An outdoor TV turns a patio, pool deck or porch into a place your family actually uses. Game day by the fire pit, a movie under the stars, music and the news while you grill. But New Jersey weather is hard on electronics, and a TV that looks great in the store can fail in a single season outside. Here is what actually holds up, and how we plan outdoor TVs for homes across South Jersey and the Shore.
Why an Indoor TV Does Not Belong Outside
Indoor TVs are not built for humidity, rain, bugs, freezing nights or summer heat. Moisture gets inside, screens wash out in daylight, and the warranty usually does not cover outdoor use. A true outdoor TV is sealed against weather, rated for a wide temperature range and built brighter so you can see the picture on a sunny afternoon.
Full Sun, Partial Sun or Full Shade
The most important question is how much sun the screen will face. Outdoor TVs are made in different brightness levels for covered porches, partly shaded patios and open decks in direct sun. Choosing the right one for the location makes the difference between a picture you can enjoy and one you squint at. We look at where the sun sits during the hours you will actually watch.
Shore Homes Need Extra Care
Salt air is tough on metal and electronics. At the Shore, we choose equipment, mounts and hardware made to resist corrosion, and we plan for the off season so the system can sit through a winter and come back to life in the spring. See our Shore Homes page for more on how we plan second homes.
Mounting, Power + Placement
- Placement: eye level from the main seating area, away from glare off the pool or windows.
- Mounting: outdoor rated mounts, with an articulating arm when you want to angle the screen toward the pool or the kitchen.
- Power + wiring: weather protected outlets and clean wire runs, planned with your electrician so nothing is exposed.
- Wi-Fi outside: streaming needs a strong signal, so we often add an outdoor access point as part of the network.
Sound That Matches the Space
Built in TV speakers get lost outdoors. Landscape speakers hidden in the plantings, or speakers mounted under the roof line, give you full sound across the yard without blasting the neighbors. The same speakers can play music all day through your whole home audio system.
One Simple Control
An outdoor TV should be as easy as the one in your family room. With a home automation system, one button can turn on the TV, start the game, bring up the landscape lighting and set the music, from a remote, a keypad by the door or your phone.
Plan Your Outdoor Space
The best outdoor systems are planned with the patio, pool or porch, not added after. We work with homeowners, builders and landscape designers across South Jersey, the Jersey Shore, Wilmington and the Philadelphia suburbs. See our Outdoor Audio + Video page, or contact us today to talk about your space.
Written by Justin Kaplan, owner of Custom AV Integrators in Mullica Hill, NJ.
