Summertime means more than taking a vacation — it’s also the time
when many folks become reacquainted with their backyards. Some have pools,
others sculptured lawns or quiet areas for reflecting, but once it becomes dark
it’s like a “No Loitering” sign has been hung. Lets take back the backyard by
making it what it was meant to be — a great alternate for going to the movies.
This is easier than ever to do, because the technology needed to bring the big
screen to the backyard is now easier to use than ever before. And the best part
is that you can set it all up and then take it all back down later and put it
away with ease. All it takes is a bit of careful planning.
The Picture
To get the movie theater experience, you need a big picture. The
two ways to get this are:
1)A front
projector gives you the opportunity of making the picture very big.
Front projectors come in varying shapes and sizes, but the two most important
things to consider are how much detail the
projector can provide (i.e., the resolution) and whether the zoom is
sufficient for making the
image large enough within the confines of space that the projector
is to operate within (i.e. how much room there available between the
projector and the screen it
will be playing the image on).
2)A big outdoor
TV that is made with outdoor use in mind not only takes care of what
you see but also takes care of the audio. These TVs are designed to be used in
all-weather conditions and make for the easiest way for watching outside by
yourself or with others.
The Screen
Because it’s the backyard, a big screen is required. The two most
used choices are:
1)Going “old school” by draping a white sheet (or multiples)
against a wall of the house (or even use the wall itself if the projector can
compensate for its color).
2)Setting up one of those portable screens that inflates. This
provides an all-in-one-screen system that can be taken down afterwards. Another
advantage is that the screen will be the right color for projecting on (i.e.,
white).
In both of the above cases there must be no obstructions between
the screen and the projector.
The Sound
While some projectors even have built-in speakers, these are
often too ineffective for use with a crowd (especially when many won’t be
sitting right near the projector). The solutions to this are:
1)Should the audio system inside be close to the outdoors where
the screen is placed, the audio can be played at a loud volume. Additionally, wireless
audio speakers and some compact
audio systems can be moved outdoors for use, for example, on the
patio.
2)A portable
speaker running off of batteries can be positioned easily and,
depending on the size and power output, provide more than enough volume. Some speakers
will even include multiple drivers so as to provide a stereo output or even, in
some cases, a simulated surround sound effect.
The speaker
can be connected directly to the video source or, in some cases to the
projector’s audio output. This requires knowing the correct kind of audio cable
to have on hand.
In all of the above cases, it’s important to have the sound
coming from in front (or behind) the picture, as otherwise the dialogue and
sound effects (left and right stereo) won’t sound correct.
The Content
What to watch is more of a question of what you WANT to watch,
because the choices here are simple to set up and execute. They are:
1)Connect a Blu-ray
player or DVD
player directly to the projector using the simple and single HDMI
cable as used indoors.
2)Content can be played off of a USB flash drive that has been
plugged into the video source player or the projector.
3) Use a streaming device connected to the video source or even
the projector itself. The video source player might even have streaming
capabilities built in (such as a Blu-ray
player). This does require that the WiFi signal from the home’s
network can reach the streaming device.
Watching a movie in the backyard brings a party atmosphere that
screams sharing with friends and family. And you know what can make it even
better? Have your guests bring the snacks and popcorn and drinks in return for
you being the host.