Questions about TV

[Jim Hall]

I have two questions about my Sony LCD TV that I am hoping one of the
experts on this list can explain to me. I apologize if this is too
off-topic, but some of the people here are really knowledgeable.

1. 	Although the set is connected to cable, I do also have an antenna on
it. Lately because of the DTV transition, I have been looking at the DTV
happenings more often in antenna mode. The set has a built-in program guide
when in antenna mode. This is distinct and separate from the program guide
available through Comcast. The built-in guide shows channel, call letters,
network, and then 2-hours of program content for each channel. At first I
assumed the TV got the information it displays from data transmitted by the
stations it receives.  However, sometimes the guide is wrong about some
things:  it may display the wrong call letters for a station, the wrong
network icon, etc. So that makes me think the data is not coming from the
local stations but rather from some national source. I thought maybe the TV
has a chip in it for some of the data, but that would not explain the
program updates. I thought maybe the data is coming through the cable wire,
even though I am operating in antenna mode, but it receives the same guide
information with the cable unplugged. So how is Sony getting the information
for the guide to my TV? Could they be contracting with one of the local
stations to send all the information? Do they have their own local
transmitter operating to send it?

2.	The TV also receives "software updates" periodically.  I will turn
on the TV, and the screen will say (paraphrasing): "We need to install an
important software update. Please do not turn off your TV until the update
is complete". Then there is a download progress bar, and an installation
progress bar. Then I am instructed to turn off the TV and turn it on again
(as if it were a Windows update from Microsoft). Again, where is this
information/data coming from?