Everything You Should Know About Backyard Projectors and Outdoor Projector Screens
Modern families that have established family movie nights as a tradition are constantly looking for new and exciting ways to keep the event engaging for all participants. The ideal way to enjoy a movie night and make the most of the upcoming warm summer days, many people are even choosing to take their backyards to the next level by converting them into charming exterior home theaters with an Outdoor projector screen and backyard projector to match.
Now is the time to start your pre-summer project if you want to construct your own backyard home theater with an outdoor lightweight projector screen and projector setup!
It’s critical to realize that the quality of your viewing experience depends on the equipment you choose. This article on outdoor projectors and an Inflatable outdoor projector screen was written for that reason.
For the best outdoor movie viewing experience, we’ll go over what to look for in a projector and Outdoor projector screen.
Without further ado, here’s how to ensure that your outdoor home theater meets all of your requirements and then some!
How Does Outdoor vs. Indoor Movie Viewing Differ?
Projectors and projection screens that are perfect for indoor use are already in the possession of some people who want to build a stunning outdoor theater. Simply put, they assume the same equipment will function just as well outside only to be bitterly let down by an encounter that isn’t even drive-in quality.
It’s typical (and ideal) to watch a projected movie indoors in a completely dark, controlled environment. This allows for the type of viewing experience you’d expect in a theater environment; however, it’s never perfectly dark outside, even after sunset.
Your outdoor lightweight projector screen will have to compete with ambient light from nearby headlights, houses, streetlamps, fire pits, grills, the moon, and, on a clear night, even the stars. You must choose a projector and an Inflatable outdoor projector screen that can counteract the interference brought on by these light sources.
The Outdoor projector screen and outdoor projector set
A large backyard cinema screen can provide excellent visuals for outdoor movie viewing, but if it isn’t paired with the right projector, the experience will be subpar.
The System Foot-Lamberts are crucial when combining an outdoor projector and screen. The best way to determine whether your backyard projector and screen are functioning as a projection system to provide enough brightness to give you the best viewing experience is to use the foot-lambert system.
For a professional cinematic viewing experience, the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) advises 16 foot-lamberts in a darkened theater.
The control of light levels is much more challenging when watching movies outside. Dealing with light from the moon, stars, streetlights, neighbors’ lights, and general light pollution will be necessary.
You’ll probably need at least 40 feet of length for areas with moderate ambient light levels and 60 feet of length for areas with high ambient light levels when building an outdoor home theater.
You’ll need at least 60ftL if you want to start your outdoor movies at dusk. For viewing during the day, you’ll need even more luminance.
Lack of foot lamberts will result in a projected image that is dull, washed out and lacks contrast. Not the best way to enjoy a movie in your backyard.
If you want to know if your outdoor projector and screen will be bright enough, use this foot lamberts calculator.
Your projector and screen in the great outdoors will be competing with the brightness of the sun if you plan to watch a movie before or during sunset. For an outdoor projector and screen combination that receives constant sunlight, you’ll need more foot-lamberts; for one with partial shade, fewer; and for one with complete shading, even fewer.
Outdoor Projector Screens
The outdoor projector screen is the first component of a backyard projection system. These outdoor screens are available in a wide range of sizes and shapes. Some are even Inflatable outdoor projector screen. Others can be folded, hung up, or come with stands.
You can choose the best outdoor projector screen for your backyard theater setup by considering a few characteristics and features. We will only discuss the factors that influence your outdoor viewing experience in this guide.
Characteristics of An Outdoor Projector Screen
There are some qualities you need to take into account when purchasing an outdoor projector screen that you wouldn’t with an indoor display.
Tensioning
For movie screens outdoors, getting a tensioned projector screen is especially crucial. You will be projecting on an uneven surface and will be able to see every crease and wrinkle if you don’t use a tensioned projection surface.
Additionally, without a tensioned outdoor projector screen, you’ll be watching movies with a great deal of annoyance as each slight breeze will cause the surface to ripple, robbing you of the immersive experience of watching a movie.
Stability
Make sure your outdoor lightweight projector screen stays up once it is installed. Stability is crucial because wind can quickly sabotage an evening’s activities.
Exterior movie screens are designed to be both sizable and portable. As a result, they can easily catch the wind and act like a sail on a boat, which makes them simple to blow over. The more surface area the wind can catch on, the more likely it is that the screen will topple over.
Make sure you have pegs, stakes, and ropes to secure the screen to the ground, especially for large outdoor movie screens. If you can, think about putting on more weight and putting the screen in a wind-free location.
Conclusion
So we hope that with the above-mentioned guide you can better understand how can you set your outdoor lightweight projector screen to avoid issues that most people face while setting up their outdoor projection screens. We have also discussed how outdoor viewing experience and indoor viewing experience differ and what are the steps you need to take to view movies outdoors on a projector screen.