Your questions, answered

Not necessarily - older televisions might still require an external box to access Freeview, particularly if you want to watch channels in HD.

And while modern TVs will connect to Freeview directly, they’re not always easy to use. Sometimes the TV Guide is hidden behind a screen of apps and it can be impossible to find the channels you actually want to watch. And there’s no guarantee the manufacturer will keep updating them - so you might wake up one day and find the smart TV you bought is suddenly dumb.

Our boxes are different. They’re beautifully simple to use and packed with features you’ll actually want to use - like the ability to record shows to watch again and again or a Live Pause feature that is always recording so you can rewind at the touch of a button.

We design our boxes in the UK, for the UK. We use them to watch TV every day just like you. And we keep improving and updating them as part of our commitment to delivering you with the simplest way to watch, so you can rest easy knowing you’ll never miss a second of the shows you love.And, best of all, they’re all subscription-free, meaning you never have to pay a penny to access any of our channels or core services.

On demand and catch-up services like iPlayer and All 4 gives you online access to the best current shows and a wide range of programmes from each channel’s back catalogue.

Both terms are interchangeable, and it doesn’t matter whether a service is called on demand or catch up. What matters is what you get from them - a mix of recently aired shows,old favourites, exclusive programmes and shows you might have missed the first time around. They’re amazing services, but require an internet connection and many of the shows are only available for a limited time.

Our T3-R and T2-R boxes offer the simplest way to record shows as they air and keep them forever - letting you watch your favourites again and again. They also let you use our Live Pause feature - meaning you can pause shows in real time and never miss a moment - and even skip back in time to really take in what’s happened in your favourite moments.

Having both gives you complete control over your viewing experience - letting you record your favourite shows to keep, or dive into a catch-up service to join the discussion about the hot new programme you missed the first few episodes of. And if you’re not sure what you want to watch, you can browse through a vast range of classic TV shows and films and find the right show for you.

Freeview HD gives you access to all your favourite Freeview channels , with 15 in glorious HD. You’ll find this on our T1 and T2-R boxes, where our beautifully simple 8-day programme guide makes it a doddle to find the shows you love.

Freeview Play features all of this and adds the very best British catch-up and on demand services. So if you want to go beyond the programme guide, you’ll want to get either the T3 or the T3-R and get the shows you love, when you want them, at the touch of a button. Our Freeview Play boxes also feature a 15-day TV Guide which lets you scroll back through the previous week’s TV and catch up on the shows you’ve missed.

There's so much to say about this we wrote a whole blog.

We also have pages that explain the Freeview HD, Freeview Play and Freesat platforms and our product ranges in more detail.

Yes - with the T2-R and T3-R you get access to our Live Pause Feature. This makes it a doddle for you to pause and rewind shows in real time, and unlike other boxes, our Live Pause doesn’t need you to anticipate when you’ll want to rewind, meaning all it takes is the press of a button to go back and see a great moment over and over again.

No, but our T3 and T3-R boxes both need the internet to access the great range of on demand services they offer and take advantage of all of their features.Both have Wi-Fi so it’s a breeze to set them up and if you prefer a wired connection they have Ethernet too. If you don’t connect them the T3-R will still work as a fantastic Freeview recorder and the T3 a great TV box.

Connecting all our boxes to the internet is also the easiest way for them to receive software updates, ensuring you’re always receiving our latest and greatest service.

If you’re buying one of our Freeview boxes you’ll need an aerial for live TV and radio channels: a rooftop aerial is recommended as indoor aerials are very unreliable. If you don’t have an aerial, but do have a satellite dish, you might prefer the Manhattan SX Freesat HD Box, which gives you access to hundreds of TV and radio channels and is a great cost-effective replacement for sky customers who’ve ended their subscription.

We offer a range of catch-up and on demand services, ensuring you always have access to the very best of British TV. That means we have all the classics - from iPlayer and ITV Hub through to All 4 and My5.

While we’d love to offer every major streaming service, unfortunately it’s not up to us. Manhattan is a manufacturer totally focussed on the UK, which means we’re not always top of the priority list for the larger services. If your favourite service isn’t featured yet, then ask them to consider working with us - we’re always happy to talk about expanding the apps we offer.

Currently, you can access the following services via your Manhattan TV box:

• BBC iPlayer
• ITV Hub
• All4
• My5
• UKTV Play
• STV Player
• CBS Catchup
• Horror Bites
• POP Player
• BBC Sounds
• YouTube
• YouTube Kids

HD and 4K both refer to the image quality of a show and specifically the number of pixels on offer. Most modern TVs can display content in HD and most content you’ll find on catch-up or on demand services can be accessed in HD.

4K has four times as many pixels and you need to see the results to believe them - your favourite nature shows look absolutely stunning in 4K. To see the benefits you’ll need a 4K TV and one of our 4K boxes - either the T3 or the T3-R. Right now, the main place to access 4K content is on YouTube, and BBC iPlayer also displays featured programming like Planet Earth and Wimbledon in 4K.

HDR often goes hand-in-hand with 4K and adds a richer depth to your viewing experience by expanding the range of colours and the contrast between light and dark areas of the image.

Choosing a box with 4K and HDR future-proofs your viewing experience.