Rant against the "You dont pay the fee..."

Well I quess I'm in the clear then, we get BBC1 and 2 absoluutly free, 'Live' and unaltered, and we stopped paying 'tv-tax' or 'look and listen money' as it was officialy called (I am not making this up) a couple of years ago :mrgreen:

*ducks for flying tv remotes*
 
11.63 GBP = Monthly Price of a TV License.
1 Episode of Top Gear is 1 Hour Long.
Giving the most amount of proportional value to each hour is a February on a non leap year containing 28 days. So 24 Hours * 28 Days = 672 Hours in a Month.

Cost of License / Hours in Month = Cost of Each Hour.

So 11.63 GBP / 672 Hours = 0.0173065476 GBP Per Hour or 1.73065476 Pence an Hour (or the value of each episode.)

There are 10 + 10 + 9 + 10 + 9 + 11 + 7 + 8 + 6 + 11 + 7 + 8 + 7 + 3 = 116 Episodes or Hours of Content, that I will freely admit, I've not personally paid for by Top Gear.

116 * 1.73065476 = 200.755952 GBPence or 2.00755952 GBP. (Total Cost of Every Episode Thus Far to British People.)

Exchange Rate is 1 GBP = 1.6483 USD, so 1 GB Pence = 1.6483 US Cent.

2.00755952 * 1.6483 = 3.30906036 USD That' I'll round up to 3.31 USD.

So, BBC, would you like that in cash, or a check? I'll send it to your Postal Address and in the comment I'll put my name and 'Thanks for all the Top Gear Episodes thus far'. Followed by a 2.85263824 Cent (that I'll round up to 3 cents) check for every episode of Top Gear I watch there after.

Code: 
+-Season 01 (10)
|  01 2002.10.20
|  02 2002.10.27
|  03 2002.11.03
|  04 2002.11.10
|  05 2002.11.17
|  06 2002.11.24
|  07 2002.12.01
|  08 2002.12.08
|  09 2002.12.22
|  10 2002.12.29
+-Season 02 (10)
|  01 2003.05.11
|  02 2003.05.18
|  03 2003.05.25
|  04 2003.06.01
|  05 2003.06.08
|  06 2003.06.15
|  07 2003.06.22
|  08 2003.07.06
|  09 2003.07.13
|  10 2003.07.20
+-Season 03 (09)
|  01 2003.10.26
|  02 2003.11.02
|  03 2003.11.09
|  04 2003.11.16
|  05 2003.11.23
|  06 2003.12.07
|  07 2003.12.14
|  08 2003.12.21
|  09 2003.12.28
+-Season 04 (10)
|  01 2004.05.09
|  02 2004.05.16
|  03 2004.05.23
|  04 2004.05.30
|  05 2004.06.06
|  06 2004.06.13
|  07 2004.07.11
|  08 2004.07.18
|  09 2004.07.25
|  10 2004.08.01
+-Season 05 (09)
|  01 2004.10.24
|  02 2004.10.31
|  03 2004.11.07
|  04 2004.11.14
|  05 2004.11.21
|  06 2004.12.05
|  07 2004.12.12
|  08 2004.12.19
|  09 2004.12.26
+-Season 06 (11)
|  01 2005.05.22
|  02 2005.05.29
|  03 2005.06.12
|  04 2005.06.19
|  05 2005.06.26
|  06 2005.07.03
|  07 2005.07.10
|  08 2005.07.17
|  09 2005.07.24
|  10 2005.07.31
|  11 2005.08.07
+-Season 07 (07)
|  00 2006.02.12 - Winter Olympics Special
|  01 2005.11.13
|  02 2005.11.20
|  03 2005.11.70
|  04 2005.12.04
|  05 2005.12.11
|  06 2005.12.27
+-Season 08 (08)
|  01 2006.05.07
|  02 2006.05.14
|  03 2006.05.21
|  04 2006.05.28
|  05 2006.06.04
|  06 2006.06.16
|  07 2006.06.23
|  08 2006.06.30
+-Season 09 (06)
|  01 2007.01.28
|  02 2007.02.04
|  03 2007.02.11
|  04 2007.02.18
|  05 2007.02.25
|  06 2007.03.04
+-Season 10 (11)
|  00 2007.07.25 - Polar Special
|  01 2007.10.07
|  02 2007.10.14
|  03 2007.10.28
|  04 2007.11.04 - Botswana Special
|  05 2007.11.11
|  06 2007.11.18
|  07 2007.11.25
|  08 2007.12.02
|  09 2007.12.09
|  10 2007.12.23
+-Season 11 (07)
|  00 2008.03.14 - Ground Force Sports Relief
|  01 2008.06.22
|  02 2008.06.29
|  03 2008.07.06
|  04 2008.07.13
|  05 2008.07.20
|  06 2008.07.27
+-Season 12 (08)
|  01 2008.11.02
|  02 2008.11.09
|  03 2008.11.16
|  04 2008.11.23
|  05 2008.11.30
|  06 2008.12.07
|  07 2008.12.14
|  08 2008.12.28 - Vietnam Special
+-Season 13 (07)
|  01 2009.06.21
|  02 2009.06.28
|  03 2009.07.05
|  04 2009.07.12
|  05 2009.07.19
|  06 2009.07.26
|  07 2009.08.02
\-Season 14 (03 - So Far)
   01 2009.11.15 (SD)
   02 2009.18.15 (SD)
   03 2009.27.15 (SD)
 
