The shelf life of Samsung TVs is about to be extended significantly - especially if you use Samsung's smart platform, Tizen, as your everyday streaming device

As first reported by FlatpanelsHD, Samsung has announced that it will begin providing seven years' worth of updates to its Tizen OS (the smart feature-enhancing operating system) starting with the 2024 model year

This means that if you purchase a screen in the Samsung TV 2024 lineup, such as the Samsung S95D OLED, you will receive software updates until 2031 At that point, whatever version of Tizen is on the TV will remain on the TV At that point, you will still be able to use the TV, but you will not have access to the latest features developed by Samsung

In the past, Samsung has only rolled out software updates to fix bugs or provide minor changes If you want a newer, faster, and potentially more feature-rich version of Tizen, you will have to buy a new Samsung TV

The seven-year commitment certainly feels like an upfront decision on Samsung's part, as LG recently announced a commitment to upgrade its proprietary software suite, webOS, for five years from the TV's launch Meanwhile, Hisense, Sony, and TCL have long since announced major updates to their TV smart platforms, most of which use either Google TV or Roku OS

Many people rely on their TVs' built-in smart platforms for all of their daily streaming Some don't want to block their precious HDMI input with a dedicated streaming device, while others appreciate that their most-used streaming apps are neatly housed in the same software suite that handles the TV's settings and inputs Either way, owners of such TVs are highly interested in the persistent ease of use of their TV's built-in software

The seven-year promise is a guarantee that a relatively new Samsung TV, like Samsung's The Frame 2024, will not prematurely show its age after a few years as its outdated operating system cannot keep up with app updates This is a commitment that benefits all consumers, not just Samsung TV owners, and may encourage more buyer-friendly policies throughout the industry