Do you want to watch movies or TV shows outdoors? Then you should invest in a portable inflatable screen. The inflated portions of the inflatable screen should serve as the stand or legs of this structure. The advantage of such a screen is portability, mobility, and easy storage after use.
How to Hang Projector Screen from Outside or Outdoors
Aside from availing of a portable inflatable movie or projector screen, you can also hang your projector screen like a picture frame on your wall or just below your roof, supported by the awnings or gutter. It’s best to hang it on a large wall though for ease of removal later on.
This guide will teach you how to hang your 100-inch or so cinema screen on your nearest wall by drilling unto it or finding other places of support, such as ropes and hooks at nearby trees and posts. You’ll also be taught how to hang it without drilling for good measure.
The portable movie screen, on the other hand, merely asks you to inflate it first before pulling the screen upright. Products like the SmartBox AV Control System should do most of the job for you. It’s something you can inflate like a raft and put up like a pagoda when push comes to shove.
The Appeal of Open-Air Inflatable Cinema Screens Explained
This open-air cinema screen might even come with extra perks, like a sound system integrated with the screen so that you won’t have to invest in a separate stereo, speaker, or soundbar. Most inflatable screens are designed to maximize your space for your modern family entertainment.
These screens measure about 100 inches in size, with the inflatable stand serving as its ground support. You can also set up such equipment in under 20 minutes or so for good measure. Most of the time is spent pumping air into the inflatable stand.
You might need assistance and ropes to pull up the screen to a standing position too. An inflatable is a way to go if you don’t want to hang your existing screen yourself or make a new outdoor screen from scratch.
Inflatable Outdoor Projector Screen lets you take your viewing entertainment to the great outdoors From movie nights to video games to sporting events.
Selecting Your Movie Screen for Your DIY Backyard Movie Theater
Choosing what you’ll use for your screen is where you can budget or save your money from your setup. Some opt for a bed sheet or tarp stretched across the wall to serve as your projector screen. Others buy a higher-end option, like an inflatable screen that can stand on its own.
There are multiple choices available to you when it comes to hanging backyard movie theater screens available at the nearest electronics or online stores. Inflatable screens are actually less expensive than permanent retractable screens due to their easy storage features.
They’re like rafts you can deflate and put away at your tool shed and whatnot. Portable screens that you can hang onto your outdoor walls like whiteboards or posters are also aplenty on the Worldwide Web. It all depends on your budget and circumstances.
Retractable versus Inflatable Screens
Inflatable screens are better and overall more affordable than retractable ones because you don’t need to install inflatable screens, you simply need to inflate them so that the screens could stand or hang on their own. To hang them couldn’t be simpler.
However, they’re both portables because they can be stored away when not in use. You can also leave them up during summer, in case you wish to watch movies in your backyard regularly or daily since you have nothing better to do.
A portable inflatable screen can cost you around $200. However, if you were to avail of a smaller screen that is under 100 inches in size, that should cost you less than $100 instead. Better options for more discerning cinemaphiles involve hanging a permanent screen in your backyard.
This should in turn cost you around $1,000 or more in light of all the drilling and mechanical installation involved. You can make things cheaper by installing a screen or a tarp turned into a screen instead of on your own.
You may also like: The Ultimate Guide to Planning an Outdoor Movie Night
DIY Project for Your Own Self-Made Movie Screen
You can make and hang your own projector screen for as little as a buck instead of paying from $200 to $1,000 to have one installed. If you’re good with do-it-yourself projects for home improvement, you can go for affordable screen installation instead.
- Paint a wall or fence white so that you can use it to screen movies on your projector. Even better, buy screen paint that reflects light better, but that will cost you.
- Alternately, hang a piece of tarp or bed sheet on the clothesline, fence, or wall as your screen material.
- The fabric material should be stretched over a frame made from wood. You can also weld or screw together a frame from PVC pipes.
- Purchase an affordable black-out curtain. This should be hung on the backside or white side of your frame facing your projector.
- You can also avail of black-out fabric backing at the craft store. This should be hung over the fence or stretched across your frame.
- There’s also the option of hanging white fabric unto a roller shade hung from the inside rafter of your home. You can now pull down your projector screen like roller-type blinds.
- The canvas should be painted white as well if not silver or some other super reflective color using projector screen paint. Afterwards, hang it onto your fence or wall.
- Butcher paper can also be taped unto the wall or fence. Otherwise, attach to your frame or wall vinyl panels that you can avail of at your local home improvement store. They’re used mostly for bathrooms.
The Final Conclusion
If you can afford it, you can guarantee that your outdoor home cinema is on the level of a commercial drive-in theater but it fits your backyard and can sit at the comfort of your own home. Your at-home cinema will surely be the envy of your neighbors, but it naturally comes at a great cost.
Your cheapest options are painting the wall with reflective paint for screening purposes or putting up a tarp there to serve as your projection screen. The more expensive options include installing a retractable or permanent projector screen with the assistance of professional installers.
References:
- “Backyard Movie Theater: DIY Step-by-Step Guide“, InstallItDirect.com, Retrieved March 31, 2021
- “Smart Digital Screen Setup“, SmartDigital.com.au, Retrieved March 31, 2021