HAVE YOUR SAY: would you still use a black and white TV?

9:10am Thursday 10th January 2013 in News

HAVE YOUR SAY: would you still use a black and white TV? HAVE YOUR SAY: would you still use a black and white TV?

FORTY-EIGHT households across Bournemouth are watching their favourite programmes using black and white televisions, according to the TV Licensing authority.

Figures released yesterday showed more than 13,000 homes across the UK are still using black and white television sets, with the highest number of monochrome licences in London, which has 2,715.

A black and white television licence costs £49 a year, while a colour licence costs £145.50.

TV Licensing spokesman, Stephen Farmer said: “It's remarkable that with the digital switchover complete, 41 per cent of UK households owning HDTVs and Britons leading the world in accessing TV content over the internet, more than 13,000 households still watch their favourite programmes on a black and white telly.

“There will always be a small number of users who prefer monochrome images, don't want to throw away a working piece of technology or collect old TV sets.

“Maybe these will still be around in 10 years from now, when the number of black and white licences will have fallen to a few hundred - about the same number of black and white sets that were in use on the opening night of BBC television 70 years ago.”

Bournemouth has fewer black and white TV licences than Southampton, which has 69. but more than Portsmouth, where there are 21. 

Do you use a black and white television? If so, why? Let us know in the comments.

Comments(14)

Capricorn 1 says...
9:21am Thu 10 Jan 13

These people may have it just to listen to the news and suchlike, and not be too worried about the images.

Given the massive amount of dumbed down rubbish on TV I can't blame them.

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TD61 says...
9:23am Thu 10 Jan 13

I have a relative who lives in Bournemouth who uses a B&W tv - she is blind, so the colour doesn't bother her and the sound is just the same!

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Huey says...
9:26am Thu 10 Jan 13

TD61 wrote:
I have a relative who lives in Bournemouth who uses a B&W tv - she is blind, so the colour doesn't bother her and the sound is just the same!
Was going say the same thing, blind and colourblind people aren't going to care too much about colour or picture and would no doubt rather save the £100 odd quid difference.

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Ollieblog says...
9:57am Thu 10 Jan 13

I prefer black and white but can't get a digital black and white - colour TV makes my head hurt - don't know why!

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Lord Spring says...
10:18am Thu 10 Jan 13

Huey wrote:
TD61 wrote:
I have a relative who lives in Bournemouth who uses a B&W tv - she is blind, so the colour doesn't bother her and the sound is just the same!
Was going say the same thing, blind and colourblind people aren't going to care too much about colour or picture and would no doubt rather save the £100 odd quid difference.
Half price TV for the blind

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Lord Spring says...
10:22am Thu 10 Jan 13

Can OFCOM detect the difference in reception of mono colour signals.

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a.g.o.g. says...
10:29am Thu 10 Jan 13

Ollieblog wrote:
I prefer black and white but can't get a digital black and white - colour TV makes my head hurt - don't know why!
turn down the colour controls to minimum.

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Sgt McNutt says...
10:42am Thu 10 Jan 13

Is the signal received by a B&W tv different to the signal received by a colour tv? Must admit, I don't know... If the signals are the same, it raises the question why is there a difference in license costs.

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mikey2gorgeous says...
11:16am Thu 10 Jan 13

In the early days of TV, there was a big price difference in B&W and Colour sets so it has always been the case that a B&W licence is cheaper as colour was only affordable by the better off.

I don't know why we insist that the blind have to pay for a licence at all - they should be exempt.

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andydixon says...
12:26pm Thu 10 Jan 13

I recently had no TV for over 2 years (and still wouldn't have one now if I didn't live with the girlfriend). The grief and aggravation I got from the TV licensing people (I refuse to call them an authority, they are a private company with no more authority than you or I) was unbelievable. Weekly nasty, threatening letters and monthly knocks on the door, despite myself inviting them in and showing them around every time to see for themselves I had no T.V. It got to the point where I was tempted to buy a license just to get them to leave me alone. It's not like people who don't drive get harrased by the DVLA (a true authority) for not paying the road tax on an imaginary car. The sooner it's got rid of, the better.

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aerolover says...
12:42pm Thu 10 Jan 13

How does an old analog tv pick up a digital signal?, only way I can see is if they have a digi box that converts the received signal or am I being thick. I understood it that when we switched over from analog to digital then without a digi box or digital tv you wouldn't be able to watch tv.

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a.g.o.g. says...
1:23pm Thu 10 Jan 13

aerolover wrote:
How does an old analog tv pick up a digital signal?, only way I can see is if they have a digi box that converts the received signal or am I being thick. I understood it that when we switched over from analog to digital then without a digi box or digital tv you wouldn't be able to watch tv.
Shhhhh...the set top box is a colour receiver............
.....

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Telscombe Cliffy says...
1:32pm Thu 10 Jan 13

In answer to the above, the transmitted signal is the same for b&w and colour. Can you still buy a b&w tv? The ones still in use must be fairly old by now.

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Turtlebay says...
8:30pm Thu 10 Jan 13

Ollieblog wrote:
I prefer black and white but can't get a digital black and white - colour TV makes my head hurt - don't know why!
Because the combination of blue, red and green guns that make up the colour picture are much brighter than the old ones used in B & W televisions.

Myself, I don't have a TV and don't get bothered for a licence.

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