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We have been told that the eagerly anticipated Manhattan Plaza HD-S Freesat HD Receiver will be available from the end of the month.
Following the huge success of the SD variant (Manhattan DS-100), the latest high-definition single tuner receiver is expected to turn the Freesat HD range on its head, offering all the same functionality as the existing receivers available for a fraction of the price.
What Satellite & Digital TV magazine were the first to review this new model and gave it an impressive 81%, which for a lesser known brand receiver is quite impressive, given they usually favour the more main stream products. The key points they highlighted were the excellent quality picture and sound which was well above what they expected for the price, and that switching between Freesat and non-Freesat modes is easy, which will suit those wanting to access a few more FTA channels.
We have created a product page here, and more information (and to buy the product) can be found on the Satbuyer website, who are hoping to obtain the first stock of any independent retailer towards the end of next week.
The Manhattan HD-S is expecting to retail for between £85-£100.
September 24th, 2011 at 8:54 am
Looks interesting, need something to replace my old bush hd box that would not do s2, with a usb record it could be perfect for the bedroom. Unless the technisat is a better box?
lee bQuote
September 24th, 2011 at 8:58 am
@lee b
The TechniSat is an extremely good box but is also much more expensive than the expected rrp of the Manhattan. It will come down to how the Manhattan performs but early signs suggest it will be as impressive as the SD version, which has certainly been very successful. Worth hanging on a week and finding out early reactions.
adminQuote
September 24th, 2011 at 1:26 pm
Great news sounds like a great 2nd box for my bedroom –
But I have purchased two Technisat’s in my time and if this box is 100 rather than 80 I may well stick to what I know – and Love
DavidDbQuote
September 24th, 2011 at 1:29 pm
Sounds very interesting. I wait with bated breath.
Brian PQuote
September 24th, 2011 at 4:06 pm
The Manhatten does sound like a good unit, certainly from the photo it looks pretty stylish so hoping it will do well.
NeilQuote
September 24th, 2011 at 8:00 pm
“Lesser Known” Brand? ” – Hardly; Eurosat – Manhattan receivers have been around much longer than some of the branded “Freesat” boxes. My last an FTA ST500 with internal 36volt positioner and full diseqc functionality was an excellent piece of kit.
Les NicolQuote
September 24th, 2011 at 10:47 pm
@Les Nicol
Agree they are known to enthusiasts etc but not to main stream buyers which most who have Freesat are; the comparison was against makes such as Humax, Panasonic, Samsung etc who these magazines generally favour.
adminQuote
September 25th, 2011 at 7:49 am
any chance yet of ITV subtitles on the HD channel(s) ???
philip clarkQuote
September 25th, 2011 at 7:54 am
Manhattan – Previous models were designed and Specified in the UK, but were built in South in Korea, quite possibly out of the Humax stable. Current models are coming out of China. They aren’t producing the range variety that they used to, though quality seems to up there as in the past.
P>S> my ST500 passed on to a mate, is still going strong and it must be of 2002/2003 vintage.
Les NicolQuote
September 25th, 2011 at 8:00 pm
I could of put it the proper freesat post I thought it was to old now to people to look at anyway are we still having the humax software update in September still because its Oct Saturday or is it September 2012.come on humax pull you finger out
steve 1Quote
September 27th, 2011 at 9:06 am
It sounds like an ideal inexpensive replacement for a Bush HD box. The ability to record to USB is an added attraction.
Something to keep an eye on!
RogerQuote
September 27th, 2011 at 10:14 am
Admin do you know if the humax foxsat pvr can record straight onto usb?I know it don’t need to.it does have a usb port.
steve 1Quote
September 27th, 2011 at 10:21 am
@steve 1
No it can’t, it can only transfer recordings off the HDR to it.
adminQuote
September 27th, 2011 at 10:28 am
Do we know if the software update is still being released in September 2011 by humax?I know its out of your hands
steve 1Quote
September 27th, 2011 at 10:44 am
@steve 1
They had said within a few weeks so suspect that might mean some time in October knowing Humax. No further update from them unfortunately.
adminQuote
September 27th, 2011 at 8:14 pm
Smelly Humax. My HDR seems a bit better at the mo though.
