UK laws are sooo F****kin stupid...

Posted:
in iPod + iTunes + AppleTV edited January 2014
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/3115345.stm



This country has become crap at everything... I hate to be associated with it.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 32
    cubedudecubedude Posts: 1,556member
    I thought that the iTrip used frequencies that commercial radio stations didn't use.



    Or maybe that's just in the US.
  • Reply 2 of 32
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Gargoyle

    This country has become crap at everything... I hate to be associated with it.



    Wow...that same thing has happened with me and the US! Want to make a trade?
  • Reply 3 of 32
    valmadvalmad Posts: 49member
    Maybe you could both meet up in Iraq , or some other sh!t hole where you get shot for that statement, and the only tech update you can get is a new bead for you abicus.
  • Reply 4 of 32
    Quote:

    Originally posted by valmad

    Maybe you could both meet up in Iraq , or some other sh!t hole where you get shot for that statement, and the only tech update you can get is a new bead for you abicus.



    Well said
  • Reply 5 of 32




    easy guys. Everyone has a right to an opinion without being harassed...



    It seems these days are sensitive times to angloamericans...







    Ok. have to admit, that the UK/EU laws are a bit "tight" regarding the subject of FM transmitters but hey.. the laws are there to protect us from evil-doing such as everybody trying to broadcast everything on the same radio frequencies.



    And without licensed broadcasters, there is no way of controlling the (dis)information of the broadcasters. We don't want american-style "hey! let's publish/broadcast crap/news that sell´s or somebody has paid for", do we? It´s just not part of our european heritage and.. well it´s not mature..
  • Reply 6 of 32
    othelloothello Posts: 1,054member
    its still shit though
  • Reply 7 of 32
    haraldharald Posts: 2,152member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by valmad

    Maybe you could both meet up in Iraq , or some other sh!t hole where you get shot for that statement, and the only tech update you can get is a new bead for you abicus.



    Yeah! How DARE you critisise your own country. It's people like you, who would like to change things for the better, that should SHUT UP AND LIKE WHAT YOU'VE GOT.
  • Reply 8 of 32




    But seriously. I hope they make an exception to the UK/EU law about these "limited" FM-transmitters. And it will happen if it is technically possible to really minimize the radius of these transmitters to something like 1-2(5?) meters or keep them automatically out of frequencies which have been already reserved.
  • Reply 9 of 32
    alpha macalpha mac Posts: 463member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Gargoyle

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/3115345.stm



    This country has become crap at everything... I hate to be associated with it.




    The WTAct was past in 49, it may be time for a new one
  • Reply 10 of 32
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Gargoyle

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/3115345.stm



    This country has become crap at everything... I hate to be associated with it.




    OK, as someone who works in the UK radio spectrum management field, I feel that I should reply to this... . This is not intended as a flame of anyone, just some information from 'the other side of the fence' .



    First, I agree that it would be cool and convenient to be able to connect an iPod to an FM radio like this. However, the fact is that the rdio spectrum is a finite resource, and more demands are being made of it every day, what with the proliferation of wireless devices like Bluetooth, WiFi, etc. So the regulations are there to ensure that there is some sort of order. After all, I'm sure that you wouldn't be happy if you were driving in your car listening to an FM broadcast station and someone was driving behind you with a device like this and it over rode your broadcast station so all you could hear was their iPod play list .



    I'm not sure about what frequencies the iTrip uses in the US with respect to the existing FM broadcasters. However, the situation here in the UK is that although there are a number of permanently established FM broadcasters, there are also a number of short term broadcasters (known as 'special event' licences) that are established on one off basis. For example, here in Hertfordshire this weekend, there are two frequencies set aside for radio covering the Robbie Williams concert at Knebworth providing info such as traffic reports and concert related stuff. It would be virtually impossible to run stations like this if the FM broadcast band was available to other services.



    If youwant further information, have a look at the Radiocommunications Agency web site, www.radio.gov.uk. Also, as of the start of next year, the existing communications regulators (the Independent Television Commission (ITC), the Broadcasting Standards Commission (BSC), the Office of Telecommunications (Oftel), the Radio Authority (RAu) and the Radiocommunications Agency (RA)) will be merged into a new organisation, Ofcom, www.ofcom.org.uk.



    Cheers,



    Dave.
  • Reply 11 of 32
    othelloothello Posts: 1,054member
    wouldn't it be sensible then to have a frequency range set aside for short distance transmissions?



    so all itrips would connect between, for example, 90-91. or is that far too sensible...



    \
  • Reply 12 of 32
    othello,



    That is a sensible suggestion . I'm just not sure if it would be practical . One problem is that you'd have to find a piece of spectrum that was totally clear of any existing broadcast stations anywhere in the country, and I'm not sure if there is such a thing . Since I don't work in the broadcasting area, I don't have the relevant info I'm afraid.



    As I said before, it would be nice to be able to connect wirelessly, but at the end of the day, there are other ways to do the same thing .



    Dave.
  • Reply 13 of 32
    haraldharald Posts: 2,152member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Dave Abrey

    othello,



    That is a sensible suggestion . I'm just not sure if it would be practical . One problem is that you'd have to find a piece of spectrum that was totally clear of any existing broadcast stations anywhere in the country, and I'm not sure if there is such a thing . Since I don't work in the broadcasting area, I don't have the relevant info I'm afraid.



