Can you watch live TV, BBC etc, on a 30 yo TV without a Freeview tuner?

I am trying to live without watching live TV, have stopped paying the licence fee, have informed TV Licensing, and I have disconnected the TVs AND the aerial from the aerial cabling, hence there will be no signal at the household aerial cable outlets. However, I have a 30 yo 14” Sony Trinitron KV14T1U colour TV in the garage which is immediately adjacent to an aerial, I have disconnect the separate Freeview box and removed it from the garage. Prior to using Freeview, that TV used to receive BBC 1 & 2, ITV (1) and CH 4, not sure if it was possible to watch any other channels. Now I don’t really want to move the garage TV or aerial, and so it could be construed by the licensing authority that it would be easy to connect the aerial to the TV. Consequently, my question is, would I be able to watch ANY live TV programs on that TV without a Freeview box? I’m obviously not going to, but I don’t want to be accused of doing so and don’t want to actually try it because sods law says that the licensing authorities will turn up just as I’m doing a test! If it’s possible to receive live TV on that TV without a Freeview box, then I will have to box it and put it in the loft, unfortunately the mains plug is moulded on.

Obviously, if I can’t live without live TV, I will start paying the licence fee again.

BTW, I know that the licensing authorities need a warrant to access my property

freeveiw uses the aeriel

I don't believe that there are any analogue tv broadcasters in the uk now?
I presume that you are not watching anything on a laptop etc -like iplayer?

iplayer needs a TV license to watch
No Analogue broadcast in UK
TV is an analougue
https://www.sony.co.uk/electronics/support/televisions-projectors/kv-14lt1u/manuals

Tigercubrider said:

I don't believe that there are any analogue tv broadcasters in the uk now?
I presume that you are not watching anything on a laptop etc -like iplayer?

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Ah, so your saying that my 14 Sony TV in analogue, so it can’t interpret modern TV signals? I didn’t realise that the type of signal had changed.

No, not watching any live TV or iPlayer, only listen to radio and read internet newspapers.

You're fine then

eta said:

iplayer needs a TV license to watch
No Analogue broadcast in UK
TV is an analougue
https://www.sony.co.uk/electronics/support/televisions-projectors/kv-14lt1u/manuals

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Ah thanks, I had to G00GLE it, I see that modern TVs are digital, I had forgotten, old age does that to you

Where the TV lacks a DVB-T or DVB-T tuner then it's effectively deaf and blind to the digital TV transmissions that the licence fee covers. In effect then, it is closer to being considered a monitor rather than a fully functioning TV that would raise questions about requiring a licence.

In short, even if you connected a working aerial, this 14" Sony won't display anything. That's presumably why you had to use a Freeview box in the first place.

Thanks very much for your help lucid, tigercubrider, and eta, I am very grateful.

oldcardriver said:

BTW, I know that the licensing authorities need a warrant to access my property

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I used to have one of those models of Sony, an expensive set when new. You mention unplugging other TV's (than the Sony) from antennas, but I suppose they could easily and quickly be reconnected?

Your Sony would not be able to receive a digital signal without a digital set-top box adaptor, so on its own - it is not a usable TV.

It is not down to you to prove you don't have or watch any television, rather it is up to Licensing to prove that you do use them. They can no longer detect TV's in use, there are no detector vans, they can only gain access to your property and catch you watching one on a live TV broadcast, or iPlayer - which is an incredibly difficult thing to do. Or spy in through your windows to see a TV in use and watching a live program.

All you really need to do, is deny using one, every year that they send a letter asking you to take out a licence - they are quite persistent I understand.

Harry Bloomfield said:

I used to have one of those models of Sony, an expensive set when new.

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Yes, but they last for ever, no problems with that 14” Sony, a 27” Sony could have lasted 30 years before I believe the on/off switch failed(I replaced it with a Sony wide screen TV about 10 years ago) and my parents 27” Sony is still working after about 25/30 years. That replaced a broken 5 yo Mitsubishi that was a Which best buy!

Harry Bloomfield said:

You mention unplugging other TV's (than the Sony) from antennas, but I suppose they could easily and quickly be reconnected?

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Well I would have to go up into the loft to connect or disconnect the aerial, so if I was to watch TV and the TV licensing turned up, it would take a few minutes to disconnect the TV aerial plug then go up in the loft to disconnect the aerial using a spanner as I used Philex F type fittings: I think that they are really designed for satellite but I’ve used a 4 way splitter so I wanted good connections. When I set up the aerial system, I greased up the connections with silicon grease à la SatCure and so I’ve actually put the open ends into a small plastic bag to stop them getting grubby.

oldcardriver said:

Yes, but they last for ever, no problems with that 14” Sony, a 27” Sony could have lasted 30 years before I believe the on/off switch failed(I replaced it with a Sony wide screen TV about 10 years ago) and my parents 27” Sony is still working after about 25/30 years. That replaced a broken 5 yo Mitsubishi that was a Which best buy!

I think my Sony was still working, when I eventually replaced it.

Well I would have to go up into the loft to connect or disconnect the aerial, so if I was to watch TV and the TV licensing turned up, it would take a few minutes to disconnect the TV aerial plug then go up in the loft to disconnect the aerial using a spanner as I used Philex adaptors: I think that they are really designed for satellite but I’ve used a 4 way splitter so I wanted good connections. When I set up the aerial system, I greased up the connections with silicon grease à la SatCure and so I’ve actually put the open ends into a small plastic bag to stop them getting grubby.

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I would not go to that amount of trouble, it is up to them to prove you were watching live TV or iPlayer, not you to prove you could not be. They are not allowed entry to your home, unless you invite them in, unless they have warrant. They would be very unlikely to get a warrant, on mere suspicion that you might be watching TV without a license.

Philex is a supplier of a variety of plugs, I think you meant F-Plugs as used for satellite - they use the bare centre conductor of the coax, as the centre pin, to go into the socket.

Harry Bloomfield said:

I would not go to that amount of trouble.

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Ah but although I’m not religious “Lead us not unto temptation”, so if it means going into the loft to be able to watch TV then it puts a bit of a barrier there, although funnily enough, once you stop watching TV, you don’t know what’s on, so there isn’t much of a temptation.

Harry Bloomfield said:

Philes is a supplier of a variety of plugs, I think you meant F-Plugs as used for satellite - they use the bare centre conductor of the coax, as the centre pin, to go into the socket.

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Yes you’re right, F-Plugs.