RichQuote
September 28th, 2011 at 9:28 am
Still out of stock, running out of days until end of Sept now. Anyone got a link to the review?
Lee BQuote
September 28th, 2011 at 9:50 am
@Lee B
The review was in the September magazine but haven’t seen it appear online yet. 2 page review.
Stock hasn’t landed in the UK yet as far as I’m aware, but should be very soon!
adminQuote
September 28th, 2011 at 11:53 am
Hi All,
I’m Director of Product Development at Manhattan Technology. I’m pleased that everyone is excited about the release of the Plaza HD-S but I must correct the statement that it has USB recording functionality – it does not.
For recording functionality please purchase our upcoming Plaza HDR-S. It’s going to be priced *extremely* competitively, is ultra-compact and the fanless design means that you won’t hear a thing from it
All the best,
Alex
AlexQuote
September 28th, 2011 at 11:54 am
Sorry I forgot to add, the full What Satellite review can be downloaded here:
http://cl.ly/3z1S0R2p0k2I3q3c2V0c
Thanks,
Alex
AlexQuote
September 28th, 2011 at 12:02 pm
Sorry guys, no USB record functionality with this unit (as per reply above); maybe they can develop and release a software update to allow it in the future as I think it would be hugely beneficial.
adminQuote
September 28th, 2011 at 1:34 pm
Alex@19,
Do you have any idea roughly when the HDR-S unit will be relea
pInguQuote
September 28th, 2011 at 1:37 pm
oops
Alex@19,
Do you have any idea roughly when the HDR-S unit will be released and can you give us some idea of the features, please?
Recording from buffer, networking etc
Pingu
pInguQuote
September 28th, 2011 at 1:44 pm
@plngu
The specification can be found here:
http://www.joinfreesat.co.uk/index.php/digital-boxes/manhattan-plaza-hd-s
Please note that the HD-S is designed to fit in the lower price end of the marketplace (which still offering a high level of quality and reliability) so doesn’t have record functionality or networking; the Ethernet will be for accessing iPlayer and possible future on-demand services.
adminQuote
September 28th, 2011 at 2:17 pm
@admin,
My questions were about the HDR-S mentioned by Alex@19 and not about the HD-S.
It would be interesting to know how it will compare with the current Freesat+ machines like the Samsung, Humax HDR, etc.
I hope Alex@19 will be able to shed some light on the proposed release date and what may make it an attractive buy over the competition apart from its “*extremely*” competitive price.
Pingu
pInguQuote
September 28th, 2011 at 2:19 pm
@plngu
Apologies, mis-read your original question. I have a few details but they may have been supplied in confidence so will let Alex reply if he can.
adminQuote
September 28th, 2011 at 2:35 pm
Thanks. I would like to buy a Freesat+ machine so it would be good to know if it is worth waiting for and hopefully how long that wait may be for this model!
Pingu
pInguQuote
September 28th, 2011 at 2:45 pm
Hi Pingu,
We’ll be releasing full information about the product soon and we aim to have it available by the start of December. It can indeed record from the buffer.
Our goal with the product is to target the normal person with a non-motorised dish that wants to benefit from all that freesat and the other FTA channels that ASTRA 28.2 has to offer. I’ll try and describe some more of the product for you:
- Unlike most TV recorders the Plaza HDR-S is whisper quiet in operation due to its fanless design and use of the latest hard disk technology from Western Digital. It is also extremely compact in size (W280mm, D170mm, H40mm).
- The Plaza HDR-S keeps things organised for you by automatically grouping your recordings by series. The channel banner allows you to see up to 24 hours ahead so you don’t have to leave watching live TV to see what’s on later.
- You can create a list of your favourite channels and then easily find what you want to watch using the dedicated button on the remote to either show only those channels in the Programme Guide or cycle thru your favourite channels using the Channel Banner.
- If over 150 Freesat channels are not enough the Plaza HDR-S can automatically add hundreds more non-Freesat channels. Combine them with freesat channels on your favourites list for true power viewing.
- Make a direct digital connection to your HDTV using HDMI for perfect picture and sound or use the digital optical audio output to connect to an external sound system. Those with older equipment haven’t been forgotten as the HDR-S boasts both twin SCART outputs and left/right analog audio outputs too. The ethernet port connects the Plaza HDR-S to your network and there’s a USB port for offline updates.
