Digital media player in the context of "Roku, Inc."

A video game console is an electronic device that outputs a video signal or image to display a video game that can typically be played with a game controller. These may be home consoles, which are generally placed in a permanent location connected to a television or other display devices and controlled with a separate game controller, or handheld consoles, which include their own display unit and controller functions built into the unit and which can be played anywhere. Hybrid consoles combine elements of both home and handheld consoles.

Video game consoles are a specialized form of home computer geared towards video game playing, designed with affordability and accessibility to the general public in mind, but lacking in raw computing power and customization. Simplicity is achieved in part through the use of game cartridges or other simplified methods of distribution, easing the effort of launching a game. However, this leads to ubiquitous proprietary formats that create competition for market share. More recent consoles have shown further confluence with home computers, making it easy for developers to release games on multiple platforms. Further, modern consoles can serve as replacements for media players with capabilities to play films and music from optical media or streaming media services.

tvOS (formerly Apple TV Software) is an operating system developed by Apple for the Apple TV, a digital media player. In the first-generation Apple TV, Apple TV Software was based on Mac OS X. The software for the second-generation and later Apple TVs is based on the iOS operating system and has many similar frameworks, technologies, and concepts.

The second- and third-generation Apple TV have several built-in applications, but do not support third-party applications.

Media player may refer to:

• Digital media player, home appliances that play digital media
• Media Player Classic, open source software that plays digital media on computers running the Microsoft Windows operating system
• Media player software, software that plays digital media
• Portable media player, portable hardware that plays digital media
• Windows Media Player, software that plays digital media included in Windows
  • Windows Media Player (2022), also referred to as Media Player, media player software included in Windows 10 and Windows 11 replacing Groove Music

A smart TV, also known as a connected TV (CTV, or rarely, CoTV), is a traditional television set with integrated Internet and interactive Web 2.0 features that allow users to stream music and videos, browse the internet, and view photos. Smart TVs are a technological convergence of computers, televisions, and digital media players. Besides the traditional functions of television sets provided through traditional broadcasting media, these devices can provide access to over-the-top media services such as streaming television and internet radio, along with home networking access.

Smart TV is different from Internet TV, IPTV, or streaming television. Internet TV refers to receiving television content over the Internet instead of traditional systems such as terrestrial, cable, and satellite, regardless of how the Internet is delivered. IPTV is one of the Internet television technology standards for use by television broadcasters. Streaming television is a term used for programs created by many producers for showing on Internet TV.

A set-top box (STB), also known as a cable box, receiver, or simply box, and historically television decoder or a converter, is an information appliance device that generally contains a TV tuner input and displays output to a television set, turning the source signal into content in a form that can then be displayed on the television screen or other display device. It is designed to be placed alongside or "on top" (hence the name) of a television set.

Set-top boxes are used in cable television, satellite television, terrestrial television and Internet Protocol television systems, as well as other uses such as digital media players ("streaming boxes"). Alternatives to set-top boxes are the smaller dongles, and television sets with built-in TV tuners.

Apple TV is a digital media player and microconsole made by Apple Inc. It is a small piece of networking hardware that sends received media data such as video and audio to a TV or external display. Its media services include streaming media, TV Everywhere–based services, local media sources, sports journalism and broadcasts.

The first generation Apple TV was introduced in 2007 and was primarily intended to download and play content from the iTunes Store. The second generation model in 2010 was redesigned as an all-streaming device and is only compatible with HDMI-equipped enhanced-definition or high-definition widescreen televisions. The fourth generation model released in 2015 introduced the tvOS operating system and support for third-party apps via an app store.

Amazon Fire TV (formerly stylized as amazon fireTV) is a line of digital media players and microconsoles developed by Amazon since November 19, 2014. The devices are small network appliances that deliver digital audio and video content streamed via the Internet to a connected high-definition television. They also allow users to access local content and to play video games with the included remote control or another game controller, or by using a mobile app remote control on another device.

The device is available in two forms, the first being a set-top box, of which the current model is the Fire TV Cube with embedded Amazon Echo smart speaker (which effectively replaced the original Fire TV box model). The other product is a HDMI plug-in stick with, in general, lesser specifications than the contemporaneous boxes; these are offered in the entry-level Fire TV Stick HD, the Fire TV Stick Lite, the standard Fire TV Stick, and the high-end Fire TV Stick 4K and Fire TV Stick 4K Max (the third of which effectively replaced the third-generation "pendant" Fire TV). Additionally, Amazon licenses the Fire OS and Fire TV interface to be embedded and built into certain television sets from third parties sold to the public, labeled as Fire TV Edition.

Android TV is an operating system that runs on smart TVs and related entertainment devices including soundbars, set-top boxes, and digital media players. Developed by Google, it is a closed-source Android distribution. Android TV features a user interface designed around content discovery and voice search, content aggregation from various media apps and services, and integration with other recent Google technologies such as Assistant, Cast, and Knowledge Graph.

