Podunk
Auditioning
- Joined
- Jun 3, 2009
- Messages
- 3
- Real Name
- Ryan
I am looking for some advice on setting up an outdoor theater. This will not be an everyday thing and mostly for nice summer nights/weekends to watch ball games, movies, and possibly play some video games(Think Wii). I really think it would be a neat idea to invite people over for a BBQ and have a movie/TV/Video Game playing in the back yard.
To give you a mental picture of what my backyard looks like:
From the back of the house to the fence: 100ft
Side fence to side fence 80ft
Ambient light: One security light about 100 ft from the fence on the back and of course the house itself.
There are no houses behind mine, just a church building.
I have a 7ft privacy fence that encloses the entire backyard and trees behind the fence that block most of the security light. (I have a clear view of stars at night)
My plan:
To set up a screen to watch video on and play the sound either though a boom box type setup or some wireless speakers I currently have. I'm not looking for HD or surround sound, but just something where you can see what is going on at a distance of about 15-30 ft from the screen. I plan on having the speakers close to the house and the screen about 50ft into the yard and centered.
My Question:
What kind of projector do I need?
I was thinking a Lumen rating of at least 800
Aspect ratio of 4:3
Contrast ratio of 800-1200
LCD instead of DLP
XGA Resolution (Although SVGA is more attractive for a price)
Connections should be RCA, Component, S-Video, and preferably HDMI
I'm trying to make this as cheap as possible since it will not be an everyday set up type thing. More like 10-20 times a year.
What kind of material should I look at for making the screen? I originally thought about plywood covered with a cloth, but after reading the thread "Outdoor Home Theater Screen" I think that something similar would be a much better option. Aesthetically I do not care how the stand to hold the screen looks, as long as it is level and sturdy and fairly easy to move.
I'm really hoping to be able to do the entire project for around $800, but I do not know how realistic this number actually is.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
To give you a mental picture of what my backyard looks like:
From the back of the house to the fence: 100ft
Side fence to side fence 80ft
Ambient light: One security light about 100 ft from the fence on the back and of course the house itself.
There are no houses behind mine, just a church building.
I have a 7ft privacy fence that encloses the entire backyard and trees behind the fence that block most of the security light. (I have a clear view of stars at night)
My plan:
To set up a screen to watch video on and play the sound either though a boom box type setup or some wireless speakers I currently have. I'm not looking for HD or surround sound, but just something where you can see what is going on at a distance of about 15-30 ft from the screen. I plan on having the speakers close to the house and the screen about 50ft into the yard and centered.
My Question:
What kind of projector do I need?
I was thinking a Lumen rating of at least 800
Aspect ratio of 4:3
Contrast ratio of 800-1200
LCD instead of DLP
XGA Resolution (Although SVGA is more attractive for a price)
Connections should be RCA, Component, S-Video, and preferably HDMI
I'm trying to make this as cheap as possible since it will not be an everyday set up type thing. More like 10-20 times a year.
What kind of material should I look at for making the screen? I originally thought about plywood covered with a cloth, but after reading the thread "Outdoor Home Theater Screen" I think that something similar would be a much better option. Aesthetically I do not care how the stand to hold the screen looks, as long as it is level and sturdy and fairly easy to move.
I'm really hoping to be able to do the entire project for around $800, but I do not know how realistic this number actually is.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
