Manhattan TV has officially launched the S4-R, a brand new Freesat 4K recorder – and the first new Freesat recording box to hit the market since the now-discontinued 4K boxes launched back in 2020.
The S4-R will be available from Currys, John Lewis, Argos and Richer Sounds, starting at £219.99 for the 500GB model.
The 1TB version follows in May at £249.99, and the 2TB in June at £279.99. Note that as of today, the boxes aren’t yet showing as available at those retailers – but they should be listed soon.
As we exclusively revealed last month, Manhattan had been quietly working on the S4-R while Freesat fans were left with nowhere to turn for a new recorder. Now it’s official.
What Is Freesat – And Why Does This Matter?
Freesat is the UK’s satellite-based free TV platform, launched in 2008 as a joint venture between the BBC and ITV.
Rather than relying on an aerial like Freeview, it delivers channels via a satellite dish – which generally means more reliable reception, particularly in areas where terrestrial signals are weak or non-existent.
It currently serves around 1 million UK homes, and offers 100+ free channels including more than 35 in HD.
In 2021, Freesat was acquired by Everyone TV – the same organisation that runs Freeview and the newer Freely platform. That’s significant because Freely, Everyone TV’s internet-based free TV platform, is widely seen as the long-term successor to both Freeview and Freesat.
No aerial, no dish – just your broadband connection. Standalone Freely boxes are already on sale, including the Manhattan Aero and the Netgem Pleio, and the platform is gaining serious momentum.
Freesat’s future is also tied closely to Sky’s decisions. Both use satellites operated by SES, and as Sky migrates customers away from satellite towards Sky Glass and Sky Stream, the cost of maintaining that infrastructure could eventually become difficult for Freesat to sustain alone.
Sky has extended its satellite deal until 2029, providing some breathing room – but an Ofcom report suggested that a firm decision on Freesat’s long-term future should ideally be made by 2025/26, which is right now.
Options range from a stripped-back “nightlight” service carrying only core public service broadcaster channels, to phasing it out entirely in favour of Freely.
None of that means Freesat is disappearing tomorrow – the infrastructure is secure until at least 2029, and millions of homes already have satellite dishes. But it does explain why the lack of a modern Freesat recorder has felt particularly unsettling for the platform’s users.
The Boxes That Were Discontinued
The recording boxes that have been discontinued this year were the Freesat 4K range – manufactured by Commscope (formerly Arris) and launched in March 2020.
They came in three recording variants (500GB, 1TB and 2TB) plus a non-recording box, and were the only modern Freesat option on the market for six years.
They were a genuine step forward over the Humax boxes they replaced – faster, with 4K support, a decent app selection including Netflix and Prime Video, and the ability to record channels simultaneously.
They weren’t without their issues – bugs frustrated users throughout their lifespan – and over time they lost features, including remote recording via the Freesat app in June 2024.
By the time they were discontinued, they were six years old and showing their age.
The older Humax boxes that preceded them fared even worse in retirement, losing ITVX support, remote control functionality, search, and backwards EPG scrolling in a series of cuts stretching from 2022 through to 2025.
The Manhattan S4-R
Manhattan TV is no stranger to Freesat – their SX has been the best-value basic Freesat box on the market for years, though it lacks recording and streaming apps.
But the S4-R is a very different proposition.
Alex Arbab-Zadeh, COO of Manhattan TV, said: “We know how much people value the simple, subscription-free control and intuitive experience of our T4-R Freeview recorder.
“Our audience has been actively asking for that same experience on Freesat, and we’re thrilled to deliver the S4-R as the answer.
“It not only brings our proprietary user interface to satellite viewing, but it also drastically elevates the recording capability by supporting up to four simultaneous shows, compared to the previous two-channel limit.”
Jonathan Thompson, CEO at Everyone TV, added: “With the launch of the S4-R, we’re continuing our mission to make free TV more accessible for everyone.
“Many UK households still rely on satellite and are looking for a modern alternative that doesn’t compromise on features or experience.
“The S4-R delivers exactly that, combining multi-channel recording with a seamless, intuitive interface.”
The S4-R runs Manhattan’s own proprietary interface – the same one that powers the T4-R Freeview recorder, which we rated 4.5 out of 5 and gave an Editor’s Choice.
Manhattan tells us the S4-R experience will be very similar to the T4-R – the same interface and capabilities, but built around satellite rather than Freeview. If you’ve used the T4-R, you’ll feel right at home.
