"If you’ve been trying to track down a Freesat recording box lately"

Not really. Most on here will have perfectly usable Foxsat-HDRs with CF and have no need of anything new. Especially as it's just rumoured to be coming.

I seem to recall the -T4R was rumoured for many many months before one appeared in the shops.

Guilty, as charged, for bumping the views count.
 
That's fine - I actually got rid of my Foxsat HDR a few years back with CF because compared to the Fox T2 it was so slow to do anything!

Unfortunately the T2 has departed now and I have replaced it with a BT TV Box Pro and was considering adding the Manhattan Freesat as belt and braces back up device.

Still have the original Aura - useful as a door stop!
 
woodbar said:
Unfortunately the T2 has departed now and I have replaced it with a BT TV Box Pro and was considering adding the Manhattan Freesat as belt and braces back up device.
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Plenty of HDR Fox T2s available on ebay if you consider it unfortunate you no longer have yours.
 
Rodders53 said:
manhattan-tv.com

Manhattan S4•R Freesat TV Recorder

Record, pause and rewind over 100 channels, and instantly access 60,000+ hours of on-demand and catch-up TV.
manhattan-tv.com

Only since post lunchtime today 15th April 2026 and scant on details or a user manual to read so far.

Stock?
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Ditto

www.cordbusters.co.uk

Manhattan Launches The S4-R: A New Freesat Recorder | Cord Busters

Manhattan TV launches the S4-R, a new Freesat 4K recorder with four-channel recording, starting at £219.99 for the 500GB model
www.cordbusters.co.uk www.cordbusters.co.uk

I see it says it will record 4 things at once which gives me hope that if the T4-R gets replaced by a new model it may do also removing the main reason for people choosing Humax over Manhattan.
 
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trog said:
I see it says it will record 4 things at once which gives me hope that if the T4-R gets replaced by a new model it may do also removing the main reason for people choosing Humax over Manhattan.
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That's only with a wideband $ky Q lnb and the 4 tuners it has inside.

On another forum someone has stated that Manhattan have crippled, in software, the tuners down to two when using a legacy/universal to prevent people complaining when they can't always make 4 recordings (as only up to two LNB modes can be selected of the four possible).

The freesat 4k box only stated two with legacy LNB but people got up to four quite happily.
 
Hopes dashed though these days there are a plethora of other reasons to avoid buying from Humax.
 
I have been looking for some info on the S4-R as I am quite tempted. Trouble is my dish and LNBs were installed probably 15-20 years ago for the Foxsat HDR so they are unlikely to be the wideband Sky Q jobbies.

I have Freesat built in to the LG TV but have never actually used it - I will connect the feeds one at a time see if the LNBs still work to start with but I guess I would need an update for the LNB (and dish?) to get the 4 concurrent record facility which is the topmost requirement.
 
Yes you would need to swap to a wideband LNB to guarantee the 4 channel record capability... but the S4-R will happily use the existing universal LNB.

Some reported that the freesat 4k box would do more than two recordings (presumably provided the extra TV channels were in the same 'mode' as already in use by another tuner in that 4-tuner box with a universal LNB...

Dunno if any of the S4-R users have experimented but Manhattan are (like freesat with the 4k were) adamant only two are possible.?

Take a close up, in focus, picture of the LNB label to identify what is currently fitted.
 
Thanks for your thoughts and information.

I am disabled, still waiting for a new hip or two, so accessing the LNB is a non-starter!

I did wonder that - if the you tried to record the extra signal in the same mode/node from an in use tuner whether it would allow it? I seem to remember the Foxsat HDR, or was it the HDR T2, would grey out unavailable channels leaving some available to view or record in those circumstances? A long time ago now.

I will check the twin feeds from the dish into my LG first, and if they are both still working I will seriously think about buying the S4-R then getting someone to sort the LNB update for me. I need at least a working signal available to verify the Manhattan as a while back I did purchase a T4-R and it had a terrible picture quality! I assume, lucky me, just got a bad one but I did not risk trying another and bought a new, bargain basement, EE TV Box Pro which has been pretty good.
 
woodbar said:
I need at least a working signal available to verify the Manhattan as a while back I did purchase a T4-R and it had a terrible picture quality! I assume, lucky me, just got a bad one
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The main complaint in the first six months after it was released was the SD picture quality. An update 6 months after launch drastically improved it for SD, and supposedly a bit of improvement for HD and catchup as well.

There was also some picture distortion of some TVs tied into 50Hz / 60Hz. In the first month after launch there was also an intermittent saturation issue linked to HDR where the box would need a restart to correct itself

woodbar said:
I seem to remember the Foxsat HDR, or was it the HDR T2, would grey out unavailable channels leaving some available to view or record in those circumstances?
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I don't know about the Foxsat, but the HDR T2 only does that in the LIST function (where you hit the LIST button to list all channels.
The old PVR-9200T (and PVR-3000T and PVR-1500T) used to make it obvious in the TV Guide.

Edit: Apparently the FOXSAT does also grey out unavailable channels in the guide.
Edit: and the Manhattan T4-R has an option to add an indicator in the TV Guide, and the Channel Browser, against unavailable channels.
 
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