    As I said before, it would be nice to be able to connect wirelessly, but at the end of the day, there are other ways to do the same thing .



    Dave.




    Dave, with regard to RSL and other licenses ...



    ... we are talking about transmitters with a range of less then 1 metre.



    In the US, which has a far more scarce spectrum resource (shitloads of stations and a spectrum hungry military) and uses the exact same band for FM radio, this is legal.



    And no, there is no easier way of getting your music onto your car radio wirelessly.



    Your attitude is a bit jobsworthy ...
  • Reply 14 of 32
    Harald,



    I'm just trying to present the other side of the argument . Please don't take anything I've said personally .



    I take your point about the range being less than 1m for devices with sufficiently low transmit powers. However, I could see a situation where if these devices are permitted, then manufactureres of other devices that are more powerful will want access to the bands, and then things start snowballing. Where does the line get drawn? I certainly don't have the answer!



    I can't comment on the situation in the US, as I've never dealt with US spectrum . However, IIRC, the US has had a 'light touch' regulatory regime, certainly when compared to the situation here in the UK. However, no one knows for certain how the situation here in the UK will develop in the future. I suspect (and this is only my opinion, not fact ) that the UK will be heading down a more liberal route in the future - watch this space!



    Cheers,



    Dave.



    PS, as for having a jobsworthy attitude, hey, I'm a civil servant, it's what I'm supposed to do .
  • Reply 15 of 32
    Harald:



    Are you sure that the range of this particular (or other) FM transmitter(s) is just about 1 meter or less? I thought of this also but I was advised by a friend that it would be technically very hard to limit the range under 1 meter. A transmitter is a transmitter is a transmitter and even a very weak transmitter can cause problems to sensitive or even normal FM receivers.



    But still, I don¨t know for sure 'cause I'm not an expert on this field. \
  • Reply 16 of 32
    haraldharald Posts: 2,152member
    Dave-o



    Not to worry ... didn't take it personally



    Yes, they only work inside the car. They really do not cause any interference with others. They transmit at a tiny fraction of a watt.



    I'm on the "when you examine this you see it's a daft law" side of this.



    Which department do you work for out of interest?
  • Reply 17 of 32
    macusersmacusers Posts: 840member
    Interfere with other radio frequencues? ya, you just have to be a whopping 10 feet next to another boradcast
  • Reply 18 of 32
    MacUsers,



    Not quite... Yes, you'd only have to be 10' away from a broadcast transmitter to interfere with it. However, with the relative power levels involved (i.e. the broacaster is much more powerful than the devices like the iTrip), the boradcaster would win out. The problem would be on the reception side - for example, if you are listening to a FM station on your car radio near the edge of the coverage area, and someone in the car behind (or in front, or next to you) is using an iTrip, the signal from the iTrip could quite easily be larger than the signal you are trying to receive from the broadcaster. That's where the potential for interference is.



    Cheers,



    Dave.
  • Reply 19 of 32
    Whoa, that sucks. I plan on getting an iPod with an iTrip before school starts. They put it on X-FM or another god-awfully shitty stations on the bus sometimes, in the classroom, too. Never listening to me to change that crap and it would be great if I could send my own pirate signal. Blow them away with some TASTE, the posers? I'd be sitting with Jon, and then he'd say: "Oh, no! This song again? This station's insitence to play this one track every minute has stained my mind with its repititious noises! It's like having a spike driven through my skull thinking about it, which I cannot avoid, as it has now tunneled its way into my subconscious! I can feel it scratch its way up the walls of my brain! GET IT OUT OF MY EARS!"



    Me, I'd be like: "Never fear, old chum! I'll soon remedy your aural distress!"



    ::tunes the iTrip to match the buses frequency. Puts on "Stay Free" by The Clash::



    With the cultural midgets in the back complaining about the music, the driver shuts it off. It was a moral victory, albeit short-lived, and I take consolation in the fact that the radio is now shut OFF? and the world is safe again!



    Yes, I realise that I could wear headphones, but it is unsettling to know what everyone else is listening to. SUCH CRAP! Why not put it to use in first aid kits, with a recording of their music used to induce vomiting? EAR POISON IS GIVEN A NEW MEANING!
  • Reply 20 of 32
    Quote:

    Originally posted by valmad

    Maybe you could both meet up in Iraq , or some other sh!t hole where you get shot for that statement, and the only tech update you can get is a new bead for you abicus.



    You're pathetic...tech update. Is that only what you care about? Just because the rest of the world isn't as shallow or close-minded...



    You know what? I love both countries, but I'm not going to say "Hey! There's nothing wrong! I'm going to follow everything my government tells me!"



    There's a a difference between loving your country and blind patriotism. Care for me to tell you which one you are? So I don't like some aspects of the government or the current administration. But to imply that I'm a terrorist, that i should "meet somewhere in Iraq" that's really petty of you. Or saying "some other Sh!thole", that's really ignorant and racist.



    Go ahead. Kiss Tony Blair oe George W's ass. For fighting a war that has no real merits or basis. Of course!...because of the fact that I don't want to see my fellow countrymen die fighting in a war automatically makes me unpatirotic!



    No, I'm not an idealistic person enough to think i can change the world. But why can't i hope for better things?
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