Last edited:
Dygear said:
11.63 GBP = Monthly Price of a TV License.
1 Episode of Top Gear is 1 Hour Long.
Giving the most amount of proportional value to each hour is a February on a non leap year containing 28 days. So 24 Hours * 28 Days = 672 Hours in a Month.

Cost of License / Hours in Month = Cost of Each Hour.

So 11.63 GBP / 672 Hours = 0.0173065476 GBP Per Hour or 1.73065476 Pence an Hour (or the value of each episode.)

There are 10 + 10 + 9 + 10 + 9 + 11 + 7 + 8 + 6 + 11 + 7 + 8 + 7 + 3 = 116 Episodes or Hours of Content, that I will freely admit, I've not personally paid for by Top Gear.

116 * 1.73065476 = 200.755952 GBPence or 2.00755952 GBP. (Total Cost of Every Episode Thus Far to British People.)

Exchange Rate is 1 GBP = 1.6483 USD, so 1 GB Pence = 1.6483 US Cent.

2.00755952 * 1.6483 = 3.30906036 USD That' I'll round up to 3.31 USD.

So, BBC, would you like that in cash, or a check? I'll send it to your Postal Address and in the comment I'll put my name and 'Thanks for all the Top Gear Episodes thus far'. Followed by a 2.85263824 Cent (that I'll round up to 3 cents) check for every episode of Top Gear I watch there after.
Click to expand...

Awesome:D
 
I am absolutely loving that I got a thumbs down for this.

I just think there are better things to have a rant/whinge about than whether you get to see top gear at the same time as some other people.

You will eventually get to see it y'know... even if it is slightly later.... (THE HORRRRROOOORRRRRR!!!!!!!!!)

*Prepares for more neg rep*
 
You still don't pay the licence fee, that's just a fact. You choose to pay for a premium package. You choose to buy BBC dvds (just like any other dvds).

I have to pay the fee. No choice here.

Not that I care if you download top gear or anything else for free.

Dygear said:
11.63 GBP = Monthly Price of a TV License.
1 Episode of Top Gear is 1 Hour Long.
Giving the most amount of proportional value to each hour is a February on a non leap year containing 28 days. So 24 Hours * 28 Days = 672 Hours in a Month.

Cost of License / Hours in Month = Cost of Each Hour.

So 11.63 GBP / 672 Hours = 0.0173065476 GBP Per Hour or 1.73065476 Pence an Hour (or the value of each episode.)

There are 10 + 10 + 9 + 10 + 9 + 11 + 7 + 8 + 6 + 11 + 7 + 8 + 7 + 3 = 116 Episodes or Hours of Content, that I will freely admit, I've not personally paid for by Top Gear.

116 * 1.73065476 = 200.755952 GBPence or 2.00755952 GBP. (Total Cost of Every Episode Thus Far to British People.)

Exchange Rate is 1 GBP = 1.6483 USD, so 1 GB Pence = 1.6483 US Cent.

