Looking to get a projector to use on the outside of the house to watch sports if they ever come back and for kids to watch movies. We have white brick so picture should be good. I have YouTube TV and Netflix thru fire sticks so would want one compatible with the firestick. Looking to spend somewhere around $100. Anybody have one they use and like?
Projector Suggestions (outside use, around $100)
- Thread starter LowerLevelSeatA
- Start date
Maybe up your budget by about 5X and you'll be in business. You can watch on the projectors that are in that price range. I got one for Christmas one year. It was kinda neat. But all it did was make me want to go out and buy one of the ones that would have a picture worth watching. I have an Epson. They are pretty good. There are other good brands as well. Just not in the $100 price range. JMO.
I got a 720p projector on sale on Amazon for like $70 back around Christmas. I think it works pretty darn good for like a tenth of the cost of a normal store bought one. Of course it won't be as good for that amount of money, but it works better than I expected. It won't get as bright as those more expensive projectors though. I have a really dark room I use it in and it works great there.
I've never tried it outside yet, but I would imagine it would be decent as long as you don't have a lot of light outside. You also need to buy a decent set of speakers that can plug into the 3.5 mm jack because the speakers aren't the best (probably not that great in most projectors). Once I get a dedicated space I will probably upgrade to a better quality setup, but for now this isn't bad for what I spent (probably $120 total for the projector, speakers, and screen).
This is an image from an even cheaper projector I had that was 1080p capable but only like 480p native resolution being projected on a screen made out of blackout cloth at around 100" diagonal.
This is a picture from the 720p one below. I didn't get around to getting the same movie frame to compare it though.
The biggest difference in the 2 is smaller details are much better quality on the 720p native resolution projector. Specifically the words on the screen. The screen I made probably helps a lot with picture quality. I'm not sure how clear projecting on brick will look with all that texture on the bricks.
I've never tried it outside yet, but I would imagine it would be decent as long as you don't have a lot of light outside. You also need to buy a decent set of speakers that can plug into the 3.5 mm jack because the speakers aren't the best (probably not that great in most projectors). Once I get a dedicated space I will probably upgrade to a better quality setup, but for now this isn't bad for what I spent (probably $120 total for the projector, speakers, and screen).
This is an image from an even cheaper projector I had that was 1080p capable but only like 480p native resolution being projected on a screen made out of blackout cloth at around 100" diagonal.
This is a picture from the 720p one below. I didn't get around to getting the same movie frame to compare it though.
The biggest difference in the 2 is smaller details are much better quality on the 720p native resolution projector. Specifically the words on the screen. The screen I made probably helps a lot with picture quality. I'm not sure how clear projecting on brick will look with all that texture on the bricks.
Last edited:
They don't have the one I have on Amazon right now. Here is a cheaper 720p native resolution projector for like $60 that got pretty good reviews.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07NYYMBXC/ref=cm_cr_arp_mb_bdcrb_top?ie=UTF8
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07NYYMBXC/ref=cm_cr_arp_mb_bdcrb_top?ie=UTF8
OP prolly wants to broadcast porn to his neighbors. Perv.
My wife wanted one to take camping so the kids could watch dvd's after dark on the camper. I bought her a cheap one from Wal Mart's Black Friday sale that works pretty good but I don't recall the brand name. I will try to look tonight. Since we have been quarantined she and my youngest have watched a couple of movies on our house after it gets dark in the last couple of weeks just for something different to do.
Amazon has several under $100...some with lots of good reviews. Was just hoping to find someone with first hand experience.
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=projector&sprefix=pro&ref=nb_sb_ss_i_3_3
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=projector&sprefix=pro&ref=nb_sb_ss_i_3_3
Whatever you get just make sure you check the native resolution. They all say support 1080p but most of the cheap ones are only native 480. Just make sure you get one that says native 720p. Look up one called Dr J Professional that goes for $69.99. Has a ton of good reviews. I can't get the link to show up.
Last edited:
I recently bought a projector and I am very pleased with the quality of it. I can't recommend you exactly what projector to buy as I am not a so big specialist in this area, but I can recommend a firm, where I bought my projector from. Just try to consult them and maybe they can help you to get the projector that fits you the best.
Last edited:
Bought it for outdoor movies this summer and worked great. A little more than your $100 budget, but still cheap enough that if one kid knocked it into the pool, I wouldn't have been too mad. Great picture and went perfect with the blow up screen we used.
How did it do with ambient light? Would love to use one for tailgates but I'm worried even the nicer ones aren't bright enough for daytime use.
It's a cheap projector at the end of the day...used it a few times before it was dark outside and it was fine, but dark is most ideal. Unless you are willing to drop major $, you will always have ambient light issues.
I mean, Amazon is great with their return policy for 30 day. If you don't like it enough, send it back. Also for the price, if it gets damaged at a tailgate, you won't really care too much.
I found one pic of the kids and their friends in the pool watching movies at night...that's about it for reference from my end.
From dipping my toes into the projector world recently, one thing to look out for his HDCP (High Def Copyright Proections) limitations.
Some of the cheap/mini projectors aren’t able to play some HD content over hdmi because the copyright handshake doesn’t always work. I’d search for “HDCP” specifically in the reviews of any pj you’re considering and see if any bad reviews come up before pulling the trigger.
