If you’d love to watch movies in the backyard—whether bundled up with the patio heater turned on or enjoying balmy evening temps in spring or summer—it’s easier to pull off than you might think. Although you can use virtually any projector on the planet to turn an outside wall into a cinema, it wasn’t long ago that almost none had all the right features to make it easy. Today, a growing number do.

We’ll take you through our favorite tested picks for outdoor projectors, followed by a detailed buying guide to what to look for. Most of these specific models fall in a category we call “room-to-room portables.” What moves conveniently to another room also moves conveniently to the backyard. In addition to being light enough to carry over short distances, room-to-room portables include robust audio designed to offer both high enough volume and quality so you won’t have to lug a separate sound system outside, as well. They also typically have features like auto-focus to help you set up quickly, and most offer streaming, so you can skip carrying a video source, as long as you keep close enough to your house so you can connect to your network by Wi-Fi. There are even some designed particularly for outdoor use, complete with a level of water and drop resistance.

We’ve also thrown in a portable mini projector or two—defined in part by a smaller size and a more limited audio system. But keep in mind that you still have the option of using virtually any projector you like outdoors. Note also that the price range for these models runs from $499.99 to $2,199.99 at this writing, but given the recent chip shortages and supply-line issues in this not-quite-post-pandemic era, the entry cost could rise. If even $500 is more than you want to invest in a projector, take a look at our related story with tips for putting on a backyard movie night without breaking the bank.

Epson EF-100 Mini-Laser Streaming Projector

Best 720p Projector for Rainbow-Free, Bright Images

Why We Picked It

The EF-100 employs a laser light source that delivers a solid 2,000-lumen brightness in its brightest picture mode. As with all projectors, the mode with the best image quality has lower brightness, but still enough in this case to deliver an 80-inch diagonal image that was bright enough in our tests to stand up to low to moderate ambient light.

The projector also comes with an Android TV dongle and a capable Netflix app. And its three-LCD-chip design eliminates any possibly of seeing the red, green, and blue flashes, known as rainbow artifacts, that some people see more easily than others. The price is a little high for the 720p resolution, but most 720p and 1080p projectors that offer both portability and 2,000 lumens use lamps that, unlike lasers, have to be replaced over the life of the projector, raising the total cost of ownership.

Who It’s For

For obvious reasons, the EF-100 will be of particular interest to anyone who is sensitive to rainbow artifacts and finds them annoying. But even if that’s not a consideration, its brightness can make it the right choice if the ambient light level in your backyard is relatively high at night, due to spillover from nearby street lights, for example. Compared with higher-resolution projectors, the focus may seem a little soft if you’re close enough to the screen. But if you’re fighting much ambient light, you’ll have to limit the picture size to maintain a bright image, even with the EF-100’s brightness, which will make it harder to see that difference.

PROS

• Laser light source designed to last the life of the projector
• Bright enough to stand up to ambient light
• Three-chip LCD engine eliminates rainbow artifacts, delivers equal color and white brightness
• Bundled with Android TV dongle

CONS

• Low resolution by current home theater standards
• No 3D or HDR support
• Only one HDMI port

Sold By	List Price	Price
Dell	$999.99	$799.99	See It (Opens in a new window)
Amazon	$999.99	$699.99	See It (Opens in a new window)
Best Buy	$999.99	$999.99	Check Stock (Opens in a new window)

Read Our Epson EF-100 Mini-Laser Streaming Projector Review

BenQ GV30

Best 720p Projector for Maximum Portability

Why We Picked It

The BenQ GV30 is all about portability, but it also delivers more than you would expect for its size and weight. Just 3.5 pounds, it offers a finger-size loop that lets you carry it even when your hands are otherwise full. Roughly the shape of a 7-inch wheel of cheese, with a bump where the lens is, it sits on a magnetic stand when in use, so you can rotate it on the stand to adjust image height. And because the stand’s magnetic, it will stay in place when you pick up the projector.

The GV30 is also one of the few projectors that promises to survive a fall. BenQ rates it as drop-proof for up to 27.6 inches, which is tabletop height, or about the distance from your hand to ground while carrying it. All that, plus a built-in battery, makes the GV30 eminently portable, while the bundled Android TV dongle and surprisingly capable 2.1-channel chamber speakers mean you don’t need to bring a separate video source or sound system.