The platform was unveiled in June 2014, as a successor to Google TV, available first on the Nexus Player in October. The platform has since been adopted as smart TV middleware by companies such as Hisense, Sony, Panasonic, Philips, Sharp, Motorola, Nokia, Toshiba and TCL. Android TV products have also been adopted as set-top boxes by a number of IPTV television providers. The "Operator Tier" certification allows operators to distribute their own custom devices based on the Android TV platform.

Sky News is a British free-to-air television news channel, live stream news network and news organisation. Sky News is distributed via an English-language radio news service, and through online channels. It is owned by Sky Group, a division of Comcast. In 2024, Sky News was named Royal Television Society News Channel of the Year, the 17th time it has held the award and the channel's 7th consecutive win. The channel and its live streaming world news are available on its website, television platforms, and online platforms such as YouTube and Apple TV, and various mobile devices and digital media players.

A sister channel, Sky News Arabia, is operated as a joint venture with the Abu Dhabi Media Investment Corporation. A channel called Sky News International, simulcasting the UK channel directly but without British advertisements, is available in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, South Asia, Asia Pacific, Australia, and the Americas. Narrated segments (which generally cover lighter issues unrelated to current news stories) are played in lieu of advertisements, and international weather forecasts also are given at the end of each half-hour newswheel. Sponsored advertisements are still broadcast before and/or after the sports news and weather segments. Sky News Radio provides national and international news to commercial radio and community radio stations in the UK and other English-language stations around the world. Sky News also provides content to Yahoo! News.

A home theater PC (HTPC) or media center computer is a convergent device that combines some or all the capabilities of a personal computer with a media center application that focuses on video, photo, audio playback, and sometimes video recording functionality. Since the mid-2000s, other types of consumer electronics, including game consoles and dedicated media devices, have crossed over to manage video and music content. HTPCs are defined by their dedicated use for large screens like televisions or projectors, and their combination with media center applications, though said applications are also usually run on regular computers and digital media players.

HTPCs and other convergent devices integrate components of a home cinema into a unit co-located with a home entertainment system. An HTPC system typically has a media center application with remote control and the software interface normally has a 10-foot (3 m) user interface design so that it can be comfortably viewed at typical television viewing distances. An HTPC can be purchased pre-configured with the required hardware and software needed to add video programming or music to the PC, or they can also be pieced together to build a system out of discrete components as part of a software-based HTPC.

Chromecast is a line of digital media players that were developed by Google from 2013 to 2024. The devices, designed as small dongles, can play Internet-streamed audio-visual content on a high-definition television or home audio system. The user can control playback with a mobile device or personal computer through mobile and web apps that can use the Google Cast protocol, or by issuing commands via Google Assistant; later models introduced a navigable user interface and remote control. Content can be mirrored to video models from the Google Chrome web browser on a personal computer or from the screen of some Android devices.

The first-generation Chromecast, a video streaming device, was announced on July 24, 2013, and made available for purchase on the same day in the United States for US$35 (equivalent to $47.24 in 2024). The second-generation Chromecast and an audio-only model called Chromecast Audio were released in September 2015. A model called Chromecast Ultra that can display 4K resolution and high dynamic range was released in November 2016. A third generation of the HD video Chromecast was released in October 2018. The final models, called Chromecast with Google TV, were the first in the product line to feature an interactive user interface and remote control; a 4K version was released in September 2020, followed by a 1080p version in September 2022.

YouTube TV is an American subscription over-the-top streaming television service operated by Google through its subsidiary YouTube. Launched in 2017, the virtual multichannel video programming distributor offers a selection of live linear channel feeds and on-demand content from more than 100 television networks (including affiliates of the Big Three broadcast networks (such as ABC, NBC and CBS), Fox, The CW and PBS in most markets) and over 30 OTT-originated services, as well as a cloud-based DVR.

The service, which is aimed at cord cutters, is available exclusively in the United States, and can be streamed through its dedicated website and mobile app, smart TVs and digital media players. As of November 7, 2025, YouTube TV has over 10 million subscribers.

The Roku Channel is an over-the-top streaming television service available in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and the United Kingdom. The service was launched in 2017, and is owned and operated by Roku, Inc. It is the most popular free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) service in the U.S., reaching 145 million people, as of 2024.

The Roku Channel includes over 500 free channels, more than 80,000 free movies and shows, and access to paid content. The service is available through streaming devices, such as Fire TV, Apple TV, Android TV, on smart TVs by Roku as well as other brands, such as Samsung, with the Roku mobile app, and web browsers running on PCs, tablets or mobile phones. As of 2025, the channel ranks as the fifth most-watched streaming service in the U.S., gathering over 6% of all U.S. TV streaming time.