government could extract their pound of flesh via the ISP who supplies the digital set top box. ] Phil At 13:36 22/03/2005, Peter Rogers wrote: >The point being that before the retailer would sell me the machine I had to >complete and sign a declaration that I had a current Television Licence. > >So without any new legislation there is already in place a method of >ensuring that the now emasculated BBC gets it "pittance".

In message of 22 Mar, Peter Rogers <newhurst@compuserve.com> wrote: > Obviously nobody has purchased recently an "up to date" PC! > > My new one has all the whistles and whats its that anyone could need > including a TV connection, and looking at other machines now on sale this > is becoming the norm. > > The point being that before the retailer would sell me the machine I had to > complete and sign a declaration that I had a current Television Licence. > > So without any new legislation there is already in place a method of > ensuring that the now emasculated BBC gets it "pittance". I'm not sure I understand this. The dealer would only have asked for a TV licence if you have a TV card in your machine, as I have in mine. This card is a TV receiver and needs an aerial to work. So it needs a licence. What is being talked of is streaming TV where the TV signal comeoes over the internet connection and not through an aerial. This can be done by computers that are not TVs, they are not receivers of broadcast transmissions in the TV frequencies, so no licence is needed. All that is needed is a mighty fast internet link and some complex software. -- Tim Powys-Lybbe tim@powys.org For a miscellany of bygones: http://powys.org