DIY Outdoor Movie Theater: A Step-by-Step Tech Guide to Transform Your Backyard

If you like watching movies on a giant screen but do not fancy stepping out to a movie theatre for it, you’ve come to the right place. In this post, we’ll help you set up a theatre under the stars and enjoy the luxury of watching your favorite movies, shows, and even live sports from the comfort of your backyard.

Getting the Basics Right

If you have a big enough backyard, setting up an outdoor home theatre should not be a lot of work. In our post, we’ll recommend a setup that can be propped affordably and easily by bringing together a decent projector, a screen (or not), a good speaker system, and some extras to accompany the mainstays. So, without further ado, let’s get started.

Choosing a Projector

The basis of any home theatre system, outdoor or within a closed space, is a projector. While there are multiple projectors to choose from, finding the one that’s suited to your requirements is very important. But how do you go about figuring out which projector is right for you?

Well, the most important factor to consider while buying a projector for use outside is the brightness rating. As a rule of thumb, the higher the lumens (or ANSI lumens), the brighter and more vivid the picture is going to be. The other main factor to consider is the resolution support. The higher resolution a projector supports, the more amount of pixels it will be able to spit out for each projected frame.

The contrast ratio is another important factor to keep in mind. While they won’t be close to what you’d get on OLED TVs, you’ll be able to find good projectors in the market with decent numbers in this department. Apart from this, the throw distance is also a factor you should consider while making a projector purchase — especially if you’re planning on setting up a super big screen in your backyard.

The native aspect ratio of the projector, connectivity options, and lamp life are also important factors to consider when buying a projector. While battery life is a consideration, you can choose to overlook it. Instead, you can go for a projector that feeds directly from a power source. However, the clutter of extra wires running through your backyard to provide the power source will be an added headache in this case.

Now, if you’re left confused and need recommendations, we are here to help.

Anker Nebula Mars 3: Best Outdoor Projector

In our opinion, arguably the best projector for most outdoor theatre setups is the Nebula Mars 3 from Anker. It’s a smart projector with an LED lamp that’s built for outdoor use. It’s durable and comes with features like water and drop resistance to ensure you can use it without the fear of damage from the elements in your backyard.

It even has a handle to help make it portable and set up movie nights not just in your backyard, but also at a camp or your terrace. Another big factor working in its favor is the fact that it comes with a built-in 185-watt/hour battery that can let you use it without a power source for up to five hours.

This device is capable of 1080p (1920 x 1080) resolution natively with support for 4K input and HDR, all projected at a maximum of 1,000 ANSI lumens. Since it’s smart, you also get support for Chromecast and Android TV 11 out of the box. And all this at an affordable price point makes the Nebula Mars 3 a very good option to consider.

If you’re okay with something a little less portable, lacking an in-built battery, but generally more compact, the BenQ HT2060 is also a good option to consider. As a standalone projector, it offers good color reproduction, decent brightness, and generally better speakers than the Nebula Mars 3 we listed above.

Choosing the Right Speakers

Even if your projector does have an in-built speaker, we recommend investing in a party speaker or even setting up a whole outdoor speaker system in your backyard.

For most people, the former would be a better and easier-to-manage option as it eliminates the clutter of wires.

Sony SRS XV-500: Best Speaker for Outdoor Theatre

Our go-to choice here would be the Sony SRS XV500. It’s affordable, offers a big sound, and has a bigger battery life. Plus, it offers a host of connectivity options that can be used to connect it to your projector and can also double up as a karaoke speaker once you’re done with your movie night.

At the heart of the speakers are two front-facing woofers and two front-facing tweeters. These work in tandem to provide rich and overall balanced sound. The soundstage is wide for a speaker of its size and more importantly, you also get very good sound separation to enhance the cinema experience.

Again, it’s IPX4 rated, so you can place it in your backyard or take it to camp without worrying about someone accidentally spilling a drink or a sudden drizzle damaging it. Overall, it’s a good option to pair with your projector to improve the outdoor cinema-watching experience instantly.

Choosing a Screen

While you can technically save some cash by using a plain white bedsheet, we recommend investing in a good projector screen to up your outdoor cinema experience — especially if you want to set up a theatre with a screen that’s going upwards of 100 inches.

Elite Screens Yard Master Plus: Best Screen for Outdoor Threate

The Elite Screens Yard Master Plus can be bought in sizes ranging from 100 to 200 inches and offers an aspect ratio of 16:9 for easy setup. The biggest advantage you get here over setting up a screen of yours is that it comes with a fully tensioned snap button frame that ensures a flat projection.

It’s also quite portable as it features a single-piece aluminum frame with detachable legs, a carrying bag, ground stakes, a rigging cord, and support rings. There’s also a wide range of compatibility with standard, short throw, and UHD/HD projectors.

Extras to Keep in Mind

If you choose to not go with the above recommendations and pick up a projector that’s not smart, you’ll also have to invest in a streaming device like a FireStick, Apple TV, or a Roku Streaming Stick 4K.

Alternatively, you can also choose to pair a laptop with your projector all with the help of a humble HDMI cable. Regardless of the streaming device of choice, or its nature — built in the projector or external — you’ll also have to ensure good internet connectivity in your backyard. For this, a good Wi-Fi extender such as the TP-Link RE715X will be a good bet.

It features four high-performance amplifiers to reach hard-to-cover areas and external antennas to ensure good signal reception. It’s WiFi 6 compatible to ensure clutter-free bandwidth delivery not just for your projector but also for you and your guests.

Apart from these, investing in a few extras like rugs, comfy foldable chairs, and heated electric blankets is also a good idea to ensure you can truly enjoy the magic of cinema in your backyard. And if the backyard is in a sunny and warm place in the country, outdoor coolers or portable bottle and can chillers are also not a bad idea.