A garden space can be many things, depending on the needs and wants of the homeowner.
During summer, you might want to spend more time outdoors, enjoying the weather. But at the same time, if you’re a major sports fan, or you like to have a screen available at all times, you might also want to stay in the living room.
Fortunately, there’s a way to solve this dilemma: install a TV outdoors. Get it right, and you’ll be able to enjoy the best of both worlds. Unfortunately, in many cases, it’s easy to get it wrong.
Let’s take a look at several important factors to consider:
Choosing the Right TV for Outdoor Use
Your chosen television should be durable enough to withstand spells of severe weather, as well as the extra dust and moisture that comes with life outdoors. Some models, like Samsung’s ‘Terrace’, are designed specifically to cope with the extra stain.
Another consideration is the brightness, and the display’s ability to handle glare. If the TV is dim, you’ll spend your time squinting. Look for a real scene peak brightness of at least several hundred cd/m² (that’s candelas per metre squared).
Installing Your Outdoor TV and Mounting Considerations
If your television is going to live in the garden permanently, it will usually need to be wall-mounted. Look for a mounting bracket that’s fit for life outdoors. There’s no point in getting a durable TV if the mounting is going to be blighted by rust after a few years.
You’ll need to choose your location sensibly. A shaded part of the space can help you to get the most apparent brightness from the TV, too. Even the best TVs are going to look a little dim if they’re placed in direct sunlight.
It might be that you want to construct your own support structure, or that you want to integrate your television with an existing piece of garden furniture, like a trellis.
Make sure that you test your creation thoroughly, and that you use the right tools. A mitre saw will allow you to make flawless joints, and the right pocket-hole jig will allow you to make something that holds together without any visible screws.
Optimising Sound for Outdoor Viewing
The best outdoor TVs tend to come with reasonable built-in sound. However, you might seek to integrate your system with your outdoor hi-fi setup.
The right Bluetooth-equipped smart speaker might make enjoying your outdoor TV considerably easier. On the other hand, if you want to sit and enjoy the game without disturbing the neighbours, then a pair of headphones or earbuds might be the best way forward.
Managing Cables and Power Sources
Of course, televisions will need power, and possibly signal and ethernet cables. These can often be concealed entirely with a little bit of nous and planning. But good cable management is a matter of safety and practicality, as well as aesthetics.
It might be that your choice of mounting is limited by the power you have available – but, if it makes sense, you might think about hiring someone to install additional power at the desired location. To minimise costs, you can dig the channel yourself, and have an electrician deal with the technical bit.