There will be 320GB and 500GB models available and they will be priced significantly below the competition.
I hope this helps
All the best,
Alex
AlexQuote
September 28th, 2011 at 3:12 pm
@Alex
Thank you for your quick reply.
Sounds very interesting.
Pingu
pinguQuote
September 28th, 2011 at 4:24 pm
How does it keep cool without fan what’s different with the humax to need a fan inside?
steve 1Quote
September 28th, 2011 at 5:39 pm
Hi, probably one for Alex, as Manhattan is one of the device partners in YouView, will the HD-S and the HDR-S be suitable for watching YouView?
rztommyQuote
September 28th, 2011 at 5:52 pm
Steve, see the review for the HD-S model link above in post #20. It is mentioned there – 4th paragraph.
As I understand, it has a separate – i.e. external – Power Supply Unit (the part which gets hot!) rather like a laptop computer, plugged in compared to a desktop machine. The Humax and others have an internal PSU and need a fan to keep the temperature inside the box from getting too high.
Pingu
pinguQuote
September 28th, 2011 at 6:31 pm
@rztommy
I’d very much doubt any range of Freesat receivers launching this year will include YouView as the specs haven’t been finalised. In any case, will YouView ever launch, I’m not so sure!
adminQuote
September 28th, 2011 at 6:41 pm
Sounds good.The seamless access to non Freesat channels is just what I need to get STV HD and Sky News without having to delve into a complicated menu every time. Think I’ll wait for the HDR-S though as it has left /right analog audio outs as well as Freesat Plus. Roll on December.
Forget YouView and get a Samsung Smart Hub Blu-ray player instead.
Richard CrichtonQuote
September 28th, 2011 at 11:44 pm
@Alex
It’s good to see a manufacturer able to comment and advise of future plans.
Whilst being able to set up a fav list with non- and freesat channels is great and definitely time someone did it, it’s a great shame there is no diseqc switching even of the most basic type (1.0).
I can understand most buyers will only have a dish for 28E but the real benefit to having a single fav list or easy switching between modes arises where other sats can be tuned too.
Diseqc switching must be mainly a sw issue not needing any changes to the hardware, and even if you don’t include tp lists for other sats, it is possible to achieve quite a lot just by manual scanning of the tps. It is just what I have been doing on the Technisat, but they seem not to have any plans for a HDR-S equivalent which you clearly do have, which I’d be very interested in.
Can your business be urged to develop a sw update that will allow diseqc switching please and for the forthcoming HDR-S to have it with diseqc from the start? Sw alterations shouldn’t affect your ability to set keen pricing.
Oh, and also can we ask for the HDR-S to not block timer/epg recordings from the non-freesat channels even if they only provide epg data on a now and next basis as some of them do load extended epgs up to 7 days once you are on the channel, such as ARD, BVN, TVP.
RozzoQuote
September 29th, 2011 at 9:45 am
Rozzo
I am having the same problems with the Technisat EPG that you posted elsewhere.
That and the difficult non Freesat mode switching are making me interested in the HDR-S.
Pity about the lack of Disecq swithing but are there any English language channels in the clear near 28E that wold make it a must have feature?
Richard CrichtonQuote
September 29th, 2011 at 9:50 am
Steve: There are a few methods we’re using to keep the temperature down. We do use an external power supply but we’ve also created two thermal zones that keep the main board and CPU separate from the hard disk. We’re also using the latest 2.5″ hard disks from Western Digital that are extremely energy efficient and give off very little heat.
Rztommy: Neither the Plaza HD-S or the HDR-S have the processing capacity to do YouView or for that matter Freesat G2. Anyone that’s bought a Samsung expecting it to do Freesat G2 will be extremely disappointed. An ST7108 is required for YouView and Freesat G2 and both Samsung and us are using the ST7105 for our freesat+ devices.
Rozzo: I share most people’s frustration at the non-Freesat experience on most Freesat products. Indeed Freesat enforces a number of understandable restrictions given their business model and the environment in which they operate. From the start of this project I was adamant that we would not have separate Freesat and non-Freesat modes and worked closely with Freesat to combine them in a way that worked both for them and us.
