Because the screen is in a 4:3 aspect ratio is has the large borders at the top and bottom when displaying most movies, which are in 16:9 aspect ratio. This is where the recent iPod touch and iPhone 5 updates are really showing their colours, with displays that manage to genuinely punch above the weight of the devices.

The iPad mini is a great video playing device. It's a smaller screen than the iPad, so expect a smaller image. But it's still a good image and the portability of the device probably make this the best way to watch video on the go.

One aspect of the iPad mini that shouldn't be underestimated is the new stereo speakers (it's the first iPad to get stereo speakers). The sound from movies (as well as podcasts, music, and games) is particularly special in the iPad mini. And it has a loudness and clarity that is stronger than the full iPad.

This is the part where the iPad mini gets really interesting. When we switched from the regular iPad 2 to the iPad third-generation, we noted that one area where the jump to Retina Display really didn't have much impact was gaming.