Katarzyna Petru
In the world of televisions, a silent war is continuing over… updates. LG recently announced that it will support its new televisions for five years. Samsung quickly responded with seven years of support for Tizen OS. And now — with apparent fanfare — Hisense enters the fray.
But the company’s declared “up to eight years of updates” is more of a question mark than a real promise.
Hisense wants to set a new standard
Hisense did not organise a press conference, there were no grand announcements. The company simply posted a modest message on one of its subpages — stating that it "is establishing a new industry standard" and will support some of its televisions for up to eight years from the date of purchase.
Sounds great? On paper — yes. But only if you have the right model with the VIDAA OS system. And that can be variable.
Not every Hisense is VIDAA
The VIDAA OS system is proprietary software from Hisense, available on around 30 million devices, mainly in Europe. However, the company also sells dozens of models with other systems: Android TV, Google TV, Roku OS, Fire TV, and even lesser-known Titan OS and TiVo OS.
In the USA, the situation is particularly clear: only 11 models with VIDAA OS, while as many as 157 operate on other platforms. In other words – if you buy a Hisense in the States, the chance of getting "the right" model is slim.
What does Hisense actually promise?
According to the statement, eight years of updates are meant to ensure:
greater security of user data,
longer compatibility of streaming applications,
better performance of the system,
prolonged lifespan of the television.
But here is an important word: “up to eight years” — meaning everything depends on the model. Hisense has not provided a specific list of televisions covered by this promise, nor how often they will receive updates. It could be once every two years, or once a year — nobody knows.
Europe has better chances — but is it really worth playing this lottery?
In Europe, the VIDAA OS system is much more popular than in the States, which theoretically increases the chances of purchasing a model with eight years of support. The only issue is that even here — until Hisense publishes a specific list of models with guaranteed updates — everything remains in the realm of speculation.
Paradoxically, if you buy a Hisense television with Google TV, Android TV or Roku OS, you may find yourself in a much better situation. These platforms are developed independently by Google and Roku, and updates are a given — they appear every 12–24 months, without declarations, without fanfare, they simply… work.
Summary: a nice vision, many question marks...
Hisense is attempting to open a new chapter in the conversation about the longevity of televisions. And although "up to 8 years of updates" sounds like a revolution, in practice we only have a vague slogan and a lack of specifics so far.
This is a step in the right direction — because for years manufacturers have ignored the topic of support. But if it’s unclear which models, how often, and what range of updates will be covered, it’s hard to talk about any "new industry standard."
Do you have a television with VIDAA OS? You may receive something from this promise. Do you have a different system? You are probably still in a safer ecosystem.
Source: hdtvtest
