ASUS Transformer Prime: Video playback shootout (and bonus update on the evolving Inisoft saga!)

So does the Tegra 3 have your back for video playback,
or do we have another failed generation of Android
tablet video playback to look forward to?

...a new day, a new Transformer Prime video. Sounds fair right?

This time we're bringing you our standard video playback test, running our wide gamut of test files at the Transformer Prime. While you'll see many other reviews saying "yeah this played everything we threw at it", the truth is many of them have a pretty narrow spectrum of test files to try out. We've tried to gather a range that encompasses a wide variety of resolutions, bitrates, subtitle types, and video and audio encoding formats - our hope is that if there is an archilles heel in the video playback capability of a device we'll be able to uncover it.

This shapes up to be a pretty big test for the Transformer Prime, since the video playback deficiencies of the Tegra 2 based Android tablets (AKA virtually all of them) are quite well known. If that sentence has you scratching your head, here's a precis: Tegra 2 devices can't play high profile video files, support a small range of codecs natively, and can't play 1080p files smoothly. The result? Video transcoding hell, where you have to convert all your space-preserving MKVs into something the Tegra 2 can get on with.

So the big question on my mind is can the Tegra chipset handle video properly this time around? The spec sheet suggests yes, since high profile video is clearly mentioned...             ...but then up until today the spec sheet also said the Prime has GPS, so I guess we'll just have to see now won't we?

Ice Cream Sandwich spotted on the ASUS Transformer Prime

With the impending release of the ASUS Transformer Prime, I can definitely say it is up there on my christmas list. The Tegra 3 processor, ultra-thin design and Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich are all features that I've been longing for.

The original Transformer was notable for its keyboard docking station which essentially turned the tablet into a netbook, whilst also adding extra battery life.

To quench some of your Prime thirst, NVIDIA has released a video showing off the power of the Tegra 3 processor in gaming, video and overall usage. Check out the video below and if you're anything like me, you'll agree the performance looks buttery smooth.

Asus officially announces the Transformer Prime

Image courtesy of Engadget.com

While previously seen at AsiaD the Transformer Prime had yet to have an official announcement. Well suffice to say now there has been one. The Transformer Prime is officially being released Worldwide in December 2011.

As a sequel to the popular Asus Eee Pad Transformer, the Prime has some rather large shoes to fill as a hybrid tablet computing device. Thankfully it appears to have some pretty amazing specs that include a Tegra 3 processor and a slim Zenbook-esque design to boot. 

You can check out the specs and what we think after the jump