The online TV service Aereo has become so popular in the New York area that it has run out of capacity, and would-be new customers are getting turned away from signing up. DSLReports posted the news as of Friday morning, and an Aereo representative confirmed to Ars that the company needs to beef up its hardware situation and adjust its software before it can keep adding new customers.

Aereo, which offers locally available over-the-air channels with DVR service over the Internet for $8 per month, has been under attack for alleged rights violations against TV companies practically since its birth. Its defenses in court have proved especially resilient, and the service is now expanding rapidly to other cities.

It seems feasible that Aereo might have had to upgrade its setup before, but DSLReports’ article is the first we’ve seen of a customer running up against that limit and getting denied. The problem is not one of power, as DSLReports suggested. Instead, it’s that the company needs more antennas, supporting hardware, and upgrades to its software to increase its service capacity.

The only problem Aereo is having is rapid growth, the representative tells Ars. The company did not provide an estimate for when it would start accepting new customers in the New York area again.