The Manhattan Plaza HD S2 by no means a living room hero. It’s not going to replace your old Freesat HD box or ever challenge the likes of Sky+HD. But that’s not what it’s for. It’s very much a bedroom device. Criticsisng it for not having an extra tuner is a bit like criticising a motorbike for not being able to seat four. Any SD programmes also available in hi-def have an HD logo next to them in the EPG. You can also set reminders through the EPG, which displays a message onscreen when the programme is about to start. Online content can be accessed in the On Demand section of the EPG or through the channels’ interactive services.

For over 150 Freesat channels simply connect the Plaza HD-S2 to a suitable dish (an existing Sky dish can be used) and follow the on-screen setup instructions. Connect by HDMI to a suitable TV and enjoy free HD channels with cinema-quality Dolby Digital + sound (when broadcast). Even standard channels look fantastic thanks to advanced up-scaling to HD. Here you can add non-Freesat channels either by scanning all transponders automatically or manually entering the tuning details, but they don’t appear in the Freesat EPG.It’s one of the first Freeview receivers in the UK to implement the latest version of YouTube, which can be controlled by a smartphone or tablet. The beauty is that you don’t have to pair your phone or even open the YouTube app on the receiver – just press the TV icon in the YouTube smartphone app, select the Manhattan from the list of devices and it will start playing on your TV, assuming your phone and TV are on the same network. A series of installation screens are displayed when you first fire up the box. These let you set the aspect ratio, HDMI output resolution (from 576i up to 1080p), channel tuning and parental PIN. How to set up a Smart DNS service on a router – access UK On Demand Services when outside the UK November 4, 2023

The Manhattan Plaza HD-S2 even helps save you money thanks to its extremely low power consumption (less than 0.5W in standby), and comes recommended by the Energy Saving Trust. The box also supports interactive TV, digital text, Audio Description and subtitles. The HDMI output will send pictures to your TV in 576i, 576p, 720p, 1080i and 1080p, while on the audio side it supports Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby Digital and HE-AAC. The Manhattan H-DS2 Freesat Set-Top Box gives you an eight-day electronic programme guide (EPG) so you can see when favourite programmes or items of interest are on, planning your viewing to suit your lifestyle.Non-Freesat channels, that is channels that aren’t displayed in the programme guide when you turn the Plaza HD S2 on, can be easily added en masse or individually. This can be done by hitting ‘Menu’, opening up the system menu, highlight the option to display the channels and then pressing OK. This is useful if you just want to add specific channels, like Sky News, of if you want to add the whole lot at once. Manhattan Plaza HD S2 Apps: BBC iPlayer Subscription Free TV in HD Over 150 free TV & radio channels from freesat, with six TV channels in amazing HD If you miss a day of programming, there are on-demand catch-up TV services with BBC iPlayer and ITV Player, so you can always find what you didn't see in a week's worth of the best of British TV. Simply connect your set-top box to the internet using the Ethernet connection.

Similarly, the Plaza HD S2’s electronic programme guide (EPG) could be slow to respond to our commands, and we often pressed buttons again because we thought they hadn’t registered with the unit even though they had, which sometimes led to unwanted channel or menu changes. However, this isn’t something that’ll stop you wanting to use the Plaza HD S2. When you consider that you also get the option of catching up on missed shows thanks to the inclusion of BBC iPlayer and ITV Player, it’s hard to think that there even is a catch.The Manhattan Plaza HD S2 can output a variety of resolutions, from standard definition all the way up to Full HD 1080p, so you can enjoy satellite TV no matter what TV you have. The successor to the award-winning Manhattan Plaza HD-S, the Manhattan Plaza HD-S2 is the most compact freesat HD receiver available, and comes bursting with unique features. Freesat comes with an 8-day Programme Guide so you can plan your viewing a week ahead. The powerful reminder and timer functionality allows you to easily set the Plaza HD-S2 to turn itself off or on at any time to any channel or programme of your choosing.

To say it is perfect for use in a bedroom or kitchen would do it an injustice, because unless you want recording features, fancy guides and more interactive facilities, this would also serve the purpose incredibly well as a main living room device for accessing all your favourite channels. The box also delivers on the audio front, with Dolby Digital 5.1 delivered over the optical digital connection when broadcast. It sounds great when hooked up to an AV receiver. Manhattan Plaza HD-S2: VerdictThe Manhattan Plaza HD S2 gives you the full complement of Freesat’s 150-plus channels including all the HD channels, non-Freesat channels (things like Sky News and Press TV which you have to manually add) and over 30 digital radio stations. One minor irritation is that you have to remember to press the up/down keys to change VuTV channels – if you press the usual P /- keys it changes to the adjacent Freeview channel. We’ve spent some time getting to know the Plaza HD S2, which will be in the shops from Monday, August 12. Here’s exactly what you get for your money. The successor to the award-winning Plaza HD-S, the HD-S2 is the most compact freesat HD receiver available, and comes bursting with unique features.