Who It’s For

For those who are looking for maximum portability, the GV30 will be hard to beat. Lots of portables are lighter and smaller, but they don’t offer the GV30’s two 4-watt tweeters and 8-watt woofer, which give it its full bodied sound, and most don’t include built-in streaming. The 720p resolution is low by today’s standards, as is the rated 300 ANSI lumen brightness. But the low brightness means you probably won’t notice any loss of detail or sense of soft focus at the image sizes you’re most likely to use.

PROS

• Clever design and outstanding portability
• In most modes, delivers neutral color and acceptable or better color accuracy
• Impressive audio quality and volume
• Includes Android TV dongle for streaming and Chromecast
• Rugged enough to withstand drops from table height

CONS

• Does not support HDR or the copy protection on 4K UHD discs
• No 3D support
• Brightest mode shows a noticeable green tint

Sold By	List Price	Price
Amazon	$599.00	$449.00	See It (Opens in a new window)
Adorama	$599.00	$599.00	See It (Opens in a new window)

Read Our BenQ GV30 Review

Anker Nebula Solar Portable Projector

Best Budget 1080p Projector

Why We Picked It

Most mini projectors are less expensive than any room-to-room portable, and the Solar Portable is our top pick in the category. Even better, along with a low price, it fits a lot of features into a small package, including native 1080p resolution, built-in Android TV 9 for streaming over a Wi-Fi connection and for screen mirroring, and a built-in rechargeable battery that can outlast most full-length movies. Anker rates the Solar Portable at 400 ANSI lumens, which isn’t as bright as most room-to-room portables, but we found it bright enough to fill a 90-inch screen in the dark and be watchable on an 80-inch screen in moderate ambient light.

Who It’s For

The Solar Portable will appeal to those who are either on a tight budget or want a 1080p projector that’s more portable than room-to-room models. Its only important limitation for watching movies is its audio. In our tests, the dual 3-watt speakers delivered distorted sound at top volume and offered no better than serviceable quality at mid volume. But if you already have an external audio system or powered speakers you can use with it outdoors, you can still get the benefit of the budget price. If not, the cost of the Solar Portable plus speakers may not save you money over a projector with a more robust onboard sound system. However, if you also need a fully portable projector for, say, business presentations on the go, it can save you the cost of buying separate projectors for home and work.

PROS

• 1080p (1,920-by-1,080) native resolution; accepts 4K (3,840-by-2,160) input
• Supports HDR and copy protection standards used by 4K UHD discs
• Android TV 9 and Wi-Fi built in
• Battery life rated at 3 hours in Battery mode or 1.5 hours in Standard
• Capable autofocus

CONS

• Color accuracy is off by just enough to notice
• Does not deliver improved image quality with HDR material

Sold By	List Price	Price
Amazon	$559.99	$559.99	See It (Opens in a new window)
Newegg	$599.99	$599.99	See It (Opens in a new window)

Read Our Anker Nebula Solar Portable Projector Review

BenQ GS50

Best Outdoor Projector for Durability

Why We Picked It

The 1080p BenQ GS50 is the first projector we’ve reviewed that’s billed specifically as an outdoor projector. Designed to survive mistreatment better than most, it offers an IPX2 rating for water resistance and is also rated for up to a 2.3-foot fall. That means you don’t have to worry about it being destroyed by an unexpected light rain shower or by accidentally dropping it. It also offers 1080p native resolution, comes with a bundled Android TV dongle, and is bright enough to throw a watchable 90-inch image in low levels of ambient light.

Who It’s For

The GS50’s water and drop resistance should appeal to anyone who plans to take their projector outside, and the more often you plan to watch outside, the more likely something will happen where the extra protection will make a difference. If your outdoor movie watching area is next to your pool, or you want to want to watch outside once a week—or even more often—from spring through fall, or you have a rambunctious toddler who might jar a table and send the projector to the ground, the GS50 should grab your eye.

