Does type of camera really dictate depth of field?

I’m reading the Wired article about Red Digital Cinema’s Ultrahigh-Res Camera. The author makes the claim that a digital cine-camera would need an image sensor identical in size and shape to a single frame of 35-mm motion picture film to give filmmakers the control over depth of field, color saturation, tonality, and a half dozen other factors that 35-mm film provides. There’s even a side-bar example.

Here’s the thing. I’ve got a dSLR. Depth of field on that guy is a function of the lens… not the camera’s optical sensor. I gotta think the same is true for video, right?