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Started By
Message
Outdoor Home Theater Setup
Posted on 12/2/24 at 9:43 am
Posted on 12/2/24 at 9:43 am
I'm planning on creating a portable outdoor tv/movie setup.
It will mostly be used by the pool and tree house, but we could also do some front-yard movies for the neighborhood.
I don't have much experience with this. So, I'm asking for advice from you brilliant people.
Targeting Epson HC 1080 as the projector. 3400 lumens $600 - LINK
150 inch front/rear projection screen with stand. $100 - LINK
Here are the speakers I'm targeting. Is 80W enough for a small gathering?
Polk Audio Atrium 4 Outdoor Speakers - $95 - LINK
The connection says Ethernet. Not sure what that means or what cables would be required. What do I need for connection?
I assume I'll need a small, portable receiver to push these 2 speakers.
There are lots of cheap receivers on Amazon. I'm only familiar with the home surround sound systems. So, how cheap is too cheap?
And how much Wattage do I need to push both 80w speakers?
I'd prefer wired connections to avoid lip sync issues.
I'm looking at 2 options so far, but I am open to alternatives.
1. AK45, 300W 2 channel wireless - $30. LINK
2. Pyle, 800W 4 channel bluetooth - $105. LINK
HDMI input will be driven by $60 Blu-ray player or firestick.
So, for just under $1000, we can watch movies anywhere.
I can always bring a small honda if we're somewhere that doesn't have power.
I'd love any suggestions to help me avoid mistakes and setup issues.
It will mostly be used by the pool and tree house, but we could also do some front-yard movies for the neighborhood.
I don't have much experience with this. So, I'm asking for advice from you brilliant people.
Targeting Epson HC 1080 as the projector. 3400 lumens $600 - LINK
150 inch front/rear projection screen with stand. $100 - LINK
Here are the speakers I'm targeting. Is 80W enough for a small gathering?
Polk Audio Atrium 4 Outdoor Speakers - $95 - LINK
The connection says Ethernet. Not sure what that means or what cables would be required. What do I need for connection?
I assume I'll need a small, portable receiver to push these 2 speakers.
There are lots of cheap receivers on Amazon. I'm only familiar with the home surround sound systems. So, how cheap is too cheap?
And how much Wattage do I need to push both 80w speakers?
I'd prefer wired connections to avoid lip sync issues.
I'm looking at 2 options so far, but I am open to alternatives.
1. AK45, 300W 2 channel wireless - $30. LINK
2. Pyle, 800W 4 channel bluetooth - $105. LINK
HDMI input will be driven by $60 Blu-ray player or firestick.
So, for just under $1000, we can watch movies anywhere.
I can always bring a small honda if we're somewhere that doesn't have power.
I'd love any suggestions to help me avoid mistakes and setup issues.
3
Posted on 12/2/24 at 10:42 am to Mahootney
Don't be expecting a very bright or great picture. If you're just trying to have something playing for fun it should do though. Maybe you can skip the receiver and used powered PA speakers.
This post was edited on 12/2/24 at 10:46 am
Posted on 12/2/24 at 3:15 pm to Mahootney
We use an old 2000 ansi lumen DLP for some night games. It’s 10x brighter than any of the Chinese stuff. Works great. We use portable speaker/amp I custom built for this purpose and to party without taking up permanent space in the house.
Do not buy new audio equipment. Even high end stuff is basically free now because people are sick of the bulk. I can’t even get replies to my listings that I’m almost giving away.
I picked up my HDMI projector for $25 but it isn’t quite 1080p.
Do not buy new audio equipment. Even high end stuff is basically free now because people are sick of the bulk. I can’t even get replies to my listings that I’m almost giving away.
I picked up my HDMI projector for $25 but it isn’t quite 1080p.
Posted on 12/2/24 at 6:49 pm to Mahootney
I’m no expert in projectors but might be able to help with some of the audio questions.
Note that 80W is simply the maximum continuous power handling of the speakers. The speaker power rating simply tells you how much amplifier you can put behind it. The spec that tells you how loud they are per unit of power input is efficiency. Those are rated at 89 dB (1W/1m) which is respectable.
Your biggest issue outdoors will be bass response. Indoors, your subwoofer usually gets a hefty level boost from room acoustics. This is often not the case outdoors, especially if the speakers will be placed somewhere out in the open (not against a wall). Those Polk Audio speakers have 4.5” woofers so I would not expect much bass response from them. It’ll be nothing like watching a movie indoors with a dedicated sub. But that may not matter much to you. Generally one of the things you get with more expensive speakers (whether indoor or outdoor) is larger woofers/better bass response.
Not sure where you’re seeing Ethernet, but those Polk speakers are passive. Your connection will be from an amplifier via speaker cables.
Assuming they aren’t going to be permanently mounted based on your OP, I would highly recommend investing in cables with banana plugs - either buying bulk cable plus connectors to install the plugs yourself, or buying prefabricated cables with banana plugs. It will make your life much easier not having to frick with screw terminals every time you hook it up. And whatever length you think your cables need to be, double it. Trust me as someone who has hooked up a lot of portable audio systems.
Also give some thought to how you intend to mount them. You might be able to clamp them or screw them to the tripod stands that come with your screen.
Correct.
My personal opinion - not quite that cheap.
