I recently purchased a UN50TU7000BXZA for my mother for Mother's Day. The original firmware was version 18XX and getting the TV on the internet and initiating an update got it up to v2111 before it stated that there were no more updates.
When looking at the product page, it states that v2303 is available but when you look at the linked file it not actually v2303 but v2002 so naturally it's not useful for upgrading beyond v2111. I contacted support via chat to request the newest copy of the firmware but the support agent said they couldn't provide it and I would have to be escalated to Tier II - which apparently didn't happen because I haven't been contacted since. Even weirder, the agent attempted to get me to return the TV so I could buy a newer model straight from Samsung because the model I purchased "had issues" even though the only perceived issue is no current OTA updates and an incorrect file posted to the support page.
But then I noticed that the UN50TU7000BXZA model that I purchased from Walmart only has one firmware file available on the site (v2303, the incorrect one). Meanwhile, the UN50TU7000FXZA model (the same model but available from BestBuy, if not others) has two firmware files available - v2303 (which is still the incorrect file) BUT it also has a file for v2401 posted which is actually the correct version/file.
So two questions: 1) Does anyone out there have a UN[XX]TU7000BXZA television that is past version 2111, and 2) Is it normal for Samsung to support televisions sold by certain retailers longer than the same model sold by other retailers?
I hope not, and wouldn't have expected them to, but this is important to know for the future. My last two personal Samsungs have been purchased from BestBuy, and now I feel like I'm being punished for buying one from Walmart...
I would have to assume that the issue involves the chip sets that were used at the time your TV was manufactured. For the last few years, companies have been struggling with a chip shortage. The pandemic made the issue even worse. Different chips may require different firmware updates.
My advice: Let it go. If it's not broke, don't fix it.
Yes, I know there are / have been chip shortage issues (all the semiconductors going into vehicles doesn't help matters at all) but that's not the issue here - it's a support issue not a manufacturing one. Samsung is seemingly supporting one version of a television and not another even though they were developed, manufactured and sold in the same timeframe. Developing a firmware upgrade for the UN50TU7000BXZA compared to the UN50TU7000FXZA might involve a bit more than simply altering a few variables here and there but I don't imagine it would take a tremendous amount of effort overall.
And it's not a deal breaker - I can easily add a Roku or an Onn media player to the television to keep the apps current but it's a bit unsettling that I would need to in the first place considering it's a 2020 model. Besides that, I would also imagine Samsung would prefer that I use their platform as opposed to someone else's since they obviously derive viewing metrics from consumers who are logged in with a Samsung account and using their software regardless of the particular streaming app... of course from a security standpoint it might be better to use an alternative streaming device and get the TV off the internet anyway.
Not what I was saying. What I was saying is that you may already have the most current firmware for your TV. That the newer more recent version is only for other chip sets.
Samsung has to use whatever chip sets they can get their hands on. Which may lead to different updates to different chips.
Stop obsessing about a number. You're not being cheated here. Your TV works.
I was under the impression that an FXZA was hardware-identical to a BXZA and only was a reference to which retailer was selling them but that doesn't appear to be true. Without a mainboard from each to scrutinize or access to internal technical documents from Samsung it's hard to tell for sure. I do know for sure that perusing every Samsung TV on Bestbuy's site (all 14 "pages" of them) reveals that if the model is one or the other then the bulk of them are FXZA models while only two of them are BXZAs (UN70TU7000BXZA & UN75AU8000BXZA). Meanwhile on Walmart's site, there's about a 50/50 split between the FXZAs and BXZAs - which would imply that those last four characters aren't an indicator of vendor at all - perhaps what factory produced them? Or a hardware revision? Or both?
It doesn't help that Samsung's own model number decoder [ https://www.samsung.com/us/support/answer/ANS00087664/ ] only confuses the issue, as it indicates that the "F" in FXZA refers to the tuner type (F = ATSC / QAM) and doesn't mention a "B" code. It does mention that the previous letter corresponds with the revision code of the television, as in QN65Q800TAFXZA, so if in reality the second revision of a modern FXZA becomes a BXZA instead of a BFXZA then it should be edited to explain that.
Ultimately, if there is indeed a v2303 firmware version for the television then the proper file should be posted and if not then the incorrect link and file should be removed and replaced with whatever the newest revision is - which could very well be v2130 as the television did recently perform an OTA update to that revision. The inaccurate file and/or versioning on the product support page is only confusing consumers and eroding confidence in Samsung, as evidenced here: https://www.bestbuy.com/site/questions/samsung-70-class-7-series-led-4k-uhd-smart-tizen-tv/6429416/q... Take note of "Mrkulb"'s comment from two months ago. Also note Samsung's official response to the question, which does seem to imply that the "B" models are indeed replacements for the "F" models - or they could have meant it replaced the stock at Bestbuy for whatever reason, who knows...
