(1) Software that "plays" audio, video or animation files in the computer. In the Windows world, Windows Media Player is the default player from Microsoft, but iTunes, RealPlayer and other software is also widely used. The media player in early Windows (3.x) versions was called simply "Media Player." iTunes and QuickTime Player are the default products for the Mac.

Organize, Play, Rip, Burn and Purchase
Media players allow users to organize their multimedia collection, play songs and movies, rip CD tracks to MP3 and other audio formats, burn CDs, listen to Internet radio and download content from online music stores. See Windows Media Player, RealPlayer, QuickTime and iTunes.

(2) Hardware that plays audio and video content. When referring to equipment, the term media player is very generic and may refer to a variety of devices. See portable media player, media drive and digital music player.