The Digital Stream Freeview HD recorders, one of the less shouted about but nevertheless solid units, is to get the BBC’s iPlayer application starting on the 2nd of March.
A new version of firmware for the unit is scheduled for later this month, and it’s apparently passed the BBC’s testing for the MHEG (red button) version of iPlayer, so the service will be enabled in March. Obviously you’ll need to update the firmware when it’s made available on their website; I imagine the firmware will appear on the same site as the previous update, MIT London. It’s a simple process – just unzip the files, copy them onto a USB drive, pop it in the unit, and select the firmware update from the menus.
If you’re not familiar with the Digital Stream, you might want to take a look at the review that I did for RegHardware when it first came out. It’s worth noting that since that review, there has been an update that means you do get surround via the HDMI output as well as the Optical, so with the addition of iPlayer, it ticks most boxes, in my view.
The recorder might not be from a well known name, but it’s a decent performer, and is the unit that’s found a more or less permanent home in my AV system, with the addition of iPlayer being a very welcome extra. It’s also not too badly priced, with the 500GB version available from John Lewis for £199.
