The video playback, recording and external output are the main selling points of the Mach Speed Trio TV5, and in this area, it easily surpassed our expectations. Video playback on the 2.5" TFT screen is surprisingly good and even the sound is respectable for such a small device. One feature we found very interesting is the TV-out (composite), and after experimenting with some LCD and LCD-TV watching, the Trio TV5 is an intriguing alternative to a portable DVD player. Simply load some video files onto SD cards, hook up this little marvel to an external display, and you're set for portable movies.
The rest of the media functions, while certainly nice to have, are not going to replace dedicated hardware anytime soon. The built-in 5-Mpixel camera is functional, but without optical zoom, quality is diminished. The LCD display is also quite washed out while taking photos, and without a built-in flash, pictures can be muddy. Still, it's better than what you get with most cell phones, and with good lighting, it can take a nice picture. It's the same with the other features. Sure, listening to songs and playing a few basic games are nice features, but it still keeps coming back to the video playback and output functionality as the top feature of the Trio TV5.
The bundled PMP Transcoding Tool, which takes other video formats and converts these to ASF, functions quite well, and is surprisingly easy to use. It handled a set of DivX, XviD, Nero Digital (MP4), and MOV files without breaking a sweat, easily transcoding these into ASF format. Playback was excellent on all files, and no matter the original format, the TV5 handled the recoded file with ease. Although we haven't tested the software to its limits with all the latest CODECS, it's still a vast improvement compared to other transcoding software that is usually incompatible with popular CODECs. We'd still prefer to be able to load DivX and XviD files straight to any video player, but this is a manageable alternative.
Actually transferring files to the Mach Speed Trio TV5 can be a bit of a hassle, though. Hooking up a SD card to your PC and simply dragging over the ASF video file will not work, and you'll need to attach the SD card to the TV5, and then hook the unit up with a USB cable. In this manner, both the 512MB internal memory and SD card will show up as separate storage devices, and you can simply duplicate the directory structure. Audio files bring with them another layer of complexity. There is no directory or sorting format, making it tough to locate one specific file out of hundreds.
The retail price of the Trio TV5 sits at just over the $100 mark, which is quite a value for all the multimedia features you get. Still, it comes back to the primary usage, and even for $100, we wouldn't recommend it only for camera duties. The same with MP3 playback, as there are other dedicated devices that perform better. The $100 price tag is very intriguing if you require portable video playback, and like to have the rest as extras. The retail bundle is quite impressive for such a low-cost device, and the Trio TV5 comes with a 12-month part & labor warranty from Mach Speed.
* Please note that these prices were taken at the time of review and are not meant to reflect long-term trends.
The level of satisfaction you receive from the Mach Speed Trio TV5 is highly dependant on what you expect from it. Those looking for a portable video player with some extra features will likely be quite happy, while others looking to replace dedicated cameras or MP3 players will probably be less enthused. The best course of action is to keep in mind that the Trio TV5 is a portable video player that also takes pictures and plays MP3 files, not the other way around.