PROS

• 1080p resolution
• 500 ANSI lumen rating
• Acceptable color accuracy
• Impressive audio quality and volume
• Included Android TV dongle for streaming and Chromecast
• Durable and water-resistant

CONS

• No 3D support
• Brightest mode has an obvious green tint
• Awkward setup for Android TV dongle

Sold By	List Price	Price
Amazon	$899.99	$749.00	See It (Opens in a new window)

Read Our BenQ GS50 Review

Epson EpiqVision Mini EF12 Smart Streaming Laser Projector

Best 1080p Projector for Rainbow-Free, Bright Images

Why We Picked It

The EpiqVision Mini EF12 is built around a 1,000-lumen laser-phosphor light source and a set of three 1080p LCD chips. The three-chip design is an absolute guarantee that it can’t exhibit the red-green-blue flashes called rainbow artifacts that some people see easily and find unacceptable. The 1,000 lumens makes it bright enough for an 80-inch image even in backyards with unusually bright ambient light, and suitable for larger images in darker yards. Other key features include integrated Android TV and a 4.7-pound weight, which is unusually light for a laser projector. The Android TV doesn’t support a reliable Netflix app at this writing, but Epson says one may be added.

Who It’s For

Anyone who sees rainbow artifacts easily and finds them annoying should consider the EF12 a prime candidate for a 1080p outdoor projector. They may even consider it preferable to currently available 4K projectors, since no 4K models available yet are both suitable for outdoor use and also offer a guaranteed rainbow-free technology. Even if rainbow artifacts don’t bother you, it’s worth considering. In fact, it’s our top pick among 1080p room-to-room portables, delivering good image quality and a brighter image for picture modes that you’ll actually want to use, versus most of the like-priced competition.

PROS

• Long-lived laser-phosphor light source
• Native 1080p resolution; supports 4K UHD (3,840-by-2,160) input and HDR
• Three-chip LCD engine (3LCD) for equal color and white brightness and no rainbow artifacts
• Integrated Android TV
• Wi-Fi and two HDMI ports
• Impressive audio options

CONS

• No 3D support
• Only moderate brightness

Sold By	List Price	Price
Amazon	$999.99	$799.99	See It (Opens in a new window)
Best Buy	$999.99	$799.99	See It (Opens in a new window)

Read Our Epson EpiqVision Mini EF12 Smart Streaming Laser Projector Review

Xgimi Horizon

Best Value Projector for 1080p and Full HD 3D

Why We Picked It

The conventional wisdom is that 3D was a fad that has long since petered out. That’s undeniably true, but some people have libraries of 3D discs that they want to watch, and a lot of current projectors still offer 3D. The Horizon is one of them. It’s also one of the least expensive 1080p models that’s suitable for outdoor use and also offers high enough brightness to show 3D movies at a reasonably large size. On any projector, 3D is necessarily dimmer than 2D, so you need to start with a high 2D brightness to have any chance of having a good movie-watching experience with 3D. The Horizon’s 2D modes are easily bright enough for an 80-to-90-inch screen in the ambient light typical of a backyard. You may need to drop the size a bit for 3D movies, but not by much.

Who It’s For

Although 3D aficionados will obviously want to consider the Horizon, it also offers enough to be worth a look even if you stay strictly with 2D. In addition to reasonable brightness for backyard use, the Horizon offers fully integrated Android TV and delivers out-of-box image quality that most people will consider more than acceptable as is, along with a custom mode for those who want to improve on the default settings. One shortcoming for those who see rainbow artifacts (flashes of red, green, and blue) easily and find them annoying is that it showed them a little more frequently, and more obviously, in our tests than is typical for today’s projectors. But for those who don’t see them easily, or don’t mind them, that won’t be an issue.

PROS

• LED light source designed to last the life of the projector
• Bright enough for a small or midsize family room
• 1080p resolution for 2D and 3D
• Fully integrated Android TV 10 for streaming
• Small, light, easy to set up

CONS

• Rainbow artifacts are a bit more frequent and obvious than typical for a current DLP projector
• No optical zoom
• Image needs tweaking for best quality

Sold By	List Price	Price
Amazon	$1,099.00	$849.00	See It (Opens in a new window)

Read Our Xgimi Horizon Review

BenQ X1300i

Best Projector for 1080p Movies, Plus Gaming

Why We Picked It

Although BenQ lists the X1300i as a gaming projector, and includes three variations of game modes that adjust both audio and video for each of three type of games (first-person shooter, role playing, and sports), it also includes a bundled Android TV dongle with the projector. Beyond that, in our tests the X1300i delivered good color accuracy for movies, more-than-acceptable overall image quality by most people’s standards, and higher brightness than most other room-to-room portables. Using the picture mode with the best image quality for movies, it was bright enough even in Eco power mode to light up a 90-inch screen in low levels of ambient light.