That interface puts live TV, recordings, and on-demand content all in one place, with a single search across live channels and more than 60,000 hours of on-demand content.
The S4-R includes apps for all the main UK broadcaster catch-up services – BBC iPlayer, ITVX, Channel 4, 5 and more – and YouTube is also present.
What it doesn’t have, however, is the broader third-party streaming app selection that the outgoing 4K boxes offered.
Those boxes had Netflix, Prime Video and more built in – the S4-R, like the T4-R, focuses on free-to-air content and broadcaster apps.
If Netflix or Prime Video are important to you, you’d need a separate streaming device (or Smart TV) alongside it.
Pricing and Value
Despite the AI-driven component cost increases that have recently pushed up prices on Manhattan’s Aero Freely box and T4-R Freeview recorder, the S4-R actually comes in cheaper than the outgoing Freesat boxes did at launch.
The old Commscope 500GB recorder launched at £229.99 – the S4-R 500GB is £219.99. The 2TB model is £279.99, compared to the previous £299.99.
So despite a tougher component market, Manhattan has managed to undercut the previous generation’s prices, which is worth acknowledging.
That said, the S4-R is more expensive than Manhattan’s equivalent Freeview boxes – the T4-R 500GB is currently £199.99 (after the recent price increase). The premium likely reflects the cost of the satellite tuners hardware.
What About a Non-Recording Box?
Manhattan hasn’t announced a new non-recording Freesat box to sit alongside the S4-R.
For now, if you don’t need recording, the old Freesat 4K non-recording box is still available, as is the Manhattan SX – the basic, no-frills satellite receiver that remains good value if all you need is the channels without the extras.
Manhattan’s Full Free TV Lineup
The S4-R completes what is now a remarkably comprehensive free TV lineup from Manhattan – the only manufacturer currently offering a device in every major category.
They make the T4-R and T4 for Freeview, the Aero for Freely, and now the S4-R for Freesat recording, alongside the existing SX.
Whether you receive your TV via aerial, satellite dish, or broadband, Manhattan now has something for you.
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Well it does have dolby 5.1 as per the spec and the review here
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=4MkkJac4W0E
The lousy people who selected the previous Arris box for Freesat didn’t understand stuff. Suspect the chipset in that box didn’t do dolby 5.1. None of the incarnations abroad had dolby 5.1 so I reckon not much chance of getting 5.1 on them via a firmware update. On the other hand if you want the BBC in 4k via streaming you wont get Dolby that way either as the iPlayer doesn’t support it. You have to hunt down the BBC material in 4k with dolby digital surround on other platforms.
Not the news I was hoping for, I thought I could cancel sky and have one family friendly box. We have been limping along without Disney+ and Apple TV using a second hand Humax 4k expecting to update to this with more app support, I am gutted reading all the newer reviews saying app support is worse (barely there) this is a real blow to our plans.
Reckon a Google TV box which replaced the Chromecast dongle is your answer. They are solid little boxes. I use mine for this and that. You get BBC iplayer 4k on it, itv etc. All the apps and you can side load apks. Broadcaster don’t want you to side load apps keeping you into their own boutique as they call it or would if it was sat tv. You can slap an SSD on one of these so with a 1tb you can make it into a media player not just a streamer. Android allows the memory of the SSD to become integrated into the box. You can do that with a USB stick but they aren’t as reliable as an ssd. Those in the know were doing this with Nvidia Shields. I have had mine running with Samsung evo ssd since 2018 no issues. Did the same with a Chromecast dongle and now the Google TV. Found a use for the SSD out of two 32 but laptops… making three boxes with this set up. I dont use the Chromecast now.
The Firestick 4k is gradually being closed down for sideloading so whilst you can get get UK streaming services on it, steps are being taken to stop sideloading. Limited storage means its much more limited to do the trick to convert it into a media player not just a streamer. There are other Android dongles / boxes which are being talked about as replacements to the Firestick. You have to check how much memory they come with. The Nvidia Shield is a 64 bit device, the others 32bit so have the edge on speed.
We are all solid state here. I got tired of hard disks failing in PVRs. Including the Arris.
Oh yes for the Android trick you get a clip housing for the SSD for a USB interface out. Little box that you pop behind it. Powered up off the Google TV box. It has enough. For the Chromecast dongle I had to use a more powerful “charger”. The Google TV 2amp or whatever it was, was fine.
If you plug in a single cable from a standard LNB would it still be able to receive the channels and at least be able to record what your watching?
