Outdoor TV options

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Hi. I did consider something along those lines, building an enclosure, sealing behind it and even a mini shed roof coming off the house over the cabinet (8-10" or so). I have not been able to find an example of what MiltonS bought (a NEM-4 Hoffman enclosure)? Does anyone have a link they can send me? I also found Solaire soft covers, which appear to be waterproof, zipper bottom, so I could vent, and even a back flap which appears as though water would run off of it and away from the back opening. If that would keep water out, could be a good low cost option?
 
You can also get the enclosures with various options such as temperature control, etc. They tend to be spendy, though, I would not be surprised if the enclosure price meets or exceeds the cost of the TV!

When it is time to do this for myself I will probably be scheming and dreaming up some kind of a self-built structure.
 
Hi. I assume you mean something like the TV Shield? These have fans, humidity control, etc. they look very well made, but as you said, are very expensive. By the time you by the TV and the TV Shield with all the bells and whistles, youre almost at the price of an all weather TV!
 
we have an outside TV I installed on the patio and kept it pretty simple. Just split in the line that goes into one of the bedrooms, dropped the line through the soffit, and purchased a cheaper LED flat panel TV from Best Buy. I think we found a Memorial Day sale and was able to stay under 200 bucks. Then purchased a swivel wall mount and mounted in on the outside wall. Also, found a outdoor tv cover on amazon that has really held up. We live in Oklahoma where we stay in the 100's for long periods of time. The tv is mounted on the west side of the house with little shade and we have not had a single problem, this summer will be its 2nd summer.
 
Hi Bull Jr, thanks for the info! This is where I'm leaning, with the SuperBowl TV sales coming up, we could get a decent TV for a few hundred bucks, a Solaire cover, and doing a similar set up. Up here in New England, we're only talking about 6 months a year, and then it will go inside into storage, and even when the patio area is in full sun, our pergola does provide 'some' shade on the wall where we'll install it. Appreciate everyone's thoughts on this, and by all means, keep the ideas and comments coming. Thanks!
 
We got a new TV for the living room and put the old one outside under the covered patio. Coming up on a year outside and is working well so far. Haven't had it on in about two months but plan on firing it up this weekend if weather forecast holds. Although it is not directly exposed to the elements , we did get a breathable cover for it to keep dust and moisture off it.

Couldn't justify the big $ for a weatherproof TV when we could buy several regular flat screens for the same $.
 
That's nice. Is that from Ken Good's poolhouse build in TX? I think that would work really well in an enclosed area, but mine will be fully exposed so it'd have to be fully waterproofed, and then there's the concern about heat build up in the cabinet, especially if exposed to direct sun.
 

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Your TV would only be exposed when you're watching it, right? Unless you're watching it in the rain, you should be okay with an enclosure like that as long as you make sure it's sealed properly. You wouldn't be running the TV while the cabinet is closed so there's no issue with heat build up either.

I would also consider a computer monitor. Most have HDMI ports and some have sound (you can always add a soundbar). Many monitors are very low voltage (less heat) and aren't really fire or shock hazards. I have 2 that I'm installing under a pergola. I'm just installing them on the wall and putting a cheap cover (similar to a bbq grill cover) when not in use. My main issue is getting power to them without running an unsightly power cord. I have several security cameras and a couple spare cat6 POE, so I'm going to play with using the voltage from those instead of a power cord. I'd also feel safer using DC voltage versus AC with a pool and hot tub near by.



DOMO said:
That's nice. Is that from Ken Good's poolhouse build in TX? I think that would work really well in an enclosed area, but mine will be fully exposed so it'd have to be fully waterproofed, and then there's the concern about heat build up in the cabinet, especially if exposed to direct sun.
Click to expand...
 
Hi all, thanks for the replies. I considered building a case as I am fairly handy and build a nice waterproofed enclosure for the electrical on our ceiling fan hung under our pergola. I used a white composite board (Kleer brand) and it is all sealed up. Considered that here, but my waterproofing concern was not on the top (or even the back even), but getting a tight enough seal on the doors (front and top) to stop rain from getting in. The other thing with a 'box' enclosure is that this is being mounted on siding (as opposed to a flat brick wall or the like). I think if I mount and articulating TV wall mount on the house (may have to get creative with getting a flat surface on the siding), run the power plug and the HDMI cable (from the cable box which will also be inside the house) through the sill above the foundation (and then caulk this opening), those 2 cables will come up to the back of the TV, and when covered, the Solaire soft cover that I found appears to be fully waterproof (and allow for the cables to stay protected as well), so that should do the trick. I think that Solaire soft cover will also be better for breath ability to release any trapped heat that may build up by sitting in the sun.

Oh, and of course, it will be plugged into a GFCI, which will either be inside the house wall or in an all weather enclosure.

Also, just have to figure out how to run the remote if the cable box is in the house, without moving the box to in front of a window. I may look into an IR repeater.

I believe that Samsung smart TVs have a PLEX app, which is great, cause then I can just wirelessly stream movies from our library stored on our Mac Mini inside and control via iPad.
 
Hi all. So, starting to re-think the soft shell Solaire case and get ambitious and build a case. Toyed around with the idea of using cedar, with TIG door panels, but the wife is thinking that may be too 'busy'. Sooooo, now I'm thinking of using 1x6 oak boards for the sides and bottom, with a 1x8 (or 10) for the top board to create an overhang. Then, using 1/2" finish grade plywood to make 2 2'x2' door panels. For aesthetics, will trim it out in 1x3 oak to give a shaker style look to the doors and sides. Will use a 1/2" or 3/4" plywood sheet for the back. Stain the whole thing and then polyurethane the heck out of it. I will caulk the inside seams and use some sort of weather stripping on the door opening area. Oh, and for ventilation, may drill some 1" holes in the bottom for air flow to reduce heat and moisture build up. Thoughts?
 
Hi Domo,

Nothing wrong with going all out on the enclosure and everything, but I will tell you I hung a 46" Insignia LCD TV outside over our fireplace 4 years ago and it is still going strong.
I used to cover it but I don't even bother with that anymore. It is under the roof and does not get wet of course, but otherwise open to the elements.
I have to admit I'm surprised it has lasted this long myself.

I definitely would never spend the outrageous amount these all-weather manufacturers ask for.
 
Hi all,
Now that the looooong, painful winter has finally ended (knock on wood), I thought I would send an update to this thread. The long winter did provide plenty of time to plan and build my outdoor TV cabinet. I built the cabinet out of solid oak (with a plywood back), applied 4 coats of stain and 4 coats of poly (NOT a fun part of the process, especially inside in the winter). All of the inner seams have been caulked and while there is little gap via the doors for rain to enter (and the top hangs over the doors), I still plan to add some weather stripping inside the cabinet for additional protection from the rain. Shaker style doors with Mexican Talavera knobs to tie in with our Mexican theme. Installed an articulating arm so that we can extend it out and position it around the patio area (if we want to watch from somewhere other than our outdoor living room).
We bought a 42" Samsung Smart LED. We installed, lit the fire pit, and tested it out this weekend (over some margaritas!), and successfully streamed FiOS TV channels as well as movies from our Mac library via PLEX.
Hoping the pics came out ok, I had to crop and shrink them down to next to nothing and remove all of my other attachments on the site in order to get these to post.
 

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