TV-Box Magicsee C500 PRO with T2 and S2 – is an internet set-top box for television, equipped with a built-in terrestrial and satellite receiver. Functionally, the device is a multimedia combo capable of fully satisfying user demands. All that is required, according to the manufacturer, is to connect the set-top box to the TV.
TV-Box Magicsee C500 PRO with T2 and S2: specifications
| Chipset | Amlogic S905X3 |
| Processor | ARM Cortex-A55 (4 cores) |
| Video adapter | ARM G31 MP2 GPU, 650 MHz, 2 cores, 2.6 Gpixels/sec |
| RAM | LPDDR3, 2 GB, 2133 MHz |
| Internal storage | EMMC 5.0 Flash 16 GB |
| Storage expansion | Yes, memory cards |
| Support for memory cards | microSD up to 64 GB (TF) |
| Wired network | Yes, 100 Mbps |
| Wireless network | Wi-Fi 2.4G/5.8 GHz, IEEE 802.11 b/g/n/ac |
| Bluetooth | Yes, version 4.2 |
| Operating system | Android 9.0 |
| ROOT access | No |
| Interfaces | HDMI 2.1, 1xUSB 3.0, 1xUSB 2.0 OTG, 1xSATA, LAN, SPDIF, AV, S2X, T2, DC |
| External antennas | Yes |
| Digital panel | No |
| Network capabilities | DLNA, Google Cast |
| Price | $95-120 |
First impressions of TV-Box Magicsee C500 PRO
If you believe the declared technical specifications, then the set-top box is worthy. The device encompasses:
- TV-Box. Playback of any content from the internet. Also, games.
- T2 tuner for terrestrial TV reception.
- Satellite tuner for connecting to appropriate equipment.
In addition to popular content reception functions, the TV-Box Magicsee C500 PRO has very impressive features. It allows installing an SSD drive via SATA interface and USB devices. Moreover, sound can be output to external speakers in any convenient way, and video can be transmitted via HDMI 2.1 interface. Hardware-wise, everything looks very promising.
Among all the technical characteristics, only the wired network interface raises concerns. For such a functional device, 100 megabits per second is very little. And, if we nitpick, the RAM is also small – only 2 GB. However, the manufacturer assures that optionally, the set-top box can work with 4 GB of RAM. By the way, improved versions of the set-top box are already available in Chinese stores.
TV-Box Magicsee C500 PRO – review and testing
One thing is – read the technical specifications of the device. And quite another – connect the set-top box to the TV and try to set it up for your tasks. Let’s briefly outline all the problems encountered during setup of the TV-Box Magicsee C500 PRO.
Connecting an SSD drive
Access to the compartment for installing the drive is done by easily removing the top cover of the device. Connecting the drive poses no problems. However, during operation, it is impossible to write to the drive – only read. The problem is that the manufacturer did not provide the user with access to write. But this can be fixed – wait for an updated firmware. If it ever comes out. Therefore, the SSD drive can and should be set aside.
And, most importantly, the SATA interface in the set-top box is not real. The Chinese implemented it through a USB hub. Only read speed could be tested. Interestingly, the SATA speed is lower than when the same drive is connected to an external USB 3.0 port. This is permanent – firmware will not fix this issue.
Strange cooling system
The case of the TV-Box Magicsee C500 PRO has ventilation holes at the bottom and sides. The top cover is cast. Air circulates normally, but only if there is no SSD drive installed. As it turned out, the inserted drive interferes with cooling. The SSD heats up easily to 80 degrees Celsius during idle. Not to mention other internal components.
The amusing aspect of the cooling system is the heat sink, which is implemented similar to the Beelink GT King Pro. Only Magicsee’s engineers made a mistake. In Beelink, the metal heat sink presses against the same metal case. In the Magicsee C500 PRO, the plate presses against a plastic cover. It’s reminiscent of the movie “Dumb and Dumber” — how not to smile.
Impressions of TV-Box Magicsee C500 PRO
During testing of terrestrial and satellite broadcasting, no problems were found initially. Stable signal, good picture. An interesting transmission — the body took a horizontal position on the sofa, under a large TV screen. But after 10 minutes, freezes started to appear. It seemed like there were issues with the TV channel. When connecting the antenna directly to the TV, everything displays perfectly. The TV-Box Magicsee C500 PRO with T2 and S2 cannot be touched — the set-top box gets very hot. The conclusion is simple — overheating negates all device efficiency.
There is no point in running IPTV, YouTube, or torrents on the set-top box. If the terrestrial tuner “killed” the TV-Box, what kind of multimedia can we talk about? What’s more disappointing is that the set-top box costs $100. For this money, you can buy 3 separate gadgets and enjoy your time with the TV. Definitely, do not buy the TV-Box Magicsee C500 PRO, not under any circumstances. Even if it costs $50 or even $20. It’s a step into nowhere.