You need to decide how you want to route the HDMI. That EPSON projector has an analog 3.5mm (headphone) stereo output so theoretically you should be able to route HDMI with audio to the projector and get analog audio out of it. But I wouldn’t trust that, especially since I can’t seem to find a list of formats supported by it. My guess is that it can probably only pass through linear PCM (uncompressed) digital audio.
Personally I wouldn’t trust those duties to a projector. Too many potential problems that can pop up. I would buy the cheapest AVR you can find from a reputable manufacturer and run the HDMI through that. You’ll probably wind up with more amplifier channels than you need but at least you’ll be able to properly configure it for stereo.
quote:
Here are the speakers I'm targeting. Is 80W enough for a small gathering?
Note that 80W is simply the maximum continuous power handling of the speakers. The speaker power rating simply tells you how much amplifier you can put behind it. The spec that tells you how loud they are per unit of power input is efficiency. Those are rated at 89 dB (1W/1m) which is respectable.
Your biggest issue outdoors will be bass response. Indoors, your subwoofer usually gets a hefty level boost from room acoustics. This is often not the case outdoors, especially if the speakers will be placed somewhere out in the open (not against a wall). Those Polk Audio speakers have 4.5” woofers so I would not expect much bass response from them. It’ll be nothing like watching a movie indoors with a dedicated sub. But that may not matter much to you. Generally one of the things you get with more expensive speakers (whether indoor or outdoor) is larger woofers/better bass response.
quote:
The connection says Ethernet. Not sure what that means or what cables would be required. What do I need for connection?
Not sure where you’re seeing Ethernet, but those Polk speakers are passive. Your connection will be from an amplifier via speaker cables.
Assuming they aren’t going to be permanently mounted based on your OP, I would highly recommend investing in cables with banana plugs - either buying bulk cable plus connectors to install the plugs yourself, or buying prefabricated cables with banana plugs. It will make your life much easier not having to frick with screw terminals every time you hook it up. And whatever length you think your cables need to be, double it. Trust me as someone who has hooked up a lot of portable audio systems.
Also give some thought to how you intend to mount them. You might be able to clamp them or screw them to the tripod stands that come with your screen.
quote:
I assume I'll need a small, portable receiver to push these 2 speakers.
Correct.
quote:
There are lots of cheap receivers on Amazon. I'm only familiar with the home surround sound systems. So, how cheap is too cheap?
And how much Wattage do I need to push both 80w speakers?
I'd prefer wired connections to avoid lip sync issues.
I'm looking at 2 options so far, but I am open to alternatives.
1. AK45, 300W 2 channel wireless - $30. LINK
2. Pyle, 800W 4 channel bluetooth - $105. LINK
My personal opinion - not quite that cheap.
You need to decide how you want to route the HDMI. That EPSON projector has an analog 3.5mm (headphone) stereo output so theoretically you should be able to route HDMI with audio to the projector and get analog audio out of it. But I wouldn’t trust that, especially since I can’t seem to find a list of formats supported by it. My guess is that it can probably only pass through linear PCM (uncompressed) digital audio.
Personally I wouldn’t trust those duties to a projector. Too many potential problems that can pop up. I would buy the cheapest AVR you can find from a reputable manufacturer and run the HDMI through that. You’ll probably wind up with more amplifier channels than you need but at least you’ll be able to properly configure it for stereo.
Posted on 12/2/24 at 9:54 pm to lostinbr
quote:
That EPSON projector has an analog 3.5mm (headphone) stereo output so theoretically you should be able to route HDMI with audio to the projector and get analog audio out of it
My old InFocus projector takes a Roku stream stick in the HDMI and outputs analog just fine. Volume control on projector works from the Roku remote as well. Simple as can be.
Big question is this guy going to carry all this stuff outside and back in each time or will components be left out and covered?
Will want a portable speaker and stream stick(for volume control on remote) if portable because it’s a pain in the butt.
We basically leave a paver in the yard for the pro Jo that I have to mow around and have pegs anchored into the house for the screen so it’s pretty quick. Speaker is portable(accepts 3.5mm or BT), and battery powered(12v 15 AH LIFePO4 w/ boost converter, input device, preamp, and 3x TPA3116D2 100w amp boards rocks all night long w/o recharging). I’d rather have good sound than fidelity.
ETA: I did run into an issue where the analog from the projector had a very low gain. This made it almost unsuitable for for my off-the-shelf flare plus portable speaker. Not an issue at all for my custom one and won’t be with a proper amplifier either.
This post was edited on 12/2/24 at 10:03 pm
Posted on 12/2/24 at 10:39 pm to Dallaswho
quote:
My old InFocus projector takes a Roku stream stick in the HDMI and outputs analog just fine. Volume control on projector works from the Roku remote as well. Simple as can be.
You’re probably right. The main thing is that he’ll have to make sure he’s getting a stereo PCM output from his streaming device, but I’m not aware of any such device that can’t output stereo PCM.
The other issues are A) that he will be relying on assuredly shitty DAC’s in the projector and B) that it’s a 3.5mm output, which will probably require a 3.5mm to RCA Y-cable unless his amp has a 3.5mm or 1/5” stereo input. My experience has been that Y-cables are notoriously shitty/unreliable but they’re cheap, so you just replace them when they crap out.
Neither of those issues are necessarily deal breakers.
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