A review I wrote previously, with updates

MULTICHOICE DSD1131


It is a pretty good machine, very small and compact, and it works well. For the first time ever, this is a STB(set-top-box) that has an external AC adapter or "wall brick" for the power supply, which provides 12 volts DC for the decoder. This has immense benefits and means you could theoretically now watch DSTV in the bush using only a 12 volt car battery and no need for an inverter or generator to give you 220 volts AC.

Besides that, the separate AC adaptor means there is less chance of lightning getting into the decoder, which is an improvement over the DSD990, which suffered greatly with mains-borne lightning entering the decoder via the wall plug.

The remote control has been shortened and shrunk a bit forming a lovely, compact handheld remote that is ergonomic and feels nice. Picture and sound quality is very good, as this product is a departure from the existing NEC EMMA chipset, instead it uses the QAMi5107 from ST Microelectronics, which was specifically designed with hardware acceleration bits to make MPEG decoding far less software intensive, and provides a perfect dovetail into the IRDETO CA.

On the downside, due to the fact that this decoder is a port of software that used to run on the NEC EMMA chipset, there are a few niggles I have experienced. One of these is that sometimes, when signal is lost due to bad weather, the unit will lock up. Also, sometimes, on certain channels, the content will cause a system crash, and the unit will reboot when the watchdog times-out. The other annoying niggle is when channels are changed very rapidly with the remote, the audio processing thread hangs and the sound becomes dead, which can only be rectified by pressing the RESET button on the front panel to force a warm reboot.

Further Notes
Multichoice are constantly updating the firmware of this decoder. One of the big changes in March 2010, saw the implementation of Digital Rights Management, in the form of CGMS-A, which effectively now prevents DRM equipped DVD Recorders (such as the Sony RDR-GX220) from recording programmes from DSTV. Other changes include mutiple languages in the main and system menus. The new firmware also forces the one front panel indicator to be on constantly, which many have found annoying.

Great review Jason.

The causes of concern for me which you highlighted would obviously be the 'freezes' and 'loss of sound' under certain circumstances requiring a reset. There is nothing more annoying, especially if your decoder is for instance situated in another room, than to have to get up and go reset it.

The DRM issue is obviously another hassle, but we know you have something planned there already.

I like the AC adapter idea of powering the unit.

I'm assuming that most of the issues you highlighted could be addressed by future software upgrades?

Great post and keep 'em coming.

The price of the HD decoders will probably come down the moment they are locally made. They are currently made by PACE in the UK, and there are many technical issues with those machines. I believe Altech UEC are working on a locally designed and manufactured HD decoder/PVR. I am trying to get info.

The UEC one has been out since February. I have the Pace one, and have had very few of the problems that others complain about.

Thanks for the info Jacques
Last year I was called out several times to a longstanding client to try and help with his Pace HD PVR, it wouldn't record when set and also locked up aplenty. I don't know what has happened since. It is possible that they fixed the issues when you got yours- it is kinda hard to tell at this stage.

Nope - got mine in the week of launch. Just lucky, I guess.

Yes that could cause a lot of drama.

As a matter of fact, the smart card is very similar to the SIM card used in a cellphone, and not only has technology marched on, but the voltage levels have changed which could mean the older smart card is running on the edge.

As a rule, I replace the smart card whenever the decoder sustains any form of damage, or every 3-5 years, whichever comes first.