Right...says the person who thinks their "Apple is the most secure" propaganda and statements serve a purpose here and are perfectly acceptable.
I have been in IT for the last 25+years and still am....work with them all every day, consumer and corporate level. Apple fanboys and all. Clearly, you haven't followed the last 5yrs or so of Apple issues, its been hilarious how exploitive they have become.
Anyway, none of that changes the fact that Android is far more user oriented and configurable and expandable. Far more "useful" to most smart tv applications. There are already posts explaining why, and proving that based on user use case. Sure, if one is already a slave to the Apple ecosystem, then Apple TV makes the most sense to them. Else, Android TV is top dog and is what OEMs are putting on their TVs. I have not seen any TVs come with AppleTVOS on them.
Ultimately, as far as the original question asked on this Thread, get a smart tv or AppleTV. it is to say a tv with its own OS, or a dedicated stream box....the best answer is a stream box. Best option for versatility and hopefully, support/updates. You can not buy a TV with AppleTVos on it, so, if user wants Apple, your ONLY option is the Apple stream box. period.
But if they are fine with other platforms, you got lots of options. The best most well rated Android TV by most all the streaming review sites and reviewers out there for stream boxes, all agree, Nvidia Shield. And, if you want/need to hook up a external drive, you can as the Pro model has 2 USB 3.0 ports, the Tube model has MicroSD card support. So, if you want to use it as a media sever, or store lots of movies on it, or connect up a hdd already full of content, you can. Not something u can do with AppleTV box, has it has no expandable or external connectivity options. Shield also is the winner as far as games go, with a controller, and aces to real council games, not just junk mobile games. But, not everyone cares about games. FireTV is next in line, and good for those heavily into Amazon ecosystem and services.
Roku takes up the rear, with a extremely limited, locked down OS and feature set. (if anything, i would say Roku is the "more secure" due to this. I have not seen any security issues in tech news for RokuOS) It is very simple, basic to use system with limited app and usability support when compared to Android TV and AppleTV. Pretty much all the major media server software players, Plex, Emby, Channels DVR, all agree on this, and their apps, if they have them on Roku, are limited in functionality to some degree and have issues that can not be fixed due to the design and limitations imposed upon them.
@tmm1 It only became "platform wars" when people came in here and started posting their opinion and brand preferences, one person goes of track and claims one is more secure than the other...pointless to the Ops question of advice of what might work better for them,a smart tv or steaming box setup. The OP asked for advice, and got a lot of it.
In the end, the answer is always, they should read for them selves the info posted by others, look at and watch reviews, and buy what they think would work best for them. If they don't like it, return it and try the other. Fanboys of one platform, will always never agree on anything.
I for one, fine such topic threads very informative in making a buying decision. Key points of fact, that is not skewed in platform bias, such as an Apple TV box does not have expandable storage, could be a deal breaker for someone etc. Or, someone looking to buy a Smart TV, may not know that Channels DVR will not work on a Roku one and is not supported....etc. And your right, it is 2020, and information (and opinions) are rampant and easy to find.