A freeze is a period in which the expected picture, interface or other activity stops updating. The scope matters: a frozen video with responsive menus differs from a whole application or device becoming unresponsive. Identifying which part stopped helps choose appropriate checks instead of treating all freezes as the same media-delivery problem.
A practical example
A viewer can still open the guide while the last video frame remains on screen. That suggests a different investigation from a television that ignores every remote button and cannot return to its home screen during the same viewing session.
A common misunderstanding
Describe whether audio, video and controls still work rather than reporting only that everything froze. The distinction can prevent an unnecessary device reset when the problem is limited to one source.
Related terms
Stable technical definition. Editorial approach