backyard projector
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Epson EF-100 Mini-Laser Streaming Projector Best 720p Projector for Rainbow-Free, Bright Images Jump To Details $750.99 at Amazon See It (Opens in a new window) BenQ GV30 Best 720p Projector for Maximum Portability Jump To Details $499.00 at Amazon See It (Opens in a new window) Anker Nebula Solar Portable Projector Best Budget 1080p Projector Jump To Details $559.99 at Amazon See It (Opens in a new window) BenQ GS50 Best Outdoor Projector for Durability Jump To Details $799.00 at Amazon See It (Opens in a new window) Epson EpiqVision Mini EF12 Smart Streaming Laser Projector Best 1080p Projector for Rainbow-Free, Bright Images Jump To Details $799.99 at Amazon See It (Opens in a new window) Xgimi Horizon Best Value Projector for 1080p and Full HD 3D Jump To Details $999.00 at Amazon See It (Opens in a new window) BenQ X1300i Best Projector for 1080p Movies, Plus Gaming Jump To Details $1, 449.21 at Amazon Check Stock (Opens in a new window) Xgimi Horizon Pro Best Value 4K Portable Projector Jump To Details $1, 699.00 at Amazon See It (Opens in a new window) Anker Nebula Cosmos Laser 4K Best 4K Portable for the Largest Screen Size Jump To Details $1, 699.99 at Amazon See It (Opens in a new window)
If you'd love to watch movies in the backyard—whether bundled up with the patio heater turned on or enjoying balmy evening temps in spring or summer—it's easier to pull off than you might think. Although you can use virtually any projector on the planet to turn an outside wall into a cinema, it wasn't long ago that almost none had all the right features to make it easy. Today, a growing number do.
Yard Master Electric Series| Diy Backyard Movie Projector Screen
We'll take you through our favorite tested picks for outdoor projectors, followed by a detailed buying guide to what to look for. Most of these specific models fall in a category we call "room-to-room portables." What moves conveniently to another room also moves conveniently to the backyard. In addition to being light enough to carry over short distances, room-to-room portables include robust audio designed to offer both high enough volume and quality so you won't have to lug a separate sound system outside, as well. They also typically have features like auto-focus to help you set up quickly, and most offer streaming, so you can skip carrying a video source, as long as you keep close enough to your house so you can connect to your network by Wi-Fi. There are even some designed particularly for outdoor use, complete with a level of water and drop resistance.
We've also thrown in a portable mini projector or two—defined in part by a smaller size and a more limited audio system. But keep in mind that you still have the option of using virtually any projector you like outdoors. Note also that the price range for these models runs from $499.99 to $2, 199.99 at this writing, but given the recent chip shortages and supply-line issues in this not-quite-post-pandemic era, the entry cost could rise. If even $500 is more than you want to invest in a projector, take a look at our related story with tips for putting on a backyard movie night without breaking the bank.
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The EF-100 employs a laser light source that delivers a solid 2, 000-lumen brightness in its brightest picture mode. As with all projectors, the mode with the best image quality has lower brightness, but still enough in this case to deliver an 80-inch diagonal image that was bright enough in our tests to stand up to low to moderate ambient light.
The projector also comes with an Android TV dongle and a capable Netflix app. And its three-LCD-chip design eliminates any possibly of seeing the red, green, and blue flashes, known as rainbow artifacts, that some people see more easily than others. The price is a little high for the 720p resolution, but most 720p and 1080p projectors that offer both portability and 2, 000 lumens use lamps that, unlike lasers, have to be replaced over the life of the projector, raising the total cost of ownership.
For obvious reasons, the EF-100 will be of particular interest to anyone who is sensitive to rainbow artifacts and finds them annoying. But even if that's not a consideration, its brightness can make it the right choice if the ambient light level in your backyard is relatively high at night, due to spillover from nearby street lights, for example. Compared with higher-resolution projectors, the focus may seem a little soft if you're close enough to the screen. But if you're fighting much ambient light, you'll have to limit the picture size to maintain a bright image, even with the EF-100's brightness, which will make it harder to see that difference.
Best Outdoor Projector Setup For Daytime Use In 2022
The BenQ GV30 is all about portability, but it also delivers more than you would expect for its size and weight. Just 3.5 pounds, it offers a finger-size loop that lets you carry it even when your hands are otherwise full. Roughly the shape of a 7-inch wheel of cheese, with a bump where the lens is, it sits on a magnetic stand when in use, so you can rotate it on the stand to adjust image height. And because the stand's magnetic, it will stay in place when you pick up the projector.
The GV30 is also one of the few projectors that promises to survive a fall. BenQ rates it as drop-proof for up to 27.6 inches, which is tabletop height, or about the distance from your hand to ground while carrying it. All that, plus a built-in battery, makes the GV30 eminently portable, while the bundled Android TV dongle and surprisingly capable 2.1-channel chamber speakers mean you don't need to bring a separate video source or sound system.
For those who are looking for maximum portability, the GV30 will be hard to beat. Lots of portables are lighter and smaller, but they don't offer the GV30's two 4-watt tweeters and 8-watt woofer, which give it its full bodied sound, and most don't include built-in streaming. The 720p resolution is low by today's standards, as is the rated 300 ANSI lumen brightness. But the low brightness means you probably won't notice any loss of detail or sense of soft focus at the image sizes you're most likely to use.
