Outdoor Cinema Buyers Guide

Choosing the right projector for your outdoor cinema

How bright should the projector be?

Brightness with all the major projector brands is universally measured in ANSI Lumens. For outdoor use generally the brighter the better. The minimum brightness we recommend varies depending on image size and the time of day you plan on using it. If you are only using it at night, and the area is fairly dark, then a home theatre type projector would normally be fine... these usually have around 2000-3000 lumens brightness.

If you want to use your projector during twilight hours, when some ambient light is still around, then something over 3000 lumens would be better. If daytime use is what you are after then 5000+ lumens is recommend. Just keep in mind you can't compete with the power of the sun so make sure the image is in a heavily shaded area if you want to use the projector during the day.

What Resolution is right for me?

A resolution is essentially a measurement for the number of pixels being projected. Usually this is represented in a number of pixels width to height e.g. 1920 pixels width and 1080 pixels high. Projectors may accept signals higher and lower of the native resolution but will have to convert or compress the signal to display in the native resolution.

The most common resolutions are:

• SVGA - 800x600 - For basic entertainment only. Is slowly being phased out.
• XGA - 1024x768 - Good for basic entertainment too, a little more detailed than SVGA. Also being phased out.
• WXGA - 1280x800 (HD) - Being HD this resolution is great value for movies, sport and TV.
• WUXGA - 1920 x 1080 or 1920 x 1200 (FULL HD) - Great detail, perfect for high quality movies
• UHD - 3840x2160 (Ultra High Definition 4K 2160p) - The highest resolution designed for 4K media

Are projectors weather proof?

Just like with most electronics you need to keep the majority of projectors away from moisture. Ideally you would pack your projector away indoors when not being used however if you decide to permanently mount your projector outdoors please ensure it is undercover. It is also recommended to cover your projector with a bag when it is not in use to protect it from moisture and insects. There is now a limited range of some portable entertainment projectors with a level of slash resistance you can consider if you believe there is a possibility the unit could get wet.

Are there battery powered projectors for camping?

How far away should the projector be from the screen?

This is where many customers can have trouble. Projectors need to be placed at a certain distance back for a certain image size. This distance varies between models. Generally you can expect most projectors to sit about 1.5x the image width. So if you image was 2m wide, most models would sit 3m back. This can vary considerably between models so always check prior to purchase. We have a throw distance chart for most models on our website in the 'More Information' section but we are here to help if you want to check any sizes/distances. If you have a long throw range/installation distance, you can still use a projector, you likely would need to look at a large venue projector though. These cost a bit more but can allow for long throw distances.

Check out our Throw Distance Blog for some further information.

What projectors do you recommend for outdoors?

The team at Just Projectors are constantly testing new releases to determine the best projectors available for the money. Below we list a range of projectors we recommend for outdoor set up. As always if you have any queries feel free to get in contact with us.