Samsung Electronics has started rolling out the most recent version of Tize to its older smart TVs, including those made in 2023 and those made in 2024.
The company last year abandoned its practice of never upgrading the Tizen operating system that powers its smart TVs last year, saying it will provide seven years’ worth of updates to all new models sold from 2023 and later.
That commitment came after Samsung’s rival LG Electronics announced it would provide at least five upgrades for each Smart TV that runs its rival webOS platform, starting with its 2022 models. LG rolled out its first such upgrades last year, and Samsung followed suit when it upgraded its 2023 models from Tizen 7.0 to Tizen 8.0 in October last year.
Now, Samsung’s 2024 TVs are getting upgraded to Tizen 9.0, the most up to date version of the operating system that debuted months ago with the launch of its new S95F OLED TV and other models such as The Frame Pro. It’s coming through the firmware 2106.0, but Samsung TV owners should be warned that it may take some time for their particular set to receive it. The company said the firmware is being rolled out on a gradual basis, with some lower-end models only expected to see it in a few month’s time.
It’s not clear when Samsung will bring Tizen 9.0 to its older 2023 TVs, as there has been no word on these models.
As to what Tizen 9.0 brings, its main features include a redesigned settings menu which allows the user to resize the text and images and also the transparency, so they can continue to see the content on-screen while they’re viewing it. There are a few interface tweaks too, as well as security features and a new Live Translate feature that can automatically translate subtitles if they’re not in your language.
On the down side, Tizen 9.0 removes the HGiG Game HDR option, which may come as a blow to those who use their Samsung TV to livestream console games.
All in all, Tizen 9.0 is a pretty minor update, but it’s good to know that Samsung is living up to its promises.