Creating An Outdoor Cinema In Your Garden
Most mini projectors are less expensive than any room-to-room portable, and the Solar Portable is our top pick in the category. Even better, along with a low price, it fits a lot of features into a small package, including native 1080p resolution, built-in Android TV 9 for streaming over a Wi-Fi connection and for screen mirroring, and a built-in rechargeable battery that can outlast most full-length movies. Anker rates the Solar Portable at 400 ANSI lumens, which isn't as bright as most room-to-room portables, but we found it bright enough to fill a 90-inch screen in the dark and be watchable on an 80-inch screen in moderate ambient light.
The Solar Portable will appeal to those who are either on a tight budget or want a 1080p projector that's more portable than room-to-room models. Its only important limitation for watching movies is its audio. In our tests, the dual 3-watt speakers delivered distorted sound at top volume and offered no better than serviceable quality at mid volume. But if you already have an external audio system or powered speakers you can use with it outdoors, you can still get the benefit of the budget price. If not, the cost of the Solar Portable plus speakers may not save you money over a projector with a more robust onboard sound system. However, if you also need a fully portable projector for, say, business presentations on the go, it can save you the cost of buying separate projectors for home and work.
The 1080p BenQ GS50 is the first projector we've reviewed that's billed specifically as an outdoor projector. Designed to survive mistreatment better than most, it offers an IPX2 rating for water resistance and is also rated for up to a 2.3-foot fall. That means you don't have to worry about it being destroyed by an unexpected light rain shower or by accidentally dropping it. It also offers 1080p native resolution, comes with a bundled Android TV dongle, and is bright enough to throw a watchable 90-inch image in low levels of ambient light.
Amazon.com: Projector Screen And Stand,towond 120 Inch Indoor Outdoor Projection Screen, Portable 16:9 4k Hd Rear Front Movie Screen With Carry Bag Wrinkle Free Design For Home Theater Backyard Cinema
The GS50's water and drop resistance should appeal to anyone who plans to take their projector outside, and the more often you plan to watch outside, the more likely something will happen where the extra protection will make a difference. If your outdoor movie watching area is next to your pool, or you want to want to watch outside once a week—or even more often—from spring through fall,
The BenQ GV30 is all about portability, but it also delivers more than you would expect for its size and weight. Just 3.5 pounds, it offers a finger-size loop that lets you carry it even when your hands are otherwise full. Roughly the shape of a 7-inch wheel of cheese, with a bump where the lens is, it sits on a magnetic stand when in use, so you can rotate it on the stand to adjust image height. And because the stand's magnetic, it will stay in place when you pick up the projector.
The GV30 is also one of the few projectors that promises to survive a fall. BenQ rates it as drop-proof for up to 27.6 inches, which is tabletop height, or about the distance from your hand to ground while carrying it. All that, plus a built-in battery, makes the GV30 eminently portable, while the bundled Android TV dongle and surprisingly capable 2.1-channel chamber speakers mean you don't need to bring a separate video source or sound system.
For those who are looking for maximum portability, the GV30 will be hard to beat. Lots of portables are lighter and smaller, but they don't offer the GV30's two 4-watt tweeters and 8-watt woofer, which give it its full bodied sound, and most don't include built-in streaming. The 720p resolution is low by today's standards, as is the rated 300 ANSI lumen brightness. But the low brightness means you probably won't notice any loss of detail or sense of soft focus at the image sizes you're most likely to use.
Creating An Outdoor Cinema In Your Garden
Most mini projectors are less expensive than any room-to-room portable, and the Solar Portable is our top pick in the category. Even better, along with a low price, it fits a lot of features into a small package, including native 1080p resolution, built-in Android TV 9 for streaming over a Wi-Fi connection and for screen mirroring, and a built-in rechargeable battery that can outlast most full-length movies. Anker rates the Solar Portable at 400 ANSI lumens, which isn't as bright as most room-to-room portables, but we found it bright enough to fill a 90-inch screen in the dark and be watchable on an 80-inch screen in moderate ambient light.
The Solar Portable will appeal to those who are either on a tight budget or want a 1080p projector that's more portable than room-to-room models. Its only important limitation for watching movies is its audio. In our tests, the dual 3-watt speakers delivered distorted sound at top volume and offered no better than serviceable quality at mid volume. But if you already have an external audio system or powered speakers you can use with it outdoors, you can still get the benefit of the budget price. If not, the cost of the Solar Portable plus speakers may not save you money over a projector with a more robust onboard sound system. However, if you also need a fully portable projector for, say, business presentations on the go, it can save you the cost of buying separate projectors for home and work.
The 1080p BenQ GS50 is the first projector we've reviewed that's billed specifically as an outdoor projector. Designed to survive mistreatment better than most, it offers an IPX2 rating for water resistance and is also rated for up to a 2.3-foot fall. That means you don't have to worry about it being destroyed by an unexpected light rain shower or by accidentally dropping it. It also offers 1080p native resolution, comes with a bundled Android TV dongle, and is bright enough to throw a watchable 90-inch image in low levels of ambient light.
Amazon.com: Projector Screen And Stand,towond 120 Inch Indoor Outdoor Projection Screen, Portable 16:9 4k Hd Rear Front Movie Screen With Carry Bag Wrinkle Free Design For Home Theater Backyard Cinema
The GS50's water and drop resistance should appeal to anyone who plans to take their projector outside, and the more often you plan to watch outside, the more likely something will happen where the extra protection will make a difference. If your outdoor movie watching area is next to your pool, or you want to want to watch outside once a week—or even more often—from spring through fall,
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