Our old Humax HDR box is playing up so we’re looking to upgrade.
Don’t really care about recording 2-4 channels, just need to be able to watch stuff and record occasionally.
Hi Peter,
You should be able to still record, but restricted by only one cable. I think you will only be able to view one channel while recording. If you are able to change the lnb yourself, its quite straightforward. I have my dish installed at a lower level, i’m no good with climbing high ladder heights! John
It can record what you are watching on a single LNB but you can’t watch a different polarity to the one it’s recording on. If getting a new dual LNB get the newer wide band type then you can record the 4 programmes together or whatever they say.
Generally the tuning section determines what your LNB is these days. One input takes it in one direction, two inputs and the check for wide band.
Well the 4 channel recording is based on you having a wide band lnb, dual. 2×2. The original sky ones used voltage switching to change band. Then they moved over to wide.
Then our lnb broke the sat engineer said your commscope box could do this so we changed to wide band. Think you are will stuck since you need a dual lead for V and H polarisation. On your block system what it’s doing is telling the switch gear in the flat to change feeds. PVRs need two feeds. You might happen to be able to record more… but then depends whether your set up does wide band or the original. It’s really that you aren’t wired for sat PVR use.
Thanks for your advice Terry. I’m not technical but I’m sure you’re right about a single cable being a showstopper. My only options would be to get a second cable or dSCR on the single cable and both options have been turned down by the block’s managing agents. BTW A couple of things I forgot to mention. I have a Manhattan Freeview recorder which is currently using the single Freeview/Freesat cable and it gives full multi channel record. Also, many years ago I had a Humax Freesat recorder which also allowed multi channel recording with the same single channel feed. That was what made it so disappointing when I tested the Commscope Freesat recorder last year and multi recording wasn’t available. Of course, my setup restriction also applies to Sky and BT satellite services, so I’m stuck with either Freeview or Sky Stream. Very annoying!
You can use it as a recorder only but not PVR. If what you want to watch is polarised the same, then you are fine to multitask but not otherwise.
Due to the BBC routinely messing up the 1pm EPG in Wales I record SW as well. Basically when it gets to local news at 1.35 it records a new programme. It’s suppose to record 1 hour of news. Then after the local news it fails on one of the weeks the EPG isn’t set up correctly… about once a month. Then I watch BBC SW to get the tail end. I have had it recording three things at the same time. A bit of BBC Scotland…. aunties never ending messing up regional broadcasts on satellite. For a bit we use to revert to Scotland now it’s the chumming up of the BBC One 1pm news.
Thanks for info. Why do think my very old Humax Freesat recorder never had any problems recording one channel whilst I watched another? I’m 99% sure nothing has changed on the LNB set up since I had the Humax Freesat about 10 or 15 years ago. Could it be to do with the number of internal tuners?
If the second programme was on the same polarisation as the one watching then with a single lnb you’d be fine. Probably they moved off. Listings are available. Ditto with the original Lnbs that switched up bands. You really need dual lnb and now with these newer receivers the wide band ones that they support then you can record quite a few channels together.
Another week of the BBC messing up the EPG on One o’clock weekday news. Record BBC Wales and BBC South West to get the last 20 minutes.
Did I say this Manhatten box is suppose to get dolby digital 5.1 which they left off the Arris box. I wont be changing boxes just for that.
The remote and other places in the UK with a poor broadcast tv signal may well be where a good broadband connection is also problematic, so Freely may a poor solution for these places.
when might we expect to see these boxes available for purchase ?? Nothing yet showing online at any of the named retailers
I live in a block of flats. The current system for TV is via a single cable into each flat. This cable provides the feed for both Freeview and Freesat TV. Unfortunately adding a second cable or upgrading the single cable with dSCR are not options so I’m stuck with the current set up.
A while ago I tried the recently withdrawn Commscope Freesat recorder but I couldn’t even record channel B while I watched channel A! The COO of Manhattan TV says the T4-R supports “up to four simultaneous shows, compared to the previous two-channel limit.” I’m not bothered about being able to record four channels simultaneously but recording two or even one channel while watching another would be nice! So does anyone know please what level of recording functionality will be supported by the T4-R on a Freeview/Freesat single cable non dSCR system?
Are any sport channels available on Freesat?
Great news! I’ve recently been looking to get one of the Commscope boxes to replace my old Humax HDR-1100S but now that I read they’re being discontinued, I’ll wait for this new Manhattan one to be on sale.
