KMag parent
Is the reason for this that smart TVs need to be able to add real-time video codecs (actually, just the decoders) on a shorter lead time than is possible with ASICs? TVs generally strike me as things where economies of scale make FPGAs look less attractive. Though, I clearly don't know much about the industry.
My interpretation is that they expect to need to add decoders as firmware upgrades after the product ships. It is awkward to have a warehouse full of TVs no one will buy because they don't handle somebody's new AV1 streaming format.
I bet most don't plan to let customers upgrade that way, instead of buying a new TV. I expect they will sell the same hardware with a different model number and just new firmware. They like changing model numbers frequently anyway to frustrate reviewers and people consulting them.