Outdoor Home Theater

While most Canadian home theater owners are building their systems into their rooms, basements and libraries, a few enthusiasts are opting for a different location: their backyards. Outdoor home theaters allow you to watch your favorite movies or listen to your favorite songs while enjoying the fresh, open air of the outdoors.

There are several other advantages in a backyard home theater. Perhaps the most popular advantage is the cost—outdoor theaters use projectors instead of TV screens, simpler sound systems, and usually cheaper seating than traditional home theaters. They also don’t require special flooring or wall treatments, as is the case with most Canadian home theater rooms. You can put an outdoor home theater together for under $500, whereas an indoor one will cost several thousands.

Another common advantage is portability. Because they’re not permanently installed, you can easily move your home theater to another spot when necessary. You can also move it all indoors when it rains, or pack all your home theater supplies in a box when you’re moving or going on a trip.

The main drawback of outdoor viewing is quality. A traditional Canadian home theater is designed so that sound and lighting are confined within the room, giving you full control over them. In an outdoor setup, it’s all open, so you need more power to get the same sound quality and specific conditions to get sharp, clear images. However, when you get it all to work, the added effort and expense is well worth it.