Yes. The S4•R is a Freesat device and requires a satellite dish to receive live TV channels. If you already have a dish — including a Sky dish — you can connect the S4•R directly.

Yes, in most cases. The S4•R works with Standard (Universal), Wideband (used by Sky Q) and SCR/​Unicable satellite feeds, and auto-detects the signal type during setup. Four-channel recording needs either two Wideband feeds (as fitted for Sky Q) or a single SCR feed; with two standard cables you get two-tuner operation. If you’re not sure what cabling you have, an independent installer can help — visit our Connecting Your Manhattan Box to a Satellite Dish page to learn more.

Up to four simultaneously with a wideband LNB (standard on Sky Q setups), or two with an older single-output setup like Sky+.

Broadband is optional but recommended. Live Freesat channels come via your satellite dish without any internet connection. Connect to Wi-Fi to unlock on-demand content from BBC iPlayer, ITVX, Channel 4, My5, YouTube, and more — and to receive software updates automatically. If broadband isn’t available, updates can be downloaded from our website and installed via USB stick.

No. Freesat is completely free. Pay once for the S4•R and that’s it — no subscriptions, no contracts, no monthly bills.

The Manhattan SX is a non-recording Freesat box — or what we sometimes call a ​‘zapper’ — it’s perfect if you simply want to receive free satellite TV without the extra outlay. The S4•R adds multi-channel recording, up to two hours of live pause and rewind, and significantly more on-demand capability through its enhanced interface.

The T4•R is our Freeview recorder; the S4•R is our Freesat recorder. They share the same Manhattan interface and most of the same features, including pause, rewind and series link. The main differences: the T4•R uses a rooftop aerial, the S4•R uses a satellite dish; the S4•R records up to four channels at once (the T4•R does two); and Freesat carries more than 35 HD channels, where Freeview has nine.