Outdoor televisions

[coog61]

Does anyone have any ideas on selecting an outdoor TV? Thinking of an HDTV that would be under a porch cover, but exposed to heat, cold, and humidity (hey this is SE Texas). TV's made of this are very $$$. What about a "cheap" flat screen.
Any thoughts? Pics would be great. :lol:

 

[zea3]

Keep in mind that with the harsh weather around here you may be replacing your set on an annual basis! Read up on some of the outdoor models and see if they offer protection from moisture condensation. That and glare I think will be the biggest issues affecting longevity and performance. Visit with the manager of your favorite local establishment that has tvs on a covered porch and see what they have to say about them. You will need to make sure you can position the tv to avoid glare during the day. You may also want to talk to a landscaper who has done some high end renovations and see if they have any advice. I'm sure anyone here who has an outdoor tv would be happy to pitch in their 2 cents as well!

 

[Bama Rambler]

You basically have 4 choices

• Buy an outdoor rated tv. [/*:m:69ep9wic]
• buy a tv that you can take inside everytime. [/*:m:69ep9wic]
• Build an environmentally controlled enclosure to house a standard tv in. [/*:m:69ep9wic]
• Or buy a new tv every time one dies.[/*:m:69ep9wic]

I have a friend that has had a 46" LCD tv in his carport for a few years. While not technically "outside" it's not enclosed, and being in south Alabama it's very hot and VERY humid. He does cover it when it's going to be cold (not that it gets very cold here).

I think cold would be the biggest killer of flat screens. The LCD units in our RV states that it should not be allowed to get below 25ºF even in storage but the upper limit is 125ºF and 90% RH.

 

[dlduvall]

We have a large projection Tv built into the wall on our deck. It is under roof and in an enclosed space. It was an older one that we were replacing anyway, so we thought we'd give it a shot. It made it through the whole summer, we will see what winter brings though. Glare was definately an issue, and not one that we considered beforehand. At a certain time of evening, watching from certain parts of the deck was pretty much impossible. But it was an awesome addition and I recommend it to anyone that can do it. We have directv hooked up, and we also used a DVD player for movies and bought an extra sensor bar so we could take the Wii outside to play games. It was very cool when we had folks over!

 

[gman]

I have a sunbright 32" model, its an older 1080I but I bought it 3 years ago and it still works great, They have gone down in price, but are still expensive. I love it as I have it hooked up to a directv receiver and the receiver hooked up to the stereo that plays through my rock speakers, so music channels are nice as well as watching a sports game, Can here it while in the pool. Mine is not covered or anything, Its on a full motion wall mount on the corner of the house/deck. Definatly worth it. I never bring it in side either. 3 years of trouble free viewing.

 

[coog61]

Thanks everyone - much appreciated. :lol:

 

[dannyboy]

I have a small 17inch LCD outside for the same thing that GMan does. Music is nice from the cable channels. She went outside as she is too small now for any use in the house and surprisingly, it's held up well (it was 7 years old and cost $800). I bring it in during the winter as we don't go outside much. TV's are so cheap now, you should get some walmart bargain and just replace it when needed. The cost of outdoor rated appliances are stupidly high so I'd go for a new tv every 2-3 years rather than spend out big bucks on something that will be outdated in 6 years time...
My 2 cents...