Finally, not only are we as a society seeing the light and the end of the tunnel with COVID-19 quarantining, but we are also entering the spring season. Now that it is springtime it is time to look at some of the latest outdoor video products.
Over the past few years, the evolution of outdoor video products has advanced rapidly. These products first of all are more weatherproof than they’ve ever been before, which means they are a better home entertainment investment for homeowners, and they also deliver better images.
Display manufacturers serving the outdoor market have worked diligently to enable their products to produce higher brightness levels to combat the problem of sunlight washing outdoor TV images out to result in a poor viewing experience. At the same time, outdoor video product manufacturers have kept pace with overall home video industry trends by adopting formats such as UHD 4K resolutions and high dynamic range (HDR) compatibility.
4 Types of Outdoor Video Products to Consider
Excluding the products, the commercial AV market uses for applications such as kiosks and digital signage, the outdoor video market can be categorized by four product types.
The first three product types fall under the umbrella of display or television, with the last focusing on video projection technologies. Full shade TVs are designed to be placed under outdoor structures such as gazebos or bars due to the fact that these TVs aren’t equipped to handle direct sunlight. They’re the cheapest versions of outdoor video products and can still provide great image quality provided you respect their weaknesses.
The next step up from full shade is partial sun, which as the name implies, can handle locations that have a modest amount of sunlight. For those looking to place their TV in direct sunlight, however, you’ll want a full-sun model. These models are often equipped with anti-glare screens and a high nit count, in addition to usually being far more durable than their other outdoor video counterparts. The trade-off is they are usually the most expensive of the bunch, but it’s certainly worth it for the added performance and durability.
Outdoor projection screen products that are engineered to reside in outdoor settings, whether it be on a per usage basis or as part of a permanent outdoor AV system.
Some of the companies producing outdoor video products are well-known, global electronics companies like Samsung. Other manufacturers the offer products in the outdoor video market should be considered specialty manufacturers. Some of these companies include Peerless-AV, Stealth Acoustics, Stewart Filmscreen and SunBriteTV.
Not to be overlooked, there are also outdoor video manufacturers that are serving a broader consumer demographic such as Elite Screens and Furrion, which offer their respective products through retail and distribution partners.
Taking a closer look at some of the products available in the outdoor video market, here are eight products worth considering for any outdoor AV system:
- Elite Screens
- Furrion
- Peerless-AV
- Samsung
- Screen Innovations
- Seura
- Stealth Acoustics
- Stewart Filmscreen
- SunBriteTV
