British brand launches long-awaited Sky Q rival to watch, pause, and record telly with no subscription

The S4-R Freesat 4K TV Recorder relies on Freesat, an earlier platform from Everyone TV, the organisation behind Freely and Freeview. Connect this box to the satellite dish affixed to the outside of your house, and you'll be able to watch more than 100 subscription-free television and radio channels, including more than 35 in High Definition (HD).

At a time when Sky is moving away from the satellite dishes that were once the backbone of its entire business — it has halted the sale of all new Sky Q installations from its online store, no new hardware in the works, and cut jobs for its satellite engineers — this box arrives at an interesting time.

For those who want to cut back on monthly subscriptions but still make use of their dish, the new box from Manhattan promises to recreate a slew of Sky Q-like functionality, like the ability to pause live broadcasts for up to two hours and rewind to catch anything you missed. Not only that, but this set-top box has the capability to record up to four channels at once if you have a wideband LNB – the standard dish that was installed alongside Sky Q – or two if you have an older setup, like Sky+ HD.

As well as offering multi-channel recording so you can avoid any clashes in the TV schedule, the all-new S4-R comes with 500GB of storage at launch, with 1TB and 2TB versions to follow, allowing you to build a library of up to 300, 600 or 1,200 hours, respectively. That's a lot of telly. And unlike modern solutions like Sky Glass, Sky Stream, and Virgin Stream, which rely entirely on on-demand services, there's no need to worry about broadcast rights ditching something before you've had a chance to watch it.

For example, Match of Day is only available on BBC iPlayer until the next episode supersedes it – no trouble on Sky+ HD, where you could store back-to-back episodes after a few weeks away. No such luck with these newer devices, where you’ll only be able to watch what’s available on BBC iPlayer when you finally get a chance to catch up.

Of course, if you do want to stream something from these immensely-popular streamers, the Manhattan S4-R Freesat 4K TV Recorder has got you covered. With a single search bar, you can scour across all your live TV channels and more than 60,000 hours of on-demand content from apps including BBC iPlayer, ITVX, Channel 4, 5 and more.

British brand Manhattan – the leading manufacturer of Freely, Freesat and Freeview devices providing access to free telly – designs and builds its own proprietary user interface. This box isn't running FireOS, which recently underwent its "biggest ever" update, Google TV, Roku, or any of the other myriad solutions, so the software is targetted at those who want to access free-to-air television in the UK.

Discussing the new box, Manhattan Chief Operating Officer, Alex Arbab-Zadeh told GB News: "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.

"It not only brings our proprietary user interface to satellite viewing, but it also drastically elevates the recording capability by supporting up to four simultaneous shows, compared to the previous two-channel limit. The S4-R is the perfect subscription TV replacement for Brits seeking more power, more choice, and an end to high monthly fees."

The Manhattan S4-R will be available later this month, with Currys, John Lewis, Argos and Richer Sounds all confirmed to stock the box.

Prices start from £219.99 for the entry-level box with 500GB of storage to record 300-hours of television.

Manhattan will charge £249.99 for the S4-R Freesat 4K TV Recorder with 1TB – double the storage — for 600-hours, and £279.99 for the 2TB model capable of storing 1,200 hours. The 1TB variant won't be available until next month, while the top-of-the-line 2TB model follows in June.

Jonathan Thompson, CEO at Everyone TV, says: “With the launch of the S4-R, we’re continuing our mission to make free TV more accessible for everyone. Many UK households still rely on satellite and looking for a modern alternative that doesn’t compromise on features or experience. The S4-R delivers exactly that, combining multi-channel recording with a seamless, intuitive interface.

"Alongside our range of Freely, Freeview & Freesat devices, it reflects our commitment to giving viewers choice in how they access free TV, with a consistent experience across every platform."