Hi all,
I am looking to buy a inexpensive secondhand TV at a recycle shop and I wanted to know if there is a way to watch the basic cable channels for free without paying the subscription. I know about the NHK man who comes knockin’ and asks for the subscription fee if they see a TV in your house, but I read as long as you don’t open up they can’t make you pay, lol. Something like that.
Anyway, I know some TV’s have that little card that goes in the back, are those for the cable connection? If I don’t have one of those cards can I still connect the TV with the wire into my cable slot in my apartment? Are there free cable channels or is there always some kind of fee to pay?
Is it illegal to the point where they would call the cops on you?
3 comments
Over the air(OTA) broadcast programme are free to watch BUT that include NHK where you’ll “need” to pay licence.
In Japan (2008~ digital broadcast) digital TV with built-in decoder/receiver/tuner will need that card ([B-CAS](https://www.reddit.com/r/japanlife/comments/sahhke/bcas_card_on_tv/)) in order to receive the broadcast. No card no programme.
IF you buy those smart/android TV, without tuner/decoder than you can install apps and watch something online for free. You need internet connection.
Careful.. the NHK man might knock your door down if they hear about free cable
In Japan, there are three types of tv broadcasts: OTA, BS, and CS. All OTA and some BS are “free”. Free is in quotes because if you can receive NHK broadcasts, which are included in OTA, you’re obligated to sign a contract with them to pay for their content. However, even if you don’t enter into contract, you’re still able to watch OTA for free. You’re just not supposed to. No one is going to call the police for watching TV without an NHK contract.
Other BS and all CS channels are subscription channels and you cannot watch them for free (not that I know of anyway).
If you have an older tv with a slot for B-CAS, you will not be able to watch anything without a card. If you don’t have a card, you can apply for a new one over the internet but it’ll cost you a few thousand yen.