If you’ve been trying to track down a Freesat recording box lately, you’ll have noticed that they’ve become almost impossible to find.
That’s because the Freesat 4K recording boxes – which have been the go-to option for satellite TV fans since 2020 – have been discontinued, and stock has all but dried up across major retailers.
The non-recording box is still available in some places, and you might find refurbished units or the odd bit of old stock in local stores, but for anyone wanting a brand new Freesat recorder, the cupboard is pretty much bare.
The good news is that help is on the way. Manhattan TV is preparing to launch a brand new Freesat recorder – the S4-R – with a full announcement expected shortly after Easter and availability from the end of April.
And if a retail listing that went live ahead of schedule is anything to go by, it looks like a well-specced box at a competitive price.
Freesat’s Uncertain Future
Freesat has been around since 2008, launched as a joint venture between the BBC and ITV to give viewers in areas with poor aerial reception a reliable way to watch free TV.
Rather than relying on terrestrial transmitters like Freeview, it delivers channels via satellite dish – which generally means better, more consistent reception. It currently serves around 1 million UK homes.
In 2021, Freesat was brought under the same roof as Freeview when Digital UK (now known as Everyone TV) acquired it. So the same organisation now runs Freeview, Freesat, and the newer Freely platform – which is worth keeping in mind.
Because Freely is where the industry’s attention is increasingly focused. Freely is Everyone TV’s internet-based free TV platform – no aerial, no dish, just your broadband connection.
It launched in 2024 and is widely seen as the long-term successor to both Freeview and Freesat. Standalone Freely boxes are now available – including the Netgem Pleio, the Humax Aura EZ, and the Manhattan Aero – and the platform is gaining momentum.
The challenge for Freesat specifically is that its future is closely tied to decisions being made by Sky. Both Sky and Freesat use satellites operated by SES, and as Sky migrates its customers away from satellite towards its streaming products – Sky Glass and Sky Stream – the cost of maintaining that satellite infrastructure could eventually become unsustainable for Freesat to bear alone.
Sky extended its satellite deal until 2029, which provides some breathing room, but the long-term picture remains unclear (with Sky Q no longer being sold online).
An Ofcom report suggested that a decision on Freesat’s future should ideally be made by 2025/26 – which is, of course, right now.
Options on the table range from running Freesat as a stripped-back “nightlight” service carrying only core public service broadcaster channels during a transition period, through to phasing it out entirely in favour of streaming alternatives like Freely.
None of this means Freesat is going away tomorrow. The satellite infrastructure is secure until at least 2029, and millions of homes have satellite dishes already installed.
But it does mean the platform is in a period of uncertainty.
The Boxes That Have Been Discontinued
The boxes now discontinued are the Freesat 4K range – a non-recording box and three recording variants (500GB, 1TB and 2TB) – manufactured by Commscope (formerly Arris) and launched in March 2020.
They replaced the previous generation of Humax-made Freesat boxes, which had been the backbone of the platform for years before Humax exited the Freesat market.
The Commscope boxes were a genuine step forward when they arrived – faster than the old Humax hardware, with 4K support, a better app selection, and the ability to record up to four programmes simultaneously with a compatible wideband LNB dish.
They weren’t perfect – early (and later) bugs frustrated some users – but they were the only modern Freesat option on the market, and they remained so for the entire six years of their existence.
Over that time, they also saw their share of feature removals. Remote recording via the Freesat app disappeared in June 2024, blamed on the scrapping of Freesat ID accounts.
A new EPG interface arrived in October 2024 to mixed reviews. And while October 2025 brought some welcome improvements – including Channel 4 backwards scrolling and better search – the boxes were, by that point, already six years old.
The Humax boxes that preceded them fared even worse in their retirement, losing search, backwards EPG scrolling, and recommendations in August 2025, on top of earlier losses including ITVX support and remote control functionality.
A New Freesat Recorder Is Coming
Despite the uncertainty hanging over the platform, Manhattan TV has confirmed to us it is bringing a new Freesat recorder to market – the S4-R – and the company has moved to reassure worried Freesat users.
Alex Arbab-Zadeh, COO of Manhattan TV, told Cord Busters: “We’re aware that potential Freesat customers may have been alarmed at the lack of available Freesat recorders on the market right now.
“We’d like to reassure everyone that Manhattan TV has been working on a brand-new 4th generation recorder that is very close to launch. Keep an eye out for our full announcement shortly after Easter, with availability at the end of April.”
The S4-R will mean Manhattan has a new device in every major free TV category – something no other manufacturer can currently claim.
They already make the T4-R Freeview recorder and the T4 Freeview Play box, and more recently launched the Aero – their £69.99 Freely streaming box, which sold out with new stocks expected soon.
Their existing Freesat presence is the SX, a basic non-recording satellite box that has long represented good value for money but lacks recording capabilities and streaming apps.
The S4-R changes that, bringing Manhattan fully into the Freesat recording space for the first time.
Manhattan S4-R: What Can We Expect?
An online retail listing for the Manhattan S4-R 2TB Freesat 4K TV Recorder has appeared online prematurely, giving us our first look at the hardware ahead of the official launch (though keep in mind that some details can still change).
Recording-wise, the box can capture four programmes simultaneously with a compatible Sky Q-style wideband LNB setup, or two programmes with older dish configurations (which is similar to the previous generation of boxes).
The listing describes a 2TB model, so it’s still unknown which other hard drive sizes will be available. On the streaming side, the box connects to the usual suspects – BBC iPlayer, ITVX, “and more” – via your broadband connection.
The box upscales to 4K (since there are still no 4K satellite broadcasts in the UK), which means real Ultra HD will primarily be available on BBC iPlayer, with their limited selection of 4K content.
Manhattan’s full announcement is expected early next month, with the S4-R available to buy from the end of April. We’ll bring you the full details as soon as they’re confirmed.
For more Freesat, streaming and TV news, Subscribe to our free newsletter.