Mitsubishi released Monday an upgrade for its 738 and 838...

Mitsubishi released Monday an upgrade for its 738 and 838 3D-ready TVs, enabling them to directly support all mandatory 3D signal formats prescribed by HDMI 1.4a, without an external adapter, the company said. The upgrades only apply to those set series, whose platform supports them, Frank DeMartin, vice president of marketing, told us. He said the update wasn’t available when the TVs were released this year, and older models can’t be upgraded. After consumers complete the upgrade, Mitsubishi 738 and 838 TVs will be able to connect directly to 3D sources, he said. The TVs will support frame packing 1080p/24Hz signals for use with Blu-ray players, frame packing 720p/60Hz signals used by 3D game consoles, and various side-by-side and top-bottom 1080p and 720p signals compatible with cable and satellite broadcasts and other sources, the company said. The TVs will also remain compatible with checkerboard signals used mostly by computer graphics card 3D drivers that aren’t part of HDMI signal specifications, he said. The free software upgrade will be downloaded automatically to 738 and 838 TVs connected to the Internet. Consumers can also download the update from the Mitsubishi website to a USB stick that can be inserted in the TV. The company will ship a USB drive by mail for $18 to consumers who request it, DeMartin said. The upgrade allows Mitsubishi 738 and 838 customers to “keep pace with an evolving 3D TV landscape,” he said.