Anyone else without a TV(voluntarily)?

[coreopsis]

OH and me stopped watching the TV some time ago.OH dumped one TV to the garage,the other one is up in the loft(I didn't even notice when he took them away).
Last month the TV licence renewal came through the door.Asked ourselves"do we need it"?Checked with TV licensing authority,apparently we don't need it as long as we don't watch the programmes being broadcasted live(so 4oD and iPlayer are allowed).Decided to not to renew it.I didn't know that if you resign from TV licence you have to notify them.As a result I got a phone call from a huffy woman telling me what fine I'll get if they catch me watching TV(last time I watched Hugh's Fish Fight in January on 4oD and YouTube-still covered by the licence)and the letter followed with bold red font stating that "your household is under investigation".
I posted it on another forum and people just slagged me off for being a cheat,TV licence dodger and apparently I'm a freak because "you can't live in 21st century without a TV".Really?Anybody else without a TV or am I freak?

[Nicos]

Yes - I have a family member who has recently just done that. They've sold their TV so there isn't an appliance on their property.
Nope- you're not a freak- just got better things to do with your time- and have found alternative ways of relaxing. Good for you!

[coreopsis]

Thanks,Nicos,that's how I see that-I've got stashes of still unread books,DVD's still to be watched,garden just starts,full time job and a house to clean sometimes...

[piskieinboots]

Certainly you are not a freak - however I wouldn't want to release my TV to the wilds - not just yet anyway.

Probably sounds a bit sound a billy no mates but when Snowdrop is away I like to have it on at times. I need to get out more!

[elsie-scot]

OH would divorce me before we are married if I suggested getting rid of TV. I could happily live without it, especially the one in the bedroom. I told him last night that tonight he was not allowed to switch telly on when he came home from work. If something he needed to see he could record or watch it on internet. He automatically switches it on, often he isn't in the room or even if he is he isn't watching. I keep switching it off. At least now I have the argument that TV has been shown to be bad kids esp under 1s. I am sure the TV is scrambling our DD brain in the evening, hopfully my point will be proven tonight with the TV ban in place.

[taff]

I don't, and I'm fairly expert on anything you want to know about the tv licence brigade, so ask me anything
Haven't had one for a while now, don't miss it, download what I want to watchand do other stuff instead of watching it.
FYI, you will get a letter each month from TVLicencing [actually an arm of the BBC but they don't want you associating the name with the tactics of TV Licencing] that will say you are being investigated, you are under investigation, we have authorised people to call round etc, they're on a computer cycle, so the only way to stop them, and then only temporarily, is to arrange a visit with someone from there, so they can look around your house to check you haven't got one. If you refuse to let them do this, they will threaten you even more, with search warrants etc.
But here's a site that publishes the letters they get each month, so don't be scared of the letters , we all get the same ones regardless, because they're computer generated
Letters from BBC Television Licensing/intro

[Headfry]

No, and I dont think you are a freak either..... never!
Good on you I say

One of the things I love about my weeks camping trips....... NO TV!!
I watch the daily news while having breakfast/supper and it really depresses me....a weeks camping without a television = no news = much less stressed and depressed! only have self to blame
I should really stop watching it, sometimes its only on for background noise, guess same as Piskie really - its good for company.

[zazen999]

I got rid of mine years back, and only bought another one when I was studying as I needed to watch plays etc on video [that's how long ago I did my degree].

I'd get rid tomorrow if I could but Mr Z watches sports mainly on ours....keeps him quiet I suppose.

I watch about one show a week on average - at the moment it's Jamie's school programme. But only for research purposes for my job...

[Snadger]

Got rid of ours when OH left me!

Shame was, when she came back, so did the telly!

[Nicos]

I've just been talking to a neighbour- and apparently over here you have to remove your dish/arial if you say you're not going to pay the licence fee!!!!

[Alison]

I'd not want to get rid of ours as I really enjoy some of the stuff which is on there. That said, I do get annoyed that OH just turns it on as of habit and will flick around looking for things even when there's nothing on the millions of channels we have on cable. I have a friend who's not had one for years, just never got around to buying one when she split up with her then boyfriend. She now has 2 kids pre school age and her theory is that it's one less thing for them to shove jam into They do listen to the radio a lot but that's about it.

[Alison]

Oh and remember when we got our last TV, OH bought it and installed it in the lounge - I objected to the size so at least it fits into the room without an extension being necessitated! Anyway, a few weeks later he got a snotty letter from the TV licence people saying he owed for a licence as he didn't have one - you'd think they'd check that it was in my name and therefore covered. Got several letters like that until eventually they cottoned on and believed what we were telling them.

[Seahorse]

I have a tv but almost never use it. In fact recently I've had a few free evenings, so bought a Radio Times thinking I might watch but really couldn't find anything that sparked my interest. I do enjoy iPlayer and 4OD though - there are some great things on telly but I'd much rather pick and choose and watch quality progs as and when I want to, not just have it on 'because it's there'.

[Two_Sheds]

I only got a TV when I moved in with Mr TS four years ago, and even now I hardly watch it: just Nurse Jackie, the Big C and Gardener's World

[Glutton4...]

I am also married to a telly addict. He has Sky+ set to record something useless every day. If I suggest watching something, he pulls a face, but I can pull a better one! He has a small one i the kitchen, as it keeps him quiet when he's cooking, and a large one in the lounge. I often listen to it when I'm pootling about on the poota. I gave in and bought one for the Caravan after a very wet trip away, but it often doesn't get used.

There are some fantastic things to watch, especially in HD; nature, wildlife and geographical topics, mainly. Oh, and Grand Designs, obviously!