Need help picking a projector for outdoor movies. (1 Viewer)

[zanemoseley]

I'm new to higher quality projectors. We've got a 150" cloth screen that we're hoping to invest in a good enough projector to use the entire screen for occasional outdoor "drive in" movie nights in our backyard. I have no idea how many lumens I'll need for this large of a screen for outdoors at night. Would like at least 1080P, not sure if I can justify the jump to 4k but would entertain it if there are affordable options. Is there anything in the $500-$1000 range that will work? Also will likely need a good soundbar or something for the audio that is easily portable.

 

[zanemoseley]

How bad are these off brands from Amazon? The lumens seem really high but that could easily be marketing hype, good reviews for the most part. Think this is adequate for recreational outdoor movie nights maybe 3-4x a year? I'm not looking to buy cheap but realistically I'm not going for a perfect cinema setup like a lot of you guys, maybe someday I can get a legit setup in my basement.

DBPOWER Native 1080P WiFi Projector, 8500L Full HD Outdoor Movie Projector, Support 4D Keystone Correction, Zoom, PPT, 300" Portable Mini Video Projector Compatible w/Smart Phone/Laptop/PC/DVD/TV/PS4 See on Amazon

 

[Mysto]

Welcome to the forum Zane.

In the 700-$1000 range you should be able to get a 1080p projector that you can use outdoors and as an indoor basement unit for a real theater as well. Check out Optoma - BenQ - and Epson. Because you want it to be portable check units that offer gaming as many of these are made to be moved about some even have a minimal sound system that could perhaps work for outdoors. In many cases back yard theaters require a short throw unit that can be placed on a table or stand.

I would recommend against the cheap knock off units. Most are dim and blurry.

Perhaps some of the guys will pitch in with specific models - I'm not really a hardware guy.

Cheers