Who It’s For

If you’re a gamer who wants a 1080p room-to-room portable both for the backyard and for gaming, the X1300i may well be your projector of choice. In addition to the already mentioned three game modes for audio and video, it offers a button on the remote to easily switch to any of them, or to one of the picture modes for movies or video. It also offers a short lag time. We measured it at 16.3ms for 1080p/60Hz input, which is consistent with BenQ’s rating of 8.33ms at 120Hz. That said, even those who aren’t interested in gaming may choose it for its combination of higher brightness than most 1080p competitors (particularly helpful for outdoor and 3D viewing) and its image quality for movies and video.

PROS

• Super-bright LED rated at 3,000 ANSI lumens
• Low input lag
• Excellent speakers and onboard audio processing
• Video/audio presets for three categories of gaming
• Android TV dongle included
• Accepts 4K UHD and HDR input

CONS

• Relatively light black level
• Some rainbow artifacts

Sold By	List Price	Price
Amazon	$1,449.21	$1,449.21	Check Stock (Opens in a new window)
Best Buy	$1,299.00	$1,299.00	Check Stock (Opens in a new window)

Read Our BenQ X1300i Review

Xgimi Horizon Pro

Best Value 4K Portable Projector

Why We Picked It

When we reviewed the Horizon Pro, we were impressed by its image quality for all but the darkest scenes, thanks to its on-point color accuracy, strong contrast, and a level of detail suitable for the 4K resolution. It also offers fully integrated Android TV, though there’s no easy-to-use Netflix app available, so Netflix users will need to use a workaround. Very much on the plus side, it’s also brighter than most room-to-room portables. It’s rated at 2,200 ANSI lumens, and even the lower-brightness picture mode we chose for the best image quality delivered a bright image at 90 inches in the dark and at 80 inches in moderate ambient light.

Who It’s For

For those who want 4K resolution, the Horizon Pro offers terrific bang for the buck. You get all the features already mentioned, plus 3D support and more ports than most of its competition (which matters more indoors than outdoors, but is still a plus), all at a competitive price. It showed more rainbow artifacts (red, green, blue flashes) in our tests than is typical for current-generation DLP projectors, but if rainbow artifacts don’t bother you, that won’t be an issue.

PROS

• LED light source designed to last for the life of the projector
• Rated at 2,200 ANSI lumens; suitable for a midsize family room
• 4K resolution with XPR pixel shifting and full HD 3D support
• Small, light, and easy to set up
• Integrated Android TV for streaming
• Impressive audio quality

CONS

• Rainbow artifacts more obvious than with most modern DLP projectors
• No optical zoom
• Missing shadow detail in dark scenes

Sold By	List Price	Price
Amazon	$1,699.00	$1,275.00	See It (Opens in a new window)

Read Our Xgimi Horizon Pro Review

Anker Nebula Cosmos Laser 4K

Best 4K Portable for the Largest Screen Size

Why We Picked It

The Cosmos Laser 4K is the brightest 4K room-to-room portable we’ve seen, which means it gives you the best chance of seeing all the detail available at 4K. Lower brightness can limit you to small screen sizes in backyards with high levels of ambient light, and too small an image size makes the differences between resolutions impossible to see. Anker rates the projector at 2,400 lumens using its brightest picture mode. The lower-brightness mode we chose for best image quality was acceptably bright for 4K HDR content using a 100-inch, 1.0 screen in a dark room. The image was even brighter for SDR content.

Beyond brightness, the Cosmos Laser 4K delivers more-than-acceptable color accuracy, contrast, and shadow detail by most people’s standards straight out of the box, and it offers good-quality audio. It also comes with an Android TV dongle and installs with a reliable Netflix app ready to use.

Who It’s For

Anyone who wants to wants to light up a suitably large screen for 4K in a backyard with more than a minimal level of ambient light needs a bright projector. Whether the Cosmos Laser 4K is bright enough to do the job fully in your backyard will depend on how the high ambient light level is, but it’s guaranteed to give you a bigger watchable picture than any projector that isn’t as bright. One potential issue, if you’re looking for a lightweight room-to-room portable, is that at 10.7 pounds, it’s heavier than most. But it also has a handle that makes it easier to carry. Another, for those who are sensitive to rainbow artifacts (flashes of red, green, and blue), is that it showed them more frequently in our tests than is typical for today’s DLP models, but that won’t matter if you don’t see them easily or don’t find them annoying.

