Rain & Heat Are No Match for These Outdoor AV Solutions 

Wouldn’t you love to enjoy movie nights and music-filled dinners on the patio or lawn? Imagine music wafting through the evening air—or catching the game while you cool off in the pool. 

Accomplishing this goal, however, is not as easy as just installing the equipment and hoping for the best. As Floridians, we know that any outdoor event needs a weather contingency. But, if done right, your outdoor AV installation in Tampa can withstand the elements.

TVs Built for Outdoor Use 

Regardless of your brand preference—LG, Sony, Sharp, or Toshiba—these vendors typically don’t make equipment designed to be used and stored outside a normal home environment. Even if you have a covered patio or porch, it’s unsafe to install an indoor television outdoors. Instead, opt for a TV that’s engineered to withstand the elements. 

SunBriteTV is a TV manufacturer that specializes in televisions made specifically for the outdoors. They do cost more than other TVs but they are easier to see in the sunlight because of their extra brightness. SunBriteTVs are durable against water, debris, and extreme temperatures, and can stay mounted outdoors year-round. They’re available in three models: Full-Sun, Partial-Sun, and Full Shade. 

Séura, another outdoor TV manufacturer, also offers a weatherproof soundbar to pair with the display. The Séura TV is slightly slimmer and brighter than SunBriteTV, yet does not include built-in speakers. 

Samsung recently entered the outdoor TV market with The Terrace. While it is more costly, it does feature greater brightness and better HDR. 

Durable Speakers for Weatherproof Audio Systems 

And as for outdoor audio? We have had excellent results over the years with SpeakerCraft’s line of products. I mention SpeakerCraft specifically because we have had other manufacturers’ products hold up poorly outside, especially if you live on or close to the water. 

Sometimes those issues were something simple like a rusting grill; other times it meant replacing a bad speaker. SpeakerCraft makes outdoor surface mount speakers, speakers that look like rocks, and other systems with small drivers that look like outdoor low-voltage lighting.

TV Protectors

These can be worthwhile items and range from simple canvas covers that will protect against rainstorms and sunlight to solid plastic enclosures will also protect from humidity as well as insects or rodents that look to make a home inside your appliance. Protectors come in a variety of styles so your décor doesn't need to suffer when the TV is covered. 

Cable Conduit: Direct Burial or Wireless

On a more technical level, the way the actual connecting wires are protected is also important as it relates to safety as well as performance. Wiring connections with exposed copper should be treated so they don’t corrode. 

We advise you to check with an expert or the people at your local building inspection office to ensure that you meet the local building code. In general, you or your contractor will be required to use Type UF wire with GFC outlets for the power lines and TW wire for the communications lines. Installing conduit for your electric and communications lines help to protect them from the elements but also creates a uniform look to wire management.

Another option is direct burial wire. This wiring is coated with a sunlight-, moisture- and fungus-resistant PVC jacket and is designed to be buried without the use of conduit. This wire works excellent with the only real drawback being it can still be damaged by a shovel.

If you already have the power lines intact, a variety of wireless audio systems like those from Sonos are available and make installation a whole lot easier. We’ve used the Sonos system on boat docks with decent results. The advantage of this is that any stray electrical voltage from a storm does not have a pathway back into the home, which keeps your equipment safer. The downside is the reduced life of the system that remains outdoors.

Keep Things “Structured” If Possible

The concept of structured wiring is actually quite simple. All of the wires to the various AV appliances in your backyard entertainment space—as well as the ones inside the home, if possible—are brought in a straight run back to a central command or “home base” module. This process allows for the ultimate in versatility should you ever decide to change any of your equipment or its location.

Need Help with Outdoor AV? 

As you can see, there are a multitude of factors to consider when contemplating the installation of an outdoor home entertainment system. Still, with the right guidance, the process of weatherproofing outdoor AV should not prove too daunting.

Contact AV Specialists here to get in touch with a technician and start your installation in Tampa today!