Good to see a freesat recorder again if only for 4 to5 years but I am sure much longer in Europe
BTW Does anyone use a T 4 R recorder in Ireland.
Well ofcourse Eire could have an issue when Sky & Freesat disappear of satellite but a decision hasn’t been made on Freesat. Rural areas with unreliable broadband in the UK and NI will be an issue. Wait and see.
Wonder if this supports dolby sound. Pet hate of the Commscope box is it dropped the support. The sat channels include a separate sound channel which clicked in when it was broadcast like Dr Who in surround. The Commscope spec dropped it which just meant 2 channel audio. Streamers do DDP5 1 as standard except the BBC iPlayer still stuck on 2 channels with maybe the analogue modulated back channel in that (needs a Google). Net effect lousy sound. So the Commscope box went backwards in sound quality. Poorly spec-ed by the Freesat people probably BBC influence who haven’t sorted out the iPlayer sound. Disney, Netflix and the rest have. So question is does it get that other sat audio signal ?.
Reply to myself, reading the spec of this new box it does do Dolby 5.1 of sat if I read it correctly. That offer box implemented in other countries was the same so was a poor choice by Freesat it was incapable of doing Dolby 5.1 / developers were not prepared to sort it out. There were long moans on the hifi Internet discussion posts.
As for the previous Humax box the processor chip overheated and bounced of the circuit board. Happened to me. Got it repaired and it happened again. Scrapped it. That you will find on a Google.
The Commscope the first thing I did was to put an SSD in it for reliability. Worked well…. except the issue of no Dolby 5.1.
Looking forward to Or Goren doing an in depth review on this smart looking piece of kit.
This is excellent news! Been a fan of Freesat for a long time. Used various pvrs & STILL DO! Installed my own Dish setup for around house & hope it continues. Freely is a total waste of money. I also stream mainly with Youtube, but why use Freely that can’t even record. I want to be in control of my own viewing timetable, not governed by catch up services only & yes also loads of adverts. Even when adverts come on during Youtube, I either skip advert by exiting or mute the sound. Does seem a mad world in tv at the moment. I hope the new Manhattan Freesat pvr becomes a success and encourages more users to use the pvr again!
I use VHS.which means I can record anything and dont louse the recordings .
Have you got 4 VHS recorders?
Thanks for this article. For us in the countryside, I think satellite TV will continue to be important to us way beyond 2029; BT have said their target for full fibre here is 2030. At the moment we have FTC, and this is not reliable. Also, there is so much better functionality with satellite broadcasts and recording compared with streaming.
Yes, you have a very valid point Pete. The reliability of the internet. What happens if the internet goes down? Read a book instead! It’s crazy, technology os moving along, but you need to also consider users that either can’t access improved technology or who can’t afford it. The big tv giants are only really interested in making money. Plus also a lot of consumers don’t understand their pvrs, hence why they get frustrated with software bugs, but get rather impatient & look for new technology instead . . . welcome to the world of streaming. The pvr still has a place in eveyone’s home living room. Are “everyone” the tv company listening I wonder? Hopefully Manhattan will be successful with the new launch of their Freesat pvr. Long awaited!
We had two years of the wobbly to the aerial internet. That rural solution that doesn’t work well. Aeriels of church roofs and engineer coming out 30 miles to reboot the PC connected to it. Villagers in the village not knowing whether they had fibre to the cabinet and ones several miles up the road too far.
My observation is that those that shout loudest get fibre to the property. A private castle well off the beaten track had fibre plus the aeriel for back up although his previous job was military intelligence so he probably asked the right questions.
We went onto fibre to the cabinet for two years but sufficiently far enough away from the cabinet to get 40Mbs, not the higher speed. Knock on the door BT engineers asking could they cut down branches for fibre to a cottage further down. Some questioning and we were on the route for full fibre to the property. Three months later we got it. Had it for two years now plus. Outed the BT router and put a mest in. Works perfectly. Now it’s like living in ?London with 900 speeds. No complaints here.
The old wireless Internet provider has financial wobbles as people abandoned them. There are 4g solutions now which some people use for it. Got a feeling that the hamlet that never shouted loud enough for fibre still haven’t got it. The castle owner enjoys his fibre.
With satellite you can skip the adverts and the boring bits. Streaming by design they dont want you skipping the adverts. Ofcourse for 4k you got to stream. Still it keeps you young managing the technology.