Good luck with trying to figure out HDCP...
Long story short, depends on what medium you use to project is going to have a large determination on whether or not you trigger HDCP. And as far as I know, HDCP is determined by the content providers and not the projector you are using.
This is for tailgates and watching games before we head over, not so much movie night. If they don't make one bright enough to work in a shaded area during daylight, then I'll have to consider another solution. Budget would make a nicer one feasible considering a 60+ inch TV is going to cost AT LEAST $700 plus mount, electric run, some sort of weather protection, etc.
I've had a hard time finding anything on it but most seem to indicate it's not worth it. Which sucks. Wondering if some shading flaps around the screen might help.
I've had a hard time finding anything on it but most seem to indicate it's not worth it. Which sucks. Wondering if some shading flaps around the screen might help.
I think if you put it under a tent canopy and could put flaps up on the sides and even a dark tarp on the ground in front of it, it would help. Also, look into grey screens that are made to reject more ambient light.
I wouldn't waste your time with a projector for use outside unless it is pretty dark. I don't have experience with more expensive models but the budget ones are pretty bad with ambient light. I can't imagine even a more expensive one will solve the brightness issues. You're probably better off just buying a cheap flat screen for tailgating. Here's an example comparing both options.
720P projector with a dim lamp on with no outside light.
720P projector no lamp on and no outside light.
1080P on cheap 4K TV with lamp on and no outside light.
1080P on cheap 4K TV with no lamp on or outside light.
Maybe an expensive projector will be much brighter but you will also have to deal with much more light outside. That 4K TV is just a cheap $200 58" Onn TV that I got on Black Friday. You find a deal like this one and you can probably have everything you need for like $500-$600 if you aren't against buying a cheaper brand.
I've never had any issues with mine playing anything over hdmi, but then I mostly only use a Roku stick and stream. I hooked up a blu-ray player a couple of times with no issues either. So I don't know what problems people are having.
Thanks, that is what I was gathering from the online research I've done. Probably grab something during Prime Days or Black Friday/Cyber Monday. Just have to wait to see how I want to mount.I wouldn't waste your time with a projector for use outside unless it is pretty dark. I don't have experience with more expensive models but the budget ones are pretty bad with ambient light. I can't imagine even a more expensive one will solve the brightness issues. You're probably better off just buying a cheap flat screen for tailgating. Here's an example comparing both options.
720P projector with a dim lamp on with no outside light.
720P projector no lamp on and no outside light.
1080P on cheap 4K TV with lamp on and no outside light.
1080P on cheap 4K TV with no lamp on or outside light.
Maybe an expensive projector will be much brighter but you will also have to deal with much more light outside. That 4K TV is just a cheap $200 58" Onn TV that I got on Black Friday. You find a deal like this one and you can probably have everything you need for like $500-$600 if you aren't against buying a cheaper brand.
Try streaming Disney+ and newer movies on Netflix. It's flaky and does not trigger all the time.
Yeah projectors are for basements and nighttime. I'm sure you could drop some serious money for something serviceable in daylight, but it's not really worth it. A projector would also be a ***** for tailgating. Gotta pack a screen, hdmi cord. media source, audio/speakers, etc.
"Tailgating" is in my backyard.
I live 1/4 mile from the entrance to CWS. So that's not the issue but if the ambient light makes it unwatchable makes no sense.I host a movie night in my neighborhood about once a month; trust me, it's still a *****. I got this screen though and run the audio through a big bluetooth speaker. It's fun, but daytime use would be problematic with my $1000 set-up.
screen
For that kinda coin, I'd grab a tv with weatherproof set-up. Something more practical that you could use regardless of tailgating. Regret that I didn't do the same...
screen
For that kinda coin, I'd grab a tv with weatherproof set-up. Something more practical that you could use regardless of tailgating. Regret that I didn't do the same...
That's what I'm going to do. Just had dreams of projecting a 150" screen on to the side of the garage.
Yeah... that was me too, but I'm a dumb dumb who didn't do his research prior to buying. :weary:
Haven't had any issues with Netflix and that image is from Disney+ in my comparison and haven't had any issues with Disney+ either. That's using a cheap $70 projector. Maybe the Roku is bypassing any issues.
You can still potentially do it with late games if you come home from us playing an early game. If it wasn't a pain to take my projector down and reset it back up right I would try and do some outside tests for you.
Woot has a 1080p native projector on sale for $160. If you are not familiar with Woot, they are a deal-a-day site that Amazon purchased a couple of years back, so if you have Amazon prime, you also get free Woot shipping.
1080p native projector $160
1080p native projector $160
I found a 720p native projector that directly plays movies for $40 off Amazon about 1 1/2 years ago. It's pretty good for the price, but it's hard to get the whole screen in focus and the picture tends to get fuzzy near the top and bottom. But that's not a problem if the movie is letterbox. It does fine in the evenings, we've had a couple of nights where we built a fire and projected movies onto a big screen I also bought at Amazon for ~$25. I mount the projector on a tripod, and have 2 8' long galvanized posts that I anchor and stretch the screen between. Also fun to set up for evening sports.