2.00755952 * 1.6483 = 3.30906036 USD That' I'll round up to 3.31 USD.

So, BBC, would you like that in cash, or a check?
Click to expand...

Don't be an idiot. The licence fee pays for alot of things and it's distribution is far more complicated than that. Every hour of tv is not equally funded.
 
Last edited:
LittleRed said:
I am absolutely loving that I got a thumbs down for this.

I just think there are better things to have a rant/whinge about than whether you get to see top gear at the same time as some other people.

You will eventually get to see it y'know... even if it is slightly later.... (THE HORRRRROOOORRRRRR!!!!!!!!!)

*Prepares for more neg rep*
Click to expand...

That's not what this post was about at all.

First of all, if we don't download the episodes, not only do we see them later (sometimes years later, not "slightly" later) but what we do get has had up to 20 minutes cut out of it. Wouldn't you be upset if suddenly your episodes were only 40 minutes long?

But the whole point was that we're not allowed to pay for the show and get it legally. We're given no options if we want to see a whole episode relatively soon after it airs.

I understand many popular American shows are broadcast in England 1 to 2 weeks after they air here, in their entirety. If the reverse were true, I would never download a single episode of TG online. Until that happens, however, I'm sticking with the only avenue available to me.

Also, I would happily pay the BBC either a per-episode or monthly/yearly fee in order to watch their original content. Whether they want it online, via iTunes, whatever, I'd be glad to give them my money, if only they'd take it. That's what this post is all about. They're ignoring millions of us by not making their shows available for purchase.
 
Is it possible Americans who buy Doctor Who, The Office, Top Gear and other box sets/iTunes downloads are in the minority and that it accounts for a relatively small amount of sales? Obviously the BBC knows there is a demand and is trying to get it out there, but could it be a bit more difficult than what FinalGear thinks?

I download Top Gear, but sheesh, I don't claim the T-Shirt and box sets I've bought means the BBC owes me something.
 
This annoys the pants of me.

I'm Dutch, I pay for my TV channels and I do get BBC 1,2,3 and 4.
I pay for it but I don't get to see the BBC videos online!

That's not entirely fair to me.
 
Twerp128 said:
Is it possible Americans who buy Doctor Who, The Office, Top Gear and other box sets/iTunes downloads are in the minority and that it accounts for a relatively small amount of sales? Obviously the BBC knows there is a demand and is trying to get it out there, but could it be a bit more difficult than what FinalGear thinks?

I download Top Gear, but sheesh, I don't claim the T-Shirt and box sets I've bought means the BBC owes me something.
Click to expand...

its not a matter of anyone "owes" anyone anything.

many people (most maybe?) would prefer to get their content the legal way, and even pay for it, when they find something they actually enjoy.

the longer the content provider ignores potential markets, the more money they're missing out of (a lawyer might argue this is money they're `losing` i suppose).

honestly, i dont think it'd be that difficult for the BBC to create a new BBCAP--BBC America Premium, which obviously, would be a premium channel like HBO, etc. and would air content commercial-free. then the only thing slowing down getting recent episodes to america, is the music issues (they then dont have to figure out where and what to cut from episodes). they could slowly move all the more popular shows to that, and keep minor things like the news on the regular BBCA.
 
Do you seriously think the BBC would make money with that? We are the niche, the hardcore, most people want to see the crazy races and stunts they don't give two shits about boring British celebrities or news they can barely understand. FinalGear is far from mainstream.

Who is going to pay HBO like premiums for a foreign TV station for one, maybe two shows? Especially when they can get the meat of it for a lesser price.
 
Last edited:
jeremysg said:
then the only thing slowing down getting recent episodes to america, is the music issues (they then dont have to figure out where and what to cut from episodes). they could slowly move all the more popular shows to that, and keep minor things like the news on the regular BBCA.
Click to expand...

They get it to Australia without music a hell of a lot faster than they get it to the US.
 
Twerp128 said:
Is it possible Americans who buy Doctor Who, The Office, Top Gear and other box sets/iTunes downloads are in the minority and that it accounts for a relatively small amount of sales?
Click to expand...

