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If you still haven't snagged a popular Aero 4K TV Streamer, you'll have to pay a bit more once it's finally back in stock.
This set-top box, built by British brand Manhattan, launched for £69 earlier this year. It's the second-only Freely TV box to launch in the UK, unlocking the ability to stream the biggest free-to-air channels, including GB News, ITV, BBC, and Channel 4, with just a Wi-Fi connection.
It sold out in under 24-hours when it made its debut on Currys, and the company has struggled to keep it in stock for the last few months.
Alex Arbab-Zadeh, COO, Manhattan TV, exclusively told GB News: “The Aero has sold out again, and when it returns at the start of next month, it will be priced at £89.99.
"We want to be straightforward about why. The cost of the memory components and chipsets that go into a device like the Aero has risen sharply and rapidly — driven by the global explosion in AI data centre construction, which has created fierce worldwide competition for exactly the same components that consumer electronics manufacturers depend on.
"This is an industry-wide structural issue, not something unique to Manhattan, and it is affecting pricing and availability right across consumer technology. Getting the new price to £89.99, rather than something considerably higher, has taken real effort on our part."
This British-made box is designed to bring Freely to any flatscreen via HDMI – unlocking a slew of Sky TV-like features for your favourite free-to-air channels.
The Manhattan Aero 4K TV Streamer has struggled to stay in stock since its original launch earlier this year, but it is expected to return in the next couple of months
| MANHATTAN PRESS OFFICEThere's also an on-demand catalogue brimming with over 75,000 hours of on-demand content (believe it or not, that's more than Netflix). Unlike Freeview, Freely boasts several clever features that you'd usually only associate with paid-for platforms like Sky Glass or Sky Stream, including pausing live television and restarting a show that's in progress.
Amazon, John Lewis, and Currys all sell the Aero.
As for when it will return, Mr Arbab-Zadeh told GB News, "We expect stock to remain tight through May, but our June shipment will bring supply in line with demand for the rest of the year. Our commitment to bringing UK consumers Great British Telly without monthly bills hasn’t changed – and it never will.”
Built by the same team behind Freeview and Freesat, Freely is a broadband-powered platform is forecast to overtake both by the end of the decade. At the beginning, Freely was only available on brand-new Smart TVs built from the ground up for its software, which lets you pause live free-to-air television channels and restart a show that's already in progress. The TV Guide lets you scroll backwards in time, bringing a selection of on-demand content drawn from catch-up services like BBC iPlayer and ITVX into the EPG (Electronic Programme Guide).
But if you didn't want to upgrade to a new flatscreen, you had to stick with Freeview or Freesat. That's all changed with the arrival of these Apple TV-like boxes that bring the latest Freely features to any television with a 10Mbps internet connection.
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The Aero 4K TV Streamer is built by the British brand, Manhattan.
Plug this box into the HDMI port on the back of your telly, and you're able to stream the biggest free-to-air channels, including GB News, ITV, BBC, Channel 4, and more.
It rivals the first-ever Freely-powered TV box, Pleio, which is on sale for £99.
The Pleio box includes a set-top box, remote, game controller, a 12-month subscription to premium channels, and cloud gaming. It's worth remembering that ownership of the hardware is deferred until the 12-month subscription period ends, which means you’re essentially leasing or financing it as part of the subscription. You can't sell the Pleio box after six months as a second-hand item, since you don't technically own it at that point.
If you're not much of a gamer, the Manhattan Aero 4K TV Streamer may be a better pick since it misses out on the game-streaming capabilities of the Pleio.
Pleio box includes a set-top box, remote, game controller, a 12-month subscription to premium channels, and cloud gaming
| NETGEM PRESS OFFICEHowever, if you're willing to splash out a bit extra, the Humax Aura EZ 4K TV Recorder with Freely was just unveiled for £249.
This is the third set-top box to launch with the Freely platform baked into it. Inside the Aura EZ 4K TV Recorder is a 2TB hard drive capable of recording up to 1,000 hours of content. When connected to an aerial, this new Humax device enables viewers to record up to four channels while watching a fifth channel live, ensuring they never miss their favourite television shows, sports fixtures, or films.
With the new HUMAX Aura EZ 4K TV Recorder plugged in beneath your telly, you'll be able to record from four different channels simultaneously, pause and rewind live television – or restart a show with the tap of a button | HUMAX PRESS OFFICE | GB NEWS To schedule a recording, you can tap the Menu button on the remote control to reveal the seven-day TV Guide, making it faster – and simpler – to select a show for recording. The Humax Aura EZ comes with a dedicated Freely button on the remote control, enabling fast and convenient access to the newest streaming platform.
Unlike the Pleio and Aero boxes, the Aura EZ requires an aerial for full, traditional recording functionality and does not appear to support third-party apps like Netflix or Disney+.