TechRadar Verdict
An attractive, compact and content-rich set-top box alternative to replacing your telly. The Onyx interface is excellent.
Pros
- +
Excellent content
- +
Nicely designed interface
- +
Low price
Cons
- -
No built-in WiFi
- -
Occasionally slow
- -
Poor remote
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Overview
Already present on Cello iViewer TVs, the Digital Stream DPS-1000 is all about the Onyx connected interface from Oregan Networks that's making a play for inclusion on connected or smart TVs.
But while the big international brands have sought to create global hubs with local content – and with mixed success so far – Onyx has developed a simple yet dynamic interface that's stuffed with plenty of recognisable content.
New to the party comes Lovefilm, a service that – if you already have a standard subscription set up – can simply be logged into via the DPS-1000 to start streaming movies.
Features
A few widgets are on the front screen's right-hand side, including Facebook and Twitter, though the novelty of social networking on a TV screen is fast wearing off.
The Onyx interface has three main content icons at its core. Blinkbox is box set heaven, with a nice mix of US and British fare from House, The West Wing, The Mentalist, Heroes and, err Friends, to Come Fly With Me, Being Human, Spooks, Planet Earth and Outnumbered.
Some series are available only as a total package, while others can be rented or bought by the episode. It's even got a selection of Ross Kemp-fronted fare – what more do you want? Movies? Blinkbox hosts a fair few of them, too, though not enough to rival Lovefilm.
The presence of BBC iPlayer adds more gravitas, and puts this set-top box ahead of some major TV brands' web platforms. It's done simply and includes links to high definition content, though it's not quite as easy to navigate as the dedicated iPlayer website.
The Lovefilm service, meanwhile, is pleasingly identical to the online service, featuring options to stream some (though certainly not all) of its movies in SD (sadly no HD is available), or to instruct Lovefilm to post you a DVD or Blu-ray disc.
The front screen also includes a Web TV hub of online video, websites such as YouTube and Flickr, news and football feeds and podcasts.
Get the DPS-1000 on a home network and it can play most major video, music and photo formats (including DivX HD, but not AVCHD files from HD camcorders) from a PC or NAS using DLNA, with two USB slots proving similarly talented.
