After a long wait, the brand new Manhattan S4-R Freesat recorder is finally available to buy – at least in its first configuration.
The S4-R was officially announced back in April, but at the time, the boxes weren’t yet available to buy at any of the listed retailers.
Now, a month later, the 500GB model has gone on sale – and as of this writing, you can pick it up on Amazon and Argos. Currys, John Lewis and Richer Sounds are expected to stock it soon, but aren’t showing it as available yet.
If you’re holding out for more storage, you’ll need to be patient. The 1TB model isn’t expected until mid-June, and the 2TB version is looking at late June to early July.
So for now, the 500GB is your only option – but it’s a meaningful moment for Freesat fans who’ve had precious little to celebrate on the hardware front lately.
But it seems some early buyers are already getting confused about what the S4-R can and can’t do – so let’s go over everything we know about this new box, and what you should actually expect from it.
Why This Box Matters
The previous generation of Freesat recording boxes – the Commscope (formerly Arris) Freesat 4K range – launched back in March 2020 and were discontinued earlier this year.
For six years, they were the only modern Freesat recording option on the market. When they were discontinued, stock dried up fast, and Freesat fans were left with nowhere to turn for a brand new recorder.
Manhattan stepped in to fill that gap. The company already makes the well-regarded T4-R Freeview recorder and the T4 Freeview Play box, and more recently launched the Aero Freely streaming box.
The S4-R adds Freesat recording to that lineup – making Manhattan the only manufacturer currently offering a device in every major free TV category.
Alex Arbab-Zadeh, COO of Manhattan TV, said at launch: “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.”
What the S4-R Can Do
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. If you’ve used the T4-R, you’ll feel right at home.
That interface brings live TV, recordings, and on-demand content together in one place, with a single search across live channels and more than 60,000 hours of on-demand content.
On the recording side, the S4-R can capture up to four programmes simultaneously – but only with a compatible Sky Q-style wideband LNB dish setup. If you have an older dish configuration, you’re looking at two simultaneous recordings, which is still in line with the previous generation of boxes.
For streaming, the box connects to all the main UK broadcaster catch-up services – BBC iPlayer, ITVX, Channel 4, 5 and more – via your broadband connection. YouTube is also on board.
The S4-R supports 4K – but since there are still no 4K satellite broadcasts in the UK, real Ultra HD viewing will primarily come from BBC iPlayer’s limited selection of 4K content, and YouTube.
What the S4-R Can’t Do – And Why That’s Confusing Some Buyers
Here’s where we need to be clear, because this is already causing some confusion among early buyers.
The S4-R does not include Netflix, Prime Video, or other third-party streaming apps.
The outgoing Commscope Freesat 4K boxes did have Netflix and a few additional international streaming services built in – so buyers who are upgrading from those boxes, or who simply assume a new box will do everything the old one did, are finding themselves caught out.
It’s an understandable assumption, but unfortunately, not how it works here.
This isn’t a surprise – we flagged it from the moment the box was announced. But it’s worth spelling out again: the S4-R is a Freesat recorder first and foremost, not a streaming stick replacement.
Think of the broadcaster apps as catch-up services that complement your satellite viewing – not a full smart TV platform.
If Netflix, Disney+ or similar are important to you, you’ll need a separate streaming device – or a Smart TV with those apps built in – alongside the S4-R. That’s the same situation as with the T4-R on the Freeview side.
Pricing
The S4-R is available in three storage configurations, rolling out over the coming months:
- 500GB – £219.99 (available now)
- 1TB – £249.99 (expected mid-June)
- 2TB – £279.99 (expected late June to early July)
Despite the tough component market – the same AI-driven cost pressures that recently pushed up the price of Manhattan’s Aero Freely box and T4-R Freeview recorder – the S4-R actually comes in slightly cheaper than the outgoing Commscope boxes did at their original launch prices.
The old 500GB recorder launched at £229.99; the S4-R is £10 less at £219.99. The 2TB model is £20 cheaper than its predecessor too.
It’s worth noting that the S4-R is a little pricier than Manhattan’s equivalent Freeview boxes – the T4-R 500GB is currently £199.99. That premium likely reflects the cost of the satellite tuner hardware.
A Word on Stock
If you’ve been following Manhattan’s other devices lately, the stock situation might feel familiar – and not in a good way.
The Aero Freely box has been in and out of stock repeatedly since its February launch, with demand consistently outpacing supply.
At one point, according to Manhattan, shipments of several hundred units sold in under sixty minutes. The Aero also received a price hike from £69.99 to £89.99 shortly after launch, driven by rising component costs linked to the global AI boom pushing up the price of memory chips and other hardware.
As of this writing, the Aero is still unavailable to buy – with stock occasionally appearing briefly before disappearing again just as fast. It’s been a frustrating experience for anyone who’s had it on their shopping list since February.
The Netgem Pleio – the other standalone Freely box on the market – is currently back in stock, though given the pattern we’ve seen across the whole Freely device market, that could change at any time.
The point is that the free TV hardware market is in an unusual moment right now. Demand for these devices has consistently and significantly exceeded what manufacturers and retailers anticipated.
And with the S4-R, we’re arguably already seeing the same pattern – the 500GB model is only just trickling into a handful of retailers, while the 1TB and 2TB versions are still a month (or two) away.
That staggered rollout suggests supply is being carefully managed rather than arriving in force. If you’ve already decided the S4-R 500GB is what you want, it’s probably not worth hanging around.
Stocks across all retailers are correct as of this writing, and may change.
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