Best Outdoor TV Projectors

Lighting up the night in the backyard is one of the most magical ways to enjoy an evening with your friends and loved ones during the summer months. Bonfires, fireworks and string lights are an awesome way to keep everyone entertained after the sun sets. But, nothing quite comes close to a projector! These pieces of tech have also gotten quite a bit smaller and more portable over the years, making them perfect for bringing the big screen outside onto your patio, backyard or pool. Here we’ll review the best outdoor tv projectors. 

Which TV Projectors can you Use Outside?

These devices offer an alternative to having to purchase an additional TV for use on your patio or back deck. While they do offer a crystal clear picture and built-in streaming apps, projectors can achieve something similar for a mere fraction of the cost. The fact of the matter is, everyone has to sit relatively close to an outdoor TV to see the picture clearly. However, outdoor TV projectors enhance your viewing experience by lighting up an area as large as the size of your home, an inflatable screen or a backdrop of your choosing. And, they’re entirely portable. You can make use of these by the lake, at the campsite or cottage!

Choosing the right one starts by asking the question: can you use any projector outside? As long as you can get power to it, of course. However, you’ll be limited by the capability of a standard home entertainment projector, since they typically only project enough area to fit an indoor screen. Outdoor projectors can be placed further from the screen material, and offer a substantially larger picture, without compromising on quality or focus. It isn’t uncommon to find dedicated outdoor projectors that cast a screen anywhere between 32”, to 240”. Outdoor tv projectors typically aren’t mounted like traditional indoor models are, but are on one hand smaller and much more portable than their counterparts. 

What to Look for in an Outdoor TV Projector 

These outdoor projectors often come equipped with a whole host of useful features that can seriously enhance your outdoor movie or gaming session. The first thing to look for is screen size. Finding one which will project an adequate size onto the surface you’re hoping to use is crucial. Take the time to measure the size of your space to see what you can expect from any given model.

The other is in bound video connections. Many leading models will come with HDMI, AV, and USB ports. This makes them ideal for whatever kind of media you’re trying to project. And last but not least, bluetooth has become more or less ubiquitous in these devices. Casting from your phone, computer or ipad is now more or less the new standard. 

The Best Outdoor TV Projectors to Light up the Night in Your Backyard

Imagine being able to set up videogames, movies and even some of your favorite streaming channels on the big screen outside at night! Your family and guests can enjoy some seriously entertaining games and movies together under the stars, thanks to the magic of these tv projectors. All they need is power and a surface to project onto, and the rest is up to your imagination! 

The high fidelity capability of these compact and easy to use projectors is just one aspect they’ve come forward in. An advanced cooling system plays it’s part by keeping this unit cool. That ensures that it remains cool, even during prolonged use. (That also means it won’t hum, or growl like your computer might when it’s a little stressed out).

Thankfully, this projector doesn’t give you much to stress over. Built in speakers, Amazon fire stick, HDMI and USB capability means you won’t have a hard time streaming, casting or playing back just about any piece of media you’ve got on hand. Oh, and did we mention the included 100” screen? 

Boasting 200 lumens (which mean you can still see the screen ok in a partially lit room) and a screen size up to 120 inches you can easily take this projector anywhere and still get a great viewing experience. There’s also a tonne of other handy features like obstacle avoidance, a built in Dolby digital surround sound speaker, and autofocusing.

It works plugged in but if you’re on the go the rechargeable battery lasts 2.5 hours so you can watch most movies (sorry, Oppenheimer) on a single charge. This projector can also be used as a smart speaker for up to 8 hours of music streaming off the battery.

Pro tip: create an adorable ‘drive-in’ theatre experience for your little one with some personalized snack combos, and pillow and blanket laden cardboard boxes, or rubbermaid bins! 

If your connection isn’t all that great, no worries! This comes equipped with a low input lag compensation feature, allowing it to provide a clear and consistent picture during minor drops. Hi-Fi surround sound, paired with a 15,000 lumen lamp makes this a solid projector for your very own home theatre experience. 

The Fangor projector might just be one of the easiest to setup outdoor TV projectors, with a super useful tripod! It mounts from the bottom, and keep the device off of the ground, or worse, perched precariously. The portability is built upon with a stylish and protective carrying case, and all of the included AV and wiring you’ll need to stream movies and shows from a laptop! This model also comes with bluetooth connectivity, so you can easily connect your phone for streaming media. 

What I really like about this projector is how small and portable it is. It’s only 1.5lbs and 2.5″ tall/wide meaning you can easily set it up just about anywhere and move it from room to room. There’s also a fold out stand that can help you get some extra height when setting it on a table or countertop.

The battery lasts about 2.5 hours which isn’t the best when you’re trying to use it outdoors or camping but it does come with a DC to USB cable that makes charging on the go easier.

What is the Best Best Outdoor TV Projector: Conclusion

Each of these models generally have a pretty good range of supported devices from which they can stream all kinds of media. Depending on what you’re looking for, you can also find a substantial lamp lifespan, large display picture and portable design with each of these outdoor TV projectors!

All things considered, the projector that shined brightest is the NEBULA Capsule 3 GTV Projector. It’s a little bit harder on the budget than the other options but as far as portable projectors that you can use outside are concerned it’s one of the best.

While you might need to plug it in if you’re watching long movies and I do recommend grabbing a separate set of speakers, it’s one of the most versatile portable and technology-packed portable indoor/outdoor projectors on the market.

Thanks for checking out our reviews of the best outdoor TV projector. Which one of these models would you set up for an epic outdoor movie night?