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.
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!
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.
NICPOW Mini Outdoor TV Projector w/ Included Screen
Diving into our first option, it’s totally evident projectors have come a long way! These features are just one example of how they can help you host the perfect movie night outdoors in your own backyard. Despite the name, there’s nothing ‘mini’ about this projector besides its incredibly useful, portable design. This unit will easily project as high as 240” in crystal clear 1080p HD. 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?
Vankyo Leisure 3 Mini Projector
The LED projector lamp fitted on this unit boasts an impressive 40,000 hour life displaying any of your favorite movies and shows in gorgeous 1080p. With a wide array of available display ports, you can be sure just about any of your devices will be able to make use of its incredible versatility. A fan noise suppression system allows this projector to run for a long period of time without the noise interfering with your show. This unit will cast up to 176” from 16 feet away, so you can easily set this up outside against a large backdrop, with little interference. One distinct benefit to this unit, besides it’s incredibly handy carrying case, is the bright LED bulb. Perfect for outdoor viewing, you’ll be able to experience vibrant colors throughout the night. 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!
Bomaker Portable Wireless Projector
This sleek little unit packs a lot of features into a small, but incredibly convenient space. Besides being super portable, there’s one distinct difference between this model and some of its competitors. It comes with a wifi-capable mirroring. This allows it to connect wirelessly with other devices in your network. If you’re connecting 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 100,000 hour lamp life makes this a reliable projector for your very own home theatre experience.
Fangor HD Bluetooth Projector
The Fangor mini projector packs a lot more than just a full 1080p display on a portable scale. It’s got a pretty neat feature that makes backyard movie night all that much more magical and stress-free. When it comes to planning fun activities in your backyard or patio, taking the worry and complication out of things ahead of time makes your life that much more simple. 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.
QKK Mini Projector Portable LCD Projector
For a miniature model, this portable projector stacks up to the competition with the capability to cast a crisp 100” picture, with 1080P fidelity included. A 50,000 hour projector bulb will last for years, giving you the opportunity to not have to worry about it when you set it up next summer. This projector has an impressive array of ports, with the ability to stream from computers, game consoles, blu-ray and DVD players, even your Roku stick! One more thing, this projector comes with a fantastic 100” projector screen! This is ideal for casting onto, providing you with a crisp surface for the colors to come alive on. The screen even has grommets for easy mounting.
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 NICPOW mini, with the included screen, clear picture and fan noise mitigation. As long as you’ve got an extension cord and somewhere to put it, these projectors are plug-and-play right out of the box! 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?