Because this product has been developed from the ground-up it would add complexity and cost to the product to include diseqc support. Once you do that you then need to really think about enhancing methods of channel management to deal with many more channels, sorting them, and so on. The whole product becomes much more complicated. We feel that if a user wants that level of complexity then we have other (non-Freesat) models to fill that need
Some good news for you though: the HDR-S does not block recordings from non-Freesat channels. You can either record them from the channel banner or if the guide information is not available set a manual recording for any time & channel in the Schedule.
Hope this helps
Alex
AlexQuote
September 29th, 2011 at 10:35 am
By the looks of the case, they have sourced it from the same manufacturer that Harvard used for their Grundig and Goodmans Freeview HD boxes. Those cases were different but the same electronics were shared by these and very similar cases were used for the Alba (Argos own brand), Tesco Technika STBHDH2010 and Manhattan’s own Freeview HD boxes. The makers even forgot to alter the owner’s manual for the Technika and referred them to Manhattan’s site for support. Those FVHD boxes were OK but did not have much product support (no software updates for the SD/HD link or BBC iPlayer from what I understand) and there is no channel display, only a (blue) LED status light
A simple question. The product name is simply HD-S. I can find no reference to a DVB-S2 tuner although I assume it must have one to get the licence to use the Freesat HD logo. Is this just an omission on the Satbuyer web site or does it have a significant problem now several of the Freesat channels are using S2? I presume Astra 1N will only use it to enable more channels to be broadcast.
PeterQuote
September 29th, 2011 at 12:00 pm
36/37 Thanks Alex for explaining. I have no real idea what would be involved to enable diseqc but would like to leave the request with you when and if it becomes a possibility. Other boxes won’t have freesat 7 day epg.
English lang channels on other sats were not my own area of interest. BBC World is on 19.2E and 13E.
RozzoQuote
September 29th, 2011 at 12:23 pm
I’ve just bought a Head Medialink Black Panther generic receiver (for FTA channels at 28/19/13) because I’m fed up with the awkwardness of the Humax HDR in handling non-Freesat mode. I’m very pleased with it, it’s small and compact, gorgeous VFD display on the uncluttered fascia, PVR-style recording and live pause on a USB stick or HDD, and much much easier to use than the Humax. I have been frustrated by the fact that all Freesat products have been crippled when it comes to non-Freesat channels and Diseqc, maybe due to restrictions imposed by Freesat themselves, but surely it’s no skin off Freesat’s nose to allow access to other satellites so I can’t understand why these restrictions are in place. And in reality, it doesn’t really make things more complicated for the software, it just means providing more favourites lists really. The Humax already has facilities like sorting by satellite, HD, etc but just does it in a way that is difficult and awkward to use. The only thing that my Black Panther box does over and above the Humax is that it has several Favourites lists, but overall the user UI is just a lot slicker and makes multisat actually useable.
ChrisQuote
September 29th, 2011 at 1:36 pm
Hi Peter,
We are using the same manufacturer (as are most CE companies!) but everything inside – the CPU, board, tuners and software are all totally different. We used the same cabinet that we are using on our HDT-700 (Freeview HD) with a very similar front panel but beyond that there are no similarities. We do supply OEM but in the case of the Alba and Technika they actually had nothing to do with us – we were being supplied OEM by the same people as them and that’s why there were the manual errors.
We are working on ITV Player for the HD-S and will be releasing it soon. Also, to be clear there is also a red LED for off in addition to blue LED for on
The product name is HD-S for “High Definition Satellite” and it has an S2 tuner. The HDR-S stands for “High Definition Recorder Satellite” and has two S2 tuners. We feel the fact they are freesat HD and freesat+ products means there is no need to put a “2″ in the model name.
Rozzo: We will think about adding diseqc support.
All the best,
Alex
AlexQuote
September 30th, 2011 at 2:24 pm
Hi Alex
Thanks for the clarification (#37). I was a little surprised by your first reply (#33) as I had only very recently attended a lecture given by someone who should know that suggested that YouView was very much in hand.
rztommyQuote
September 30th, 2011 at 9:11 pm
Thanks Alex, I posted some more comments/pleas in the review thread today.
RozzoQuote