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Is it possible to decolourise modern TV's?
Richardcoulter
Posts: 30,455 Forum Member
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After another thread highlighted the fact that black and white televisions have not been manufactured since shortly after the millenium, I began to wonder if the colour could be disabled in modern televisions for those who wish to continue to view in monochrome and pay the reduced licence fee.
I have previously heard of this procedure by television rental shops in the 60's and 70's.
I have previously heard of this procedure by television rental shops in the 60's and 70's.
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Even an older TV would be expensive to do it properly, although I imagine you could.
It wouldn't be, as the receiver would still be capable of receiving and displaying colour signals.
As would arguably a colour receiver with the colour disabled by whatever means. What was disabled could presumably be re-enabled by whoever disabled it, at any time. There's very little chance that the TVL agents would let O/P get away with that argument as it would be too open to abuse.
Besides the people who have B and W licences are surely older people who are close to getting the free licence?
It's insane that black and white TV licences still exist.
Nobody should have to ask this question in 2014.
I only pop in here now and again. This is why.
And btw, 'colourise' is the wrong term. You mean 'de-saturate' for a monitor picture?
Ta Ta
Some like to say the TVL is outdated, but the B&W one most certainly is.
Don't those who are registered blind even if they still have partial sight get a reduction in the cost anyway? Sure this is what has happened to my neighbour when he started to lose his sight.
I say to the 20 something sales assistant: 'yes I'd be very interested, but could I make it mono?'
He looks blank. I explain "well, black and white?"
He asks why. I explain it's to save a few quid on my licence fee.
HAHA........
Love it. Some people really will do anything to save a few quid. It'd be like buying a 5 seat car and taking out 3 seats because it's cheaper to run that way.
Such a pointless thread.
I think they should have posted this on Money Saving Expert forum! What a scrooge!
Yes, they pay for a B&W licence!
Blind and partially sighted do not pay for a B&W licence. They get 50% discount on a full colour licence. I know this as my wife is registered blind.
How can a B&W licence be possible these days anyway? Since digital took over old B&W sets are incapable of receiving broadcast TV without using a set-top box and all set-top boxes are colour receivers. Hence they need a colour TV licence.
Thats a good point and if you have internet you can get live TV that way too technically too!
Not that I would want to see the TV Licence to be connected to having internet, as that would be a right pain!
If you watch live TV (i.e as broadcast) it doesn't matter what you use to watch it you still need a licence. Even through a laptop/tablet/phone.
To clarify again, this question is borne from interest generated from another thread and is purely hypothetical.
I would have tended to agree with you, but TVL were happy for the TV rental shops to do this in the 60's and 70's. I'm curious as to whether this would be possible with modern day sets, now that monochrome televisions are no longer manufactured.
Some people prefer a black and white picture as they feel it to be "more homely", find it "easier on their eyes" or are visually impaired and would not benefit from a colour picture.
The partially sighted don't get any concession on the TVL, only the 'severely sight impaired'. The term sight impaired has superceded the term 'blind' as most people have some sort of vision.
The severely sight impaired can claim 50% off the cost of a colour or monochrome licence. If they live alone or with other sight impaired people who would not benefit from colour pictures, they might as well pay 50% of a black and white licence than 50% of a colour licence!
Those who cannot see a picture at all can avoid paying for a licence by taking the sound only from a STB.
There is special provision in the rules that say that a STB capable of receiving colour pictures shall not be treated as a colour receiver if connected to a black and white television.
Thats as long as it doesnt record live TV I presume! as VCRs were always said to be classed as a colour receiver even if connected to a monochrome TV!
I don't know of anyone who 'prefers' black and white because it's 'more homely', and this includes my 98 year-old Aunt.
Or is it another bulls**t statistic you've made up?
If I was them I wouldn't want to give the Mail the satisfaction.
disconnect from mains power (obviously)
open up
solder together rgb and ybr out pins
disable cvbs pin
if svhs then disable chroma pin
tv "screen" probably has freeview tuner. if so disable aerial socket.
any receiver that records is "colour reception" even if only monochrome output.
However for the small saving and the fact that you couldn't record programs (as they would be recorded in colour) it does seem somewhat pointless.
If the idea did take off, and applications for the B&W licence suddenly increased, such an option would be quickly removed.
The B&W option does seem archaic, why were there no reductions/increases in licence fee for stereo sound, teletext, widescreen, HD or even for VHS ownership?
I guess back in the late 60s as TV was still taking off they thought it a good idea to help fund the 625 colour set-up with all the transmitter changes and opening of new transmitters, relays ect.
When stereo sound, teletext and VCRs came along the infrastructure was exactly the same they just bolted teletext and stereo sound on top and the VCR was an in the home issue only.
I wonder if the BBC got any money from set manufactures for teletext in the early days, as the BBC invented it?
When digital/widescreen came along the BBC funded that by selling off the transmitter network and with widescreen the only big differences are in the camera and setting electronic flags for the receiver to recognise, yes they probably used new playout equipment, but they most likely put that down to going digital costs.
With HD thats a different one, I think the BBC want people to go HD so having an extra charge for HD viewing would be counter productive to that idea.
Ether way as TV has obviously been very popular for the last 20+ years, they felt that people wouldn't appreciate an extra TV licence charge for digital, widescreen and HD!
And the money saved on the TV Licence could go towards the cost of the funeral?
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You know where the door is.