3 Things to Know Before Buying Outdoor Screens for Portable Projectors

1. Do I Even Need a Screen, Especially Outdoors? 

2. Types of Outdoor Screens 

3. What Screen Size Do I Need? 

In this article we’ll cover everything you need to know about getting a screen for viewing outdoors . Since this isn’t the same as getting a screen for an indoor projector, there are three main areas to focus on towards making the best possible choice. To begin with, you may wonder if a screen is necessary at all, since with portable projectors it’s much easier to use a wall, ceiling, or the side of an RV as a projection surface. So, let’s look at that first. 

There are many surfaces you can use instead of a proper screen. Many people find that when outdoors, projecting onto a garage door, a sheet, or the side of their vehicle works just fine. But those all have inconsistent surfaces, with flowing movement on sheets, seams and cracks on walls and garage doors, and so on. You won’t get the most impressive visuals with improvised screens, and based on our surveys, a lot of people find the imperfections of improv screens distracting. This is not good when you’re trying to have a fun movie night that draws the audience in.

Surfaces like sheets are very sensitive to even the lightest wind, while any of the improvised screens we mentioned suffer from uneven brightness or very low brightness because none of them are designed to be reflective. And without reflectivity, the light coming from the projector doesn’t get back to viewers’ eyeballs. Colors also shift and change when projected onto an uneven or moving surface, leading to the conclusion that a tightly held in place, flat screen is better. 

As with home projector screens, there are quite a few varieties, although here the basic principles are the same. For a much more in-depth look at screens for projectors, you can look here. But even as a start, any outdoor screen will be more reflective and thus clearer and more impressive than a sheet, garage door, or RV side panel. 

The biggest difference between indoor and outdoor projector screens is obviously portability. You want your screen to be just as portable as the projector, so it’s easy to pack and move when you go traveling or camping or just venture to the backyard for movie night under the stars.   Set up has to be quick and easy and wind resistance is also important, because outdoors means dealing with the elements. As far as projection screens are concerned, wind is the most notable, as it’ll easily change the shape of a screen’s surface and therefore the image shown on it.  

Broadly speaking, there are two major types of outdoor projector screens on the market currently. Inflatable screens may sound odd, but they work remarkably well for fast and easy setup, and are the closest to “plug n play”. But, they make some noise due to relying on a pump, and lack a rigid frame, which means they do not resist wind or even simple wrinkling very well. While affordable plus easy to deploy and pack, inflatable screens don’t offer the most consistent image quality because of their tendency to develop uneven surfaces.  

Rigid or fixed frame screens definitely improve image quality as they maintain even and flat surfaces much better than their inflatable counterparts. Framed screens cost more than inflatable ones, but don’t have the distraction of pump or fan noises. They’re reasonably easy to setup, although slightly more complex, and may require two people to put them up. In the grand scheme of things, we recommend a fixed frame screen because you’ll get much better image quality with less wrinkling, more consistent color, and better brightness control. The smooth surfaces offered by framed screens are very close to those of high quality home cinema, indoor screens. 

What screens are made of matters, a lot. That’s because the material determines reflectivity and thus visibility. Fixed frame screens are usually made using tougher materials as well, which is good for long term use. However, they should still have some flexibility ideally, because for portable use packing and folding are highly important.

Do note that while outdoor screens are fine outside when used, for long term storage they need to be properly placed in a protected location, ideally indoors. You should not just leave them up for long periods of time (more than a day or so), because exposure to the elements will degrade their surface quality, reducing reflectivity and creating imperfections. 

This is the third important factor to consider. Sure, getting the biggest screen you can afford is tempting, after all bigger should be better, right? But, not really. As we mentioned before, larger screens take up more storage space, weigh more, and require more setup. 

You should think about how far you want to sit from the screen, how bright your projector is, and in what ambient lighting conditions you’ll be using the projector and screen. 

Seat to screen distance is important because the viewing experience might be uncomfortable. Take a look at this seating to screen distance guide for more info. 

While 100”-120” is common for home cinema room and also for large outdoor gatherings, it may be too big for you. If you do plan to have a large group of people watching, let’s say more than ten, then that size is advisable for camping, backyard movie nights, and so on. However, for multi-use viewing, 80” might be the best option. Assuming you’re with just a handful of people or even by yourself, this screen size looks great from various distances while easier to store and move around. You can also easily use an 80” screen at home in smaller rooms, like a bedroom. So, in this size, you get more versatility. You should always consider your projector’s resolution, brightness, and viewing angles when shopping for screen size. As a rule, bigger screens mean your projector should have higher resolution and more powerful illumination, aka higher brightness. 

Take a look at this cute graphic for a quick guide of different brightness values for screen sizes: 

We’ve established tight a framed screen is the best choice for outdoors projection. Other non-screen surfaces are likely to move, or have distracting features. They will also most definitely alter color performance, so you’ll view content not as intended. With a good, fixed frame 80”-120” screen you get very close to indoors home cinema performance, and that’s what you should aim for.

The BenQ GS50 is arguably the most complete and capable portable projector for outdoor and home use, boasting high resolution 1080p, bright 500 lumen projection, and powerful sound. Head over here for more shiny highlights!