PROS

• 4K resolution using TI’s XPR fast-switch pixel shifting
• Integrated Android TV
• Laser light source rated to last for the life of the projector
• Suitable brightness for a large family room
• Includes a capable Netflix app

CONS

• Heft
• No optical zoom or settings for adjusting color accuracy
• Cumbersome picture-mode switching

Sold By	List Price	Price
Amazon	$2,199.99	$1,699.99	See It (Opens in a new window)

Read Our Anker Nebula Cosmos Laser 4K Review

How to Buy a Projector for Backyard Movies

So above, you have seen our favorite tested picks. As you might have gathered from our assessments of each, minding the nuances when shopping for a projector can mean the difference between an A-list experience and a B-movie one.

Rule one is that every projector choice you make stems from a single decision: Do you want a permanent installation or an ad hoc setup? At one extreme, you can install all your projection equipment outdoors, fixed in place and weatherproofed: projector, video source, ancillary sound system, and screen. At the other, you can lug everything out to set up only when needed. In between, you might install, say, an outdoor screen and speakers, and carry the rest of the gear out and back as needed.

For permanent setups, only the projector, the video source, and additional audio components need to be protected from the weather, and that can be easy if you have, say, an enclosed Florida room with a sliding door to the outside. With everything set up, you can just open the door to let the projector light up the screen. For anything short of permanent setup, room-to-room portables let you minimize how much you need to carry back and forth before and after every movie night. But note that you might want to store even outdoor screens inside for winter or before a storm.

If you’re looking at a true, permanent outdoor installation of all the bits, we’d leave that approach to a local pro A/V installer, who can consult on your property’s specific needs for optimization, and be sure all the proper power wiring and the like is implemented safely. We’ll concentrate here on the DIY approach, in which you set up and break down all or most of your setup as needed.

The Projected Image: How Big Should It Be?

Brightness requirements for a given projector are no different outdoors than indoors. It’s all about ambient light and the target image size (which we’ll get to shortly).

The ambient-light level outdoors after dark will likely be in the range between a dark room—if you’re way out in the country far from light pollution, and it’s a moonless night—and a family room at night with dim lighting. But don’t just assume that. Check your backyard at night, including on nights with a full moon, as well as when your closest neighbors have their backyard lights blazing. Then pick a projector that’s bright enough to stand up to the brightest light level you’ll use it under at the image size you want—an issue we discuss in our reviews.

You can watch a movie outdoors at night even on a pocket projector that puts out 100 lumens or less, but you’ll have to huddle around a small image to watch it. If you want a true movie-watching experience, you’ll want a minimum 80-inch screen size, and preferably larger.

For a comfortably watchable image at that size in dim lighting, you need a projector that puts out about 800 lumens—a level of brightness that rules out most small projectors, from pocket-size models to lightweight portable projectors.

Keep in mind, also, that the highest brightness most projectors can deliver comes at the cost of image quality. Put another way: The best-quality picture mode for any given projector is generally the dimmest. Whatever brightness you need has to be for the picture mode you want to use—which is often just 40% or 50% of the brightest choice.

The Screen: Just Use the Garage Door? (Spoiler: You Can, But Don’t)

You can use just about any more-or-less flat surface for a screen, including a hanging bedsheet, a garage door, or a stucco wall of your house. Seamless photography paper and even white foam board can be good inexpensive screen materials. But for the best image, you absolutely want a dedicated projector screen, and should take a look at our tips for how to choose the right screen for your projector.

It’s easy to find outdoor frames for permanent, seasonal, and temporary setups, but the screen material is the more important part. The key choices are the same as for an indoor screen, starting with a spec called gain, which can increase image brightness.

A 1.0-gain screen reflects light equally in all directions over a 180-degree viewing angle. A higher gain reflects the light over a smaller angle, making the image brighter within that angle and dimmer outside of it. It’s essentially the same situation as with older LCD screens that have a sweet spot for viewing dead-on in front of them, but that show degraded image quality outside of the “viewing cone.” For projector screens, a 1.2-gain would give you a peak 20% brighter image within the cone. The key thing is the angle, though: You’ll want to make sure nobody will be sitting so far to the side of the screen that they’ll be sitting outside the specified viewing angle.

