Outdoor Home Theater, Movies in my backyard!

Over the course of my adult life I have been fascinated with home theater systems. Back in the early 80's I bought a lens through mail order that allowed you to turn a portable TV into a projector. It worked but was not bright and you had to turn the TV upside down. I believe I got a watchable 40 inch screen out of it.

This little flat lens fit into a cardboard box you set in front of the TV and used the brightness of the TV to cast the image a few feet away. It seems silly now but I actually enjoyed that wonky little set up.

Years later I got a portable Fuji projector that would run on batteries. It too cast a 40 inch screen and was very pixelated but it was an improvement from the previous cardboard set up.

In the early 90's I watched plenty of shows on it and put up with the pixels making up the screen.

Then in early two thousands I sold my video mixer and got a real video projector. It was an older model and I think I paid $300 for it on eBay. I used a pull down window shade for my screen and it was a pretty good set up, though it was SD and not that bright. However, in a very dark room it was a joy to watch. In time I gave up on it and sold it.

Now I have a 42 inch LED TV and it is the centerpiece of my living room, with surround sound. It is fantastic, but sometimes I yearn for a huge screen. Which brings me to this past year and the fact that a local group has been presenting movies on an outdoor screen. (See my previous posts) Well, I got the itch again and when asked what I wanted for Christmas, I suggested a 120 inch outdoor screen I  had seen on Amazon.



I have the screen now but it's too cold  at night to set it up and project a movie. We have access to a very good projector and we will probably begin offering use of the screen and my set-up for rent to others who want to have outdoor movie parties. But for now I'm planning a few parties of my own in my backyard.


So I'm plotting and planning and hope to have an evening when it warms up a bit with friends and fun outside as a movie plays on my big screen. Back in the 80's when I was dreaming of a home theater system and woefully unable to afford one, I doubt I could have imagined a 120 inch screen and the ability to do this!

So, watch this blog for future entries as we have a few movie parties and I'll let you know how they go. ;)