If you’re looking for a Jack Of All Trades device, on a budget, that records anything that can be plugged in via an AV-in then look no further. Video is recorded as an asf file and all audio is recorded as an mp3 file. If you’re having big hopes for the 5-megapixel camera then you’ll be disappointed. It was terrible in low light and the same goes for the video recording function. A flash would have been very useful, even an LED ‘flash’ would have helped. In a well-lit environment it was decent, at best. The 512MB onboard memory is a start and the ability to expand up to 2GB certainly helps, but you can’t hold a lot of video and mp3 content on 2 gigs.

All in all the TV5 is so-so for what it claims to be able to do, but it falls short in most of its key features. My video iPod is FUBAR so I used the TV5 to watch some video content and the camera wasn’t much better than the 1.3-megapixel camera on my SK3. The device itself felt a bit flimsy, but for only $110 you can’t expect a whole lot. The video recording functionality was the best part of the TV5. It really only needs a few minor improvements to be a real winner. The camera needs a flash, the UI needs to be revamped and the sound effects need to go ASAP as well as some materials upgrades. But like I said if you’re on a budget and want something that does ‘everything’ then the TV5 just might be your best bet.