During the Spring of 2020, in the time of Covid-19, my wife and I had decided that our teenage son needed to be able to connect with his friends, safely and in person. We came up with the idea of having a backyard movie night. A great idea. We wanted the kids to be able to watch movies, YouTube, and even play video games as they always had but, together, in the relative safety of the outdoors during the Covid-19 pandemic. So we set out to create a backyard theatre.
How to Set UP a Backyard Theatre?
You will need the following :
- A projector
- A screen on which to project
- A streaming media player
- Sound System
- An extension cord or plug strip
A Projector:
After extensive research, my wife and I came up with the BenQ TH585 1080p Home Entertainment Projector.
We chose this model for its overall value. The BenQ models are always very highly rated; My son tells me that all the gaming wizards on the internet use BenQ projectors for gaming and video. With this said, that makes this brand the industry standard!
There are other models available, all with their own bells and whistles but were considerably more expensive. We decided, after researching all that was available from the best manufacturers, that the BenQ TH585 was the model with the best ROI and, at this product level, was true, the best value.
The Pros:
- A very high-quality full HD picture quality with 1080P
- 3500 ANSI lumen & 10, 000: 1 contrast ratio
- I especially liked that the bulb had a 15,000-hour lamp life. This is to say that the bulb is rated to last you 10 years @ 4 hours of use/day.
The Cons:
- The TH585 does not offer wireless connectivity. This is to say that everything from speakers to streaming media must be connected physically. This is a big con, no doubt. However, for the quality of the unit and the fact that the next tier of the BenQ models is considerably more expensive to the tune of about $200, it was still the best value all the way around.
Once we had the BenQ system home and set up, we were very pleased with our choice with no second guessing. whatsoever. In my house, that’s kind of rare.
A Screen:
We also picked out a projection screen. There are many ways to go with your screen choice. We had an old soccer goal in the backyard which turned out to be just perfect for hanging a screen. Our screen at the time of this posting was around $20.
You can go full out with the inflatable type of screen. These are much bigger (up to 20′ diagonal) and certainly more finished-looking. I was truly tempted. In the end, I found it hard to justify the cost as it will range from around $140 to $200. If you have younger kids, the inflatable may be the better choice – it’s huge, easy to set up, and easy to store.
For your convenience:
If you don’t have something handy like a soccer goal and you’re handy around the house, you can build one out of PVC pipe fairly simply.
I plan to be making something a bit more formal using the same. When the spring rolls back around, I will publish an easy-to-follow video showing how it can be done in what is likely about an hour or so.
In the meantime, there already are several videos for the same to be found, using every manner of material.
Most screens that are available come with the adequate roping with which to mount your screen. If you find yourself in need of more, some nylon rope will do the trick. You can find it at any hardware store. For your convenience, here is a link to an offering on Amazon. They can get it to you very quickly.
A Streaming Media Player:
You will need a device for streaming media to your projector. In a pinch, a smartphone will do the trick. But, it would have to be physically plugged into the projector. This type of limitation isn’t well tolerated these days. People need their phones.
We use a Roku device that we use on an old TV to allow for streaming. It works great and has a tremendous number of options to choose from when it comes to your media sources. Comparatively, it is not expensive at all. But, you will need the subscriptions to whatever media you might use in the house and such – Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, etc. But, media such as YouTube are still as free as ever.
The Roku devices come in all shapes and sizes. We use the Roku SE. It’s not overly “teched-up” but a good overall value. It plugs into the BenQ unit and has a remote control. The rest of the technologies available, like the ability to use voice commands, don’t seem to matter much in the viewing moments.
The best way to go? If you already have a Bluetooth® outdoor sound system in place, you are ready to stream to the max. If you need some suggestions, I have researched outdoor speaker systems and you can find them here.
Sound System
With most of the offerings BenQ products provide, there comes a built-in 10-watt speaker. I will tell you that the model we chose, TH585, does have the aforementioned speaker. It will work in complete silence. But, in full disclosure, it does not put forth much sound especially when the cooling fan is running.
At my house, our intention, as you already know, is to use the projector outdoors. It was decided that we would augment the sound via the projector’s external output. We did so at first with a portable Bose® SoundLink Color Bluetooth Speaker which worked well but, not so much with a larger, widespread crowd. We then moved to a more amplified system (the last time was actually via a guitar amplifier, which sounded surprisingly great).
The biggest con to the BenQ system is that the TH585 system does not support Bluetooth. However, Bluetooth transmitters are available. I have no experience with these devices at this time. Frankly, I worry about lag-time with them; will there be a sound delay? I don’t know.
What I do know is that the next product on the BenQ line did support Bluetooth but was $200 more expensive. I will likely try to acquire a transmitter just to test it out in the near future. I will update this article at that time with my results. But, for the time being, and with all things considered, I am just as happy to use a cable for now.
How far away from my projector should my screen be?:
You may well need between 10 feet and 15 feet of distance between the projector and your screen. Going a shorter distance will reduce the screen size. A larger distance, beyond 15 feet, will make the display larger on but, depending on your projector choice, could begin to dim the display.
Depending upon your backyard layout, you may have to get creative with shimming up one side or the other of your screen to compensate for uneven ground for a level picture. As well, the projector you are using will likely have adjustable feet with which to fine-tune your projection.
Tips on Where to Set Up Your Theatre:
- Most importantly, you will want to pick a place where you will have access to electricity. As well, if at all possible. Most projectors will have an important limit on just how long your extension cable can be. Going beyond can put your projector at risk of overheating.
- Try to pick a spot that is out of the way of street traffic and house lighting. You will be showing your films mostly in the dark and it’s best to avoid headlights and the like.
- With a portable screen, you can pretty much set up wherever you might like. It is decidedly best if you can find a fairly level area but, you can always shim up one side of the screen or the other to accommodate your situation.
- However and wherever you set up your screen, do your best to take out as many of the wrinkles in the screen as you can. Otherwise, it might become a little distracting.
- Many folks will set out blankets for the kids to sit on. This is okay. For adults though, it’s best to set out some chairs. The blankets look great in the family photos, but they can get uncomfortable pretty quickly
- As far as a screen goes if you have a smooth white painted surface on your house, you might get by with that. If you acquire a screen, you will be assured of a clear and crisp picture.
- You might want to consider your neighbors in that the projector lamp is quite bright. If you were to over-project onto their window, they may not appreciate it.
Keep the Snacks Simple
- Snacks are a movie night must! But, try to get snacks that won’t attract biting insects: Gummies are good, and so are Twizzlers. Raisinettes are a favorite but may not be so well for outdoor movie snacking.
- Popcorn is good, almost mandatory. Butter is okay too.
- If you can, keep your snacks under a little screen or tent to protect them from bugs.
Why a Backyard Theatre?
It’s so very important in this crazy world to keep track of your kids and who they are spending time with and the things they talk about. While this suggestion is not the only way, and shouldn’t be the only way, it’s important to create a space that keeps your kids and their friends coming back. Providing a haven for them allows them safety and peace of mind.
“Create the space that keeps your kids and their friends coming back”
It’s vitally important to listen to their banter, to come to know what they focus on as teenagers especially. From this, you gain perspective on the schools, associations, the landscape of drugs, sex, alcohol, crime, suicide, all that stuff. Without it, you’re decidedly gambling with the most precious stuff of life.
This is just one of the many things we can do to provide for the safety of our kids and their friends. There will be more on this subject in future articles regarding other ways to provide safety at home for your kids and their friends.
Best of Luck and Health,
Berk