If you’re screen-shopping, also look for the resolution the screen is designed for. Many are not meant for showing even 4K images, while some are designed for future-looking 8K output. Even if you’re using a mere 720p-resolution projector now, you might want a 4K-rated screen, so you can use the same screen over the lifetime of two or more projectors.

Finally, be sure the screen offers the right aspect ratio—typically, 16:9 for watching movies or TV shows. Common choices range from the almost square 4:3 ratio that used to be standard for TV to Cinemascope wide.

Throw Distance: What It Is, and Why It Matters

Throw distance is measured in feet or inches between the projector lens and your screen, and for any projector or projector lens, it falls into one of four categories.

As the name implies, a standard throw is the most common, needing roughly 10 feet to the screen for a 90-inch image (measured diagonally), give or take a couple of feet depending on the lens. A long throw lets you put the projector much farther away for the same size screen.

A short throw lets you position the projector closer than the range for standard throw, which is absolutely necessary in a tight space and actually helpful for any backyard-movie night. That may seem counterintuitive, but if everyone is sitting behind the projector, rather than between the projector and screen, no one can cast shadows when they stand up mid-movie to get another skewer of shrimp from the barbie.

Last, ultra short throws, or USTs, let you put the projector just inches away for the same image size. However, these are best avoided for outdoors, in part because they are finicky about being positioned “just so” relative to the screen, which adds to setup time. They also require a much flatter screen than longer throws, and a screen material with absolutely no tendency to move from a wind gust, since even a slight deviation from perfectly flat will distort the image.

The Sound: Do You Need an External Audio System or Speakers?

Most projectors you’re likely to consider for backyard movies today have a built-in speaker or speakers. But with the exception of room-to-room portables, which offer good audio systems by definition, and the growing category of laser UST projectors that are often advertised as laser TVs (and aren’t suitable for lugging to the backyard), you’ll want an external audio system in most cases, or at least external speakers. The reason: It’s difficult to deliver good-quality audio at high volume levels from the small spaces most projector chassis leave for the sound system.

Room-to-room portables offer cubic, extra-wide, or taller shapes than traditional projectors, and fill the space with low- and high-frequency speakers (technically, “drivers,” in audio terminology), which are often chamber speakers. They usually boast plenty of wattage to provide sufficient volume even for outdoor use. (Laser UST projectors are much wider than traditional projector designs, and many use the side facing the seating area for what amounts to a soundbar.)

Of course, regardless of how good the audio quality and volume are for the projector you pick, you might want even more robust audio. If so, consider getting outdoor speakers, and look for analog or digital audio-out ports or Bluetooth speaker support in the projector. Bluetooth can be especially handy if you already own a robust Bluetooth speaker set, but with a caveat we’ll get to in a moment. Many home theater projectors don’t offer even a pass-through audio port, however. They’re designed with the assumption that you’ll use a separate audio system connected directly to your video source.

As for Bluetooth speakers: Because of the vagaries of both video and audio processing, losing sync between the image on the screen and the sound from a Bluetooth speaker is a common issue. To avoid it, look for audio-delay adjustments for Bluetooth speakers in projectors and in external audio systems. Note also that most room-to-room portables, and many smaller portables, offer a Bluetooth speaker mode themselves, so you can use them with other audio sources.

One last thing: A booming audio system might be great within the confines of your own backyard, but consider your neighbors’ comfort when you set the volume. (Or make sure to skewer extra shrimp, pop extra popcorn, and invite them over.)

Projector Resolution: What Do You Need? (720p, 1080p, or 4K)

Any given projector offers a native resolution, which tells you the number of pixels it can put on the screen. More pixels means finer detail. For the projectors most appropriate for movies, you have three basic choices for native resolutions: 720p (1,280 by 720), also called HD; 1080p (1,920 by 1,080), also called Full HD; and 4K (3,840 by 2,160), also called UHD. In some cases the native resolution for the imaging chip may be slightly greater, as with 1,280 by 800, but when you’re viewing a movie, the actual number of pixels that will light up will be 1,280 by 720 or fewer, depending on the movie’s aspect ratio (the ratio of width to height). All three of the resolutions you care about have a 16:9 aspect ratio.

