After LG and Samsung revised their TV OS update policies, Hisense is now officially committing to provide updates to its Vidaa TV platform for up to 8 years.
Hisense's Vidaa platform currently powers more than 30 million Smart TVs across over 400 brands, including Hisense and Toshiba, according to the company.
It is one of many competing TV platforms alongside Amazon's Fire TV, Apple's tvOS, Google TV, Roku OS, LG's webOS, Samsung's Tizen, Titan OS, TiVo OS and others.
Up to 8 years of Vidaa updates
In its announcement, Hisense said it is "guaranteeing up to 8 years of updates". The phrasing "up to" leaves some ambiguity and should probably be understood as a best-case scenario.
- "Vidaa is committed to delivering long-term value to our customers, not just through cutting-edge technology, but by ensuring their devices continue to improve over time," said Tal Bone, Vidaa's VP of Product. "This up-to-8-year Updates program reflects our dedication to delivering a smart TV experience that grows with our users' needs and fulfills our brand promise of making entertainment easy, fast, and secure."
The company said the updates will deliver new features and functionality, maintain compatibility with streaming apps, and include bug fixes and security patches.
Some 2025 Hisense models will launch with Vidaa 8.5 and be upgraded to version 9.0 later this year. Other models will launch directly with Vidaa 9, which appears to coincide with the new Pentonic 800 chip.
One-upping LG and Samsung
FlatpanelsHD has long criticized TV makers for not offering OS upgrades after purchase, instead reserving new OS versions for new models. Since 2018, FlatpanelsHD has lowered review scores for TV makers that fail to commit to future updates.
That pressure has had an impact: Last year, LG committed to 4 major webOS upgrades, and Samsung followed with a promise of 7 years of Tizen upgrades.
However, the shift is also tied to the TV makers' increasing focus on advertising. By keeping their platforms updated, they can continuously roll out new ad formats to existing users.
Hisense claims to be "setting a new standard in the industry with up to 8 years of updates". While this is true for Smart TVs, if Hisense does indeed follow through on its 8-year promise, Apple still sets the bar for TV operating systems overall, with 10 years of tvOS support – and counting – for the Apple TV HD.
Hisense primarily uses Vidaa in Europe and select other regions, while focusing on Google TV and Fire TV in North America.
