Away from online functionality, the HD-T2 delivers the full gamut of Freeview TV and radio channels, including high-definition channels like BBC One and Two HD, Channel 4 HD, ITV HD, BBC Three HD and CBBC HD. 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.

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. The set-top box also stores up to eight lists of favourite channels, enabling you to access what you love more immediately. 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. Listen to a broad range of music and talk radio stations if you don't feel like watching TV, staying entertained and informed as you please. Connect to your HDTV via the HDMI port. How to set up a Smart DNS service on a router – access UK On Demand Services when outside the UK November 4, 2023The 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. The HD•S2 produces sharp, solid high-definition pictures. With ITV HD’s Long Lost Family for example, shots of various outdoor locales are engagingly crisp and bright. Objects have hard edges and there’s no break up as the camera pans.

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. Please note that due to the changes in this release, the receiver will automatically reset to factory default and all user settings such as below will be lost:On Demand TV* including BBC iPlayer & ITV Player means that even if you do miss a programme, you can catch-up with the best of the week's TV, at a time that suits you. But here’s the brilliant part – you can create your own EPG based on your Favourites lists. When you see the EPG’s genre selection screen, hit the swap button and select the relevant Favourites list. That brings up a stripped down EPG containing only the channels in your list, rather than making you wade through loads of channels you don’t watch. Manhattan Plaza HD•S2 – Performance Also unlike many other TVs and set-top boxes, you don’t access iPlayer or ITV Player through a button on the remote control or a menu. Instead, you must navigate to their channels through the EPG. This isn’t much of a problem, but it does feel weird.

The Freesat channel platter currently offers around 170 TV and radio channels, of which the BBC offerings, ITV One, C4, NHK and Russia Today are in hi-def. Somewhat frustratingly, the channel guide doesn't prompt you to view HD versions of programmes when they're available if you stay into SD guide territory. Adding Favourites to a list is a convoluted process – in the Channel List, highlight a channel, hit the star key, choose a list to add it to then hit the star key again, followed by OK. That’s more long-winded than it needed to be, but it’s a useful feature nonetheless. You can also rename each list using an onscreen keyboard.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 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: Verdict 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. 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. Ultimately the simplest way to view HD content is to manually assign the HD channels as Favourites. Catch-up is limited to BBC iPlayer and iTV Player. Manhattan Plaza HD-S2: Picture Quality