Choosing among these resolutions depends almost entirely on how big your budget is and much you care about seeing fine detail. Higher resolution costs more, shows more detail, and has a sharper look. However, resolution doesn’t affect color, contrast, or any other aspect of image quality. A lower resolution just gives the image a slightly soft-focus look in comparison. Note also that most 720p and 1080p projectors can accept higher-resolution input and downconvert the image to their native resolution, so they behave like a higher-resolution projector with a soft focus. However, you might want to check the highest-resolution input a projector supports before buying.

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More and more 1080p and 4K projectors also support HDR, which can do more to improve the visual impact for movies than higher resolution does. Unfortunately, the key phrase in that sentence is “can do more.” None of the projectors suitable for carrying outside for backyard movies at this writing delivers on HDR’s promise of improving image quality. In fact, most put a better-looking image on the screen with the 1080p SDR versions of movies than the 4K HDR versions. So while you can count on 4K projectors giving you more detail than 1080p projectors (assuming you’re using a large enough screen and watching from a close enough distance to see the difference), don’t count on HDR support translating to improved image quality. Check how well the projector actually handles HDR, which is something we cover in our reviews.

Your Projector’s Power Source: Battery, or AC?

You should plan on using AC power for all your equipment. Some small projectors (but few room-to-room portables) can run off of battery power, and some even claim to run for long enough to watch a movie. But they typically drop brightness significantly when using batteries, and most aren’t bright enough for a backyard movie night at a suitably large size even using AC power. Beyond that, simply as a matter of convenience, the more individual battery-powered devices you’re using, the more of a logistical chore it is to make sure each one is sufficiently charged before you start.

For safety’s sake, add a professionally installed outdoor outlet near the equipment location, so you don’t have to use a trip-me-up extension cord or a chain of cords and power strips. And make sure any outlet you plug into includes ground fault protection to guard against electrical hazards.

The Video Source: How Will You Send Movies to the Projector?

Unless you’re playing movies stored on a flash card or USB drive connected to a projector that can read the files, you’ll need to pipe in your video from somewhere. With most room-to-room portables, the simplest choice is usually to take advantage of the built in streaming or bundled streaming stick that virtually all models in the category offer, most often using either Android TV or Android OS. Don’t confuse these two options. Android TV offers lots of capable streaming apps. Most Android OS implementations offer fewer apps, and many of the apps they offer don’t work well.

Streaming over a Wi-Fi connection can be a handy way to take advantage of streaming services like Hulu or access files on your home network via an app like Plex. However, note that most projectors with Android TV either don’t offer a Netflix app at all or offer one that’s difficult to use. So if Netflix is your go-to streaming service, try to confirm whether there is a Netflix app, and, if so, how well it works, before you buy. If there’s no app, or only a flawed app, one good workaround is to connect your phone to your network via Wi-Fi, stream using a Netflix phone app, and set up your projector to mirror your phone’s screen.

For projectors that don’t have built-in streaming or a bundled streaming stick, it’s easy enough to add one. And if you’re not happy with the streaming options that came with the projector you otherwise want (or already have), it’s also easy to ignore the built-in or bundled choice and plug in a different dongle, whether that’s an Amazon Fire TV Stick, a Roku Streaming Stick+, or something else. (See our guide to selecting the best media streamer.)

Almost all current home projectors offer a USB port to provide power for an HDMI dongle, typically near an HDMI port and often with no other function. You might want to check for one when choosing a projector. If you wind up with a projector without one, a robust power bank connected to a USB power cable may do if a power cord can’t reach.

When you’re outdoors, connecting a larger discrete video source to the projector can be a challenge. Active optical HDMI cables and HDMI extenders can let you connect over hundreds of feet, but typical HDMI cables are limited to a maximum of 25 feet, at best, and even much shorter cables often have problems providing a reliable connection for 4K HDR content. You otherwise may need to haul a Blu-ray player or laptop outside to plug into the projector.

If the projector supports Wi-Fi, and the video source can connect to your network by either Wi-Fi or Ethernet, you can connect wirelessly, of course. But for any of the video sources mentioned here to connect by Wi-Fi, including the streaming sources, you may need to add a Wi-Fi extender to your network to get a strong enough signal out to your backyard, depending on the configuration of your home and the output strength and location of your router. Another alternative: Convert your home network to a mesh system to ensure more even, complete coverage. (See our primer Wi-Fi Range Extender vs. Mesh Network: What’s the Difference?)

Another possibility—which will work with any projector and video source with HDMI ports—is a wireless HDMI kit. These kits include a transