Did you know that your newly bought digital TV set or converter box may be obsolete in a few years?
Much like your personal computer and the software that is installed on it, regular upgrades and patches to the software and firmware is necessary to keep your investment up-to-date and working properly. The same goes for digital television sets. In essence, your newly purchased digital television set is another type of computer, receiving digital information (via over-the-air, cable or satellite) and then displaying it on the screen.
The digital television signal not only carries audio and video of the program(s) you want to watch, but in the signal is also digital information that the TV uses to tune to the correct program, display the video correctly on your screen and the audio to your speakers, display a program guide for the channel you are on and show a description of the program you are watching.
Also in the digital TV signal is information to upgrade and fix software/firmware in your new digital television or converter box. PBS and a company called Update Logic are working together to be able to deliver this information through the extensive PBS member digital television network to help keep your digital telvision set or converter box up-to-date, but many manufacturers are refusing to put the cicuitry in their sets and the government's coupon eligible converter boxes do not include models that have this circuitry, thus possibly making your newly purchased digital television set obsolete in a few years.
What to do? First try to purchase digital television sets with the "automatic software-upgrade" feature. Barring this, wait for more of the TV manufacturers to comply with the feature.
Comments