The popularity of outdoor cinemas is increasing day by day. Knowing this maybe you have come to an idea to build your own home theater in your garden.
These garden home theaters are pretty amazing and fun, and with the right equipment you can easily put it indoors when the weather is bad. At the same time, your garden doesn’t have to be big in order to set up your outdoor home theater there. Even a small garden will be enough.
It will require some investment in case you don’t have a projector but we have to say that it’s something you will enjoy over and over again.
The advantage of outdoor cinema is that you can actually choose who you are going to watch a movie with and you will have no problem watching from the front seats. At the same time, you can bring your own food and drinks.
In case you are interested in building your own garden cinema but you simply don’t know what you need to do about it here are some recommendations about the necessary equipment and other things.
Table of Contents
A projector is the key element
One of the main elements of an outdoor cinema is the projector. At the same time it is one of the most expensive parts of the outdoor cinema system and people really don’t want to make a mistake here.
Most people think that a projector doesn’t give a clear picture just like on the cinema screen. Luckily this is not true.
The latest projectors can even give a great picture when the light is on or when you are watching something during the day.
Today you can easily find a projector that fits into your budget. For example, one of our entry-level models is the Epson’s EH-TW650.
When you are choosing a projector, we highly recommend getting one with 3000 lumens and above. The model we have just mentioned has 3100 lumens, integrated Wi-Fi support and it is a full HD projector.
The Epson EH-TW650 can deliver a high-quality, high definition picture with well defined shadows and deep blacks.
One thing you need to have in mind about this projector – it isn’t waterproof so you will have to bring it inside if the weather conditions are not good.
If you are worried whether you need to have some technical skills to use the projector, we assure you that you have nothing to worry about. All you have to do is to plug everything in, position it properly towards the screen, connect the streaming device, laptop or smartphone either using a cable or your Wi-Fi connection and you can start watching whatever you want.
As we have already said, projectors can be a bit expensive but the thing is that you are going to use them during the year either in your outdoor cinema or indoors.
If you aren’t on a tight budget you can even think about buying a 5000 lumens laser projector like the Epson EB-L510U. However, whichever projector you choose it will do the job just fine and you will be able to enjoy your time in the comfort of your own garden or home.
Buy a decent projector screen for better picture quality
The screen you are going to use for your garden cinema can cost you nothing if you use a white wall, pretty affordable if you decide to use white sheet or you can go with specific screens for outdoor cinemas which will require some investment.
All these options affect the picture quality but at the end for around $100 you can get a pretty decent projector screen and get a good quality picture.
There are also projector screens that come with their own mechanism and can be controlled with a push of a button. All you need to do is to install them properly.
We highly recommend the Homegear 100-inch design that will do a great job with any projector especially when you need a larger screen for watching movies with your friends and family.
If you are looking for a more affordable option then you don’t need to look for motorized versions. With such screen projectors you just need to hang the screen projector and the best thing about it is that you can easily move it around if necessary.
Protect the projector
The projector needs to be positioned at the right height for the projector screen. This means that you should keep it off the floor because there is a possibility that someone will trip over it and damage it.
There is also an option to place the projector on a table or a trolley but it will require some investment. However, this is a good option because you can place both the projector and the laptop on it.
Don’t ignore the sound quality
Once you set up your garden cinema you really don’t want to use the integrated speakers or some cheap speakers and try to figure out what the people on the projector screen are saying.
You can use a 3.5mm jack or even Bluetooth connection to connect your speakers. In this we highly recommend buying a system with a subwoofer or you can even try some Bluetooth-enabled rock speakers that will blend into your garden perfectly.
Outdoor seating sets for better comfort
Since you are going to watch the movies in your own garden you have all the rights to make everything as comfortable as possible. According to that a sofa is the best choice. There are many modular sets and lounge sets that will perfectly fit the garden cinema. And to add some comfort you can add some outdoor rugs, lanterns and cushions. After you set up everything all you need to do is to relax and enjoy!