Commercial devices relevant to this project fall apart in commercial smart TV's, provider owned mediaboxes and user owned streaming media devices.
Modern smart TV's meet all the functional requirements of this project. They can play both DVBC-C cable TV (requiring a so-called CI+ module from the TV service provider) and TV services on the internet (the latter usually at lower resolution to stimulate the use of the service provider's prime offering).
All major Dutch TV service providers offer interactive TV through leased mediaboxes that meet all the functional requirements of this project. With these boxes the insight in end user viewing behavior goes to the service provider rather than to the smart TV manufacturer.
The table below lists the major Dutch TV service providers that provide twisted pair copper, coax or glass fiber network access with internet and TV:
| Provider | Type | Mediabox | Operating system |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caiway/Delta | cable | Amino aria x7 / kamai 7 | Linux (no installs) |
| Ziggo | cable | Next mini | AndroidTV |
| KPN ITV | copper/glass | Arris VIP5202 | Linux (no installs) |
| KPN TV+ | copper/glass | Sagemcom DIW7022 | AndroidTV |
| T-Mobile | glass | Amino aria x7 | Linux (no installs) |
| Online.nl | reseller | Amino aria 7 | Linux (no installs) |
| Youfone | reseller | Amino amigo x7 | AndroidTV |
Popular devices in this category in The Netherlands are:
- Google Chromecast series
- NVidia Shhield
- Nokia Streaming Box 8000 series
These are all AndroidTV devices for which the manufacturer provides firmware updates during a few years (like for Android phones). The user does not have root access to the device but it is possible to "sideload" APK packages rather than install them from the Google PlayStore.
Roku streaming devices and Amazon Fire TV devices are popular too, outside Europe.