Outdoor Cinema on aBudget
By Christina Hansen
With budgetstighter than ever, inexpensive entertainment options are in high demand –particularly those close to home. This summer, watch a movie amid the fresh airin your own outdoor home theater. It’s easier and more cost effective than you mightthink, and much more fun!
Here’s what you’ll need to transform your backyard into a slice of home theaterheaven:
Video Screen: When it comes to setting up abudget-friendly outdoor movie screen, just about anything goes, including whitebedsheets, blackout cloth (available at most fabric stores), canvas dropcloths,plywood, backer board, or even a smooth white wall.
Projector: Dust off an old LCD orDLP projector and bring it outside. If you need to start from scratch, projectorscan be purchased new for anywhere from $500 – $1500. Or scour classified ads,garage sales and reputable online home theater forums for less expensive usedprojectors.
Speakers: Don’t jump to theconclusion that you need to invest in full-on Surround Sound or dedicatedoutdoor speakers – while they do sound great, you’re better off saving yourcash and pumping the audio through old stereo speakers, instead.
DVD Player: Start by looking at whatyou already own before buying a new DVD player for your outdoor home theater.But even if you don’t have an extra DVD player lying around, a brand-new basicmodel can be had for under $50.
Video Game Console: If you or thekids are feeling too antsy to sit through an entire movie, break out the Xboxor PS3, hook it up to your projector, and find out how much fun the combinationof summer breeze and Rock Band 2 can be.
Outdoor Extension Cord: Made towithstand weather and the kind of wear and tear that can only occur in open-airenvironments, outdoor power cords are the safest and most effective way topower home theater equipment under the stars.
Surge Protector: Leave the expensivesurge suppressor indoors where it belongs, and use a simple surge-suppressingpower strip, like the SocketSense™ adjustable surge protector, instead.
Cord Cover: Don’t let the fun beinterrupted by a trip-and-fall accident; instead, protect moviegoers by keepingpower extensions concealed (and safely traversable) with rugged cord covers,like Rubber Ducts by Electriduct.
Rolling Equipment Cart: Rollingcarts reduce equipment-hauling woes by saving time, preventing liftinginjuries, and decreasing the chances of that butterfingered neighbor droppingyour projector.
Light Strands: It’s always a goodidea to have a little light to move around by without tripping in the dark.Create a soft glow that won’t detract from the onscreen action by hanging a fewstrands of Christmas lights around your theater’s perimeter.
Now all youneed is the popcorn to start your own outdoor movie experience.
Christina Hansen is a Product Specialistat CableOrganizer.com – a leading eTailer of cable, wire and equipmentmanagement solutions. www.CableOrganizer.com.
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