Got a satellite dish? Tired of paying sky-high bills? Freesat is the answer. Over 100 channels with 36 in HD, up to 4 recordings at once – and not a penny in monthly fees.
Manhattan, the UK manufacturer behind the latest generation of Freesat products. And if you’ve already got a dish on your house – maybe left over from Sky – you’re already most of the way there.
Why choose Freesat?
Freesat is the UK’s free satellite TV service – backed by the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, and Channel 5. You buy a box, connect it to a satellite dish, and that’s it. No subscription, no contract, no monthly bills.
Here’s what you get:
Over 100 channels, with 36 in HD. Freeview has just 9 HD channels – everything else is standard definition. On a modern TV, you notice the difference.
Reliable reception. Satellite signals come from space, not a transmitter down the road. If your dish has a clear view of the southern sky, you get a good picture. No coverage blackspots, no signal that varies by postcode.
Better picture and sound. Freesat broadcasts at higher bitrates than Freeview, so even the same channel looks better via satellite. You also get proper Dolby Digital surround sound.
Works without broadband. Live satellite TV is completely independent of your internet connection. Useful if your broadband goes down, or if you’re setting up a TV somewhere with patchy Wi-Fi.
On-demand apps with a connected box. With a Freesat box like our S4•R, you get BBC iPlayer, ITVX, Channel 4, My5, and YouTube built in. Live TV and catch-up, all in one place.
Record, pause and rewind. Watch what you want when you want, with the ability to record up to four programmes at once. Pause live TV for up to two hours – and rewind to catch anything you missed.
The trade-off: You need a satellite dish. Not every property has one, and installation has a cost if you’re starting from scratch. But if picture quality matters to you, or you’re frustrated with Freeview reception issues, Freesat is worth the dish.
Already Have a Dish?
Here’s what a lot of people don’t realise: if you’ve got a Sky dish on your house, it almost certainly works for Freesat – no modifications needed.
Sky and Freesat use the same satellites. That dish you’re paying (or used to pay) for isn’t locked to Sky. It’s just pointing at the right bit of the sky. All you need now is a Freesat box.
Connect the cables from your dish to a Freesat receiver, run the setup, and you’re good to go. Most people can do it themselves in ten minutes: no engineer visit, no additional hardware, no ongoing cost.
The only exception is if your dish has been physically damaged or badly misaligned. But here’s the simple test: if you’re getting a picture from Sky right now, you’ll get a picture from Freesat.
Discover our Freesat Boxes
Manhattan is the UK manufacturer behind the latest generation of Freesat products. We’ve brought our fourth-generation operating system – developed over a decade of making set-top boxes – to the satellite platform. We make two Freesat boxes, designed for different needs.
Manhattan S4•R
The S4•R is our flagship Freesat recorder — and the most capable recorder we’ve ever made.
Record up to 4 programmes at once. With a wideband or SCR satellite installation (the type used for Sky Q), you can record four channels simultaneously. With an older Sky+ style twin-cable setup, you get two recordings at once. Either way, you’re never choosing between programmes again.
The 2-hour rolling buffer. This is what sets our recorders apart. From the moment you tune to a channel, the S4•R is recording into a 2-hour buffer. Missed something? Rewind. Didn’t realise you wanted to keep it until halfway through? Hit record and capture everything from when you started watching. You genuinely never miss a moment.
Features
Satellite TV with No Monthly Bills
Enjoy 100+ Freesat channels with over 35 in HD. Just plug in your existing Freesat or Sky satellite cables.
Record Up to 4 Programmes at Once
Record four programmes at once if you have a wideband LNB (standard with Sky Q), or two with older dishes like Sky+.
Pause & Rewind Live TV
Pause for up to two hours - time for a cuppa or to put the kids to bed. Rewind to catch anything you missed.
Your Favourite Free TV Apps
BBC iPlayer, ITVX, Channel 4, My5, YouTube and more.
Search Once, Find Everything
One search looks across live TV and all your on-demand apps, so you spend less time hunting and more time watching.
Great British Telly, Great British Brand
Manhattan's UK-based team is there when you need them: real people, real help, backed by a 2-year warranty.
Record up to 300 Hours
With options of 500GB storage available, you can build a massive library of all your favourites – up to 300 hours on the 500GB model – all neatly organised and ready when you are.
In the box
Premium high speed 1.2m HDMI cable
User Guide
Remote control & 2x AAA batteries
AC power adapter
Dimensions
Width: 272mm
Height: 46mm
Depth: 197mm
Power consumption
Active (no USB device): Less than 27.5W
Active (with USB device): Less than 30W
Network Standby/Sleep: Less than 2W
Passive Standby: Less than 0.3W
Connections
SAT IN 1 / SAT IN 2:
Connect to your satellite dish
HDMI: Connect to a TV or AV Receiver's HDMI port
OPTICAL: Connect to an AV Receiver or external sound system for Dolby Digital Plus surround sound (when supported)
ETHERNET: Connect to an internet router
USB: Insert a USB stick for offline software update
