Sky Q, a popular TV device in the UK for over a decade, is renowned for its ability to store content on its built-in hard drive. While still a favored choice, it now faces competition from Manhattan’s latest offering, the S4-R Freesat 4K TV Recorder. Similar to Sky Q, this device uses a dish to deliver shows and movies and includes storage for recordings, an interactive TV guide, and the ability to pause live TV.
The standout feature of the Manhattan S4-R is its lack of subscription fees, offering over 100 free TV and radio channels. While it lacks premium content like Sky Sports or Sky Cinema, it provides a solid entertainment option without extra costs. Like Sky Q, the S4-R can record multiple channels simultaneously and comes with a 500GB hard drive, expandable to 1TB and 2TB soon. Users can pause and rewind live broadcasts similar to Sky Q.
Manhattan promises a user-friendly interface, search functionality, and access to a vast library of on-demand content through various apps like BBC iPlayer, ITVX, Channel 4, and My5. Alex Arbab-Zadeh, Manhattan’s COO, highlighted the S4-R’s enhanced recording capabilities, allowing up to four simultaneous recordings, double the previous limit. He positioned the S4-R as a flexible, subscription-free alternative to traditional TV services, offering more choices and savings.
The Manhattan S4-R is set to launch this month and will be available at retailers such as Currys, John Lewis, Argos, and Richer Sounds. Pricing starts at £219.99 for the 500GB model, increasing to £249.99 for the 1TB version in May, and £279.99 for the 2TB model in June.