Probably, but we evidently bought enough Series 10 DVDs to justify producing box sets for Series 11 and Series 12. And we evidently purchased enough iTunes digital downloads of Series 10 episodes and specials to justify releasing digital downloads of Series 7, 11 and 12.

So there appears to be a viable market in the United States for Top Gear video content in both a physical (DVD) and digital download format.
 
alex99a said:
I don't know about now, but in the past, there were trucks driving around the U.K. looking for unlicensed TV sets. Electronic devices like a TV emit electronic noise that you can hunt down with the right equipment.
Click to expand...

Buy a small TV that has a DVI input. If anyone asks, it's a monitor. :p
 
camelfarmer said:
Don't be an idiot. The licence fee pays for alot of things and it's distribution is far more complicated than that. Every hour of tv is not equally funded.
Click to expand...

I was not, there was Math involved in that and everything!

Lets go back to the math then:

11.63 GBP = Monthly Price of a TV License.

The only show I watch from BBC is Top Gear, so I should only have to pay for Top Gear, but as like you said, not every hour of the BBC Top Gear is equally funded, so I'll pay the whole monthly price just to watch TG, and thus all the shows that you watch too. You whiny little bitch.

Again, to give the most price per episode there are only 4 Sundays in my month, giving me the worst case scenario from a consumer point of view on price per episode.

11.63 GBP / 4 = 2.9075 GBP.

116 * 2.9075 GBP = 337.27 GBP.

337.27 GBP * 1.6483 = 555.922141 USD, round up to 555.93 USD.

And $4.80 for every episode there after, happy now? I'm paying for all of the services your getting, just to watch top gear!
 
alex99a said:
I don't know about now, but in the past, there were trucks driving around the U.K. looking for unlicensed TV sets. Electronic devices like a TV emit electronic noise that you can hunt down with the right equipment.
Click to expand...

Isent that supposed to be an urban myth?
 
The biggest downside if the BBC chose to make all of Top Gear accessible and sold in countries across the world would be the fact that they'd probably go after Finalgear.com's community since we're a filesharing one similar to what happened to hessmo.com and to an extent mininova.

Right now the BBC realizes that this site is more good than harm but then again they also don't have a business option for users so thats probably why this community is still good to their eyes. However that could all change the minute they can get our money.
 
Twerp128 said:
Do you seriously think the BBC would make money with that? We are the niche, the hardcore, most people want to see the crazy races and stunts they don't give two shits about boring British celebrities or news they can barely understand. FinalGear is far from mainstream.
Click to expand...

I don't think it's that much of a niche, really. Top Gear is among the most pirated shows on the internet. I think our niche is a rather mainstream one.

I'd buy a whole premium channels package, including the movie channels, just to get uncut BBC shows. I don't even care if the music is original, just leave in all the content and broadcast it within 2 weeks. I would, however, want a BUNCH of shows, not endless reruns of TG and Kitchen Nightmares, however, which is the way BBCA currently broadcasts.
 
Cowboy said:
Isn't that supposed to be an urban myth?
Click to expand...

It sure as hell sounds like one to me. The electromagnetic field generated by a television set is no more special than the EM field around any other electronic device, especially one with a vacuum tube (like, say, an old CRT monitor or a really old radio). Unless all UK televisions are specially fitted with a secret transmitter, I can't imagine how this is even remotely possible. TVs don't generate a signal, they receive them and that signal is floating around all over everyone. It isn't beamed down to your set or something. It sounds like something from the 50s when no one understood how TV worked. Now what I don't now about is how their various set-top boxes work, what they're hooked up to, and whether those can transmit signals. That's much more likely but a very modern invention.
 
Austere said:
Couldn't you like, you know, not pay the fee and then just plug in your TV and turn it on and watch it anyway?
Click to expand...

Or he could watch it on the video iPlayer online. As far as I know, no license fee required to do that -- just the cost of an internet connection.

Twerp128 said:
Who is going to pay HBO like premiums for a foreign TV station for one, maybe two shows? Especially when they can get the meat of it for a lesser price.
Click to expand...

BBCA has a fairly extensive back catalogue of British dramas and comedy series -- some of which haven't seen airtime for years, not to mention British films and the like. They could also air Ramsay's shows uncensored on a premium channel. So it wouldn't be just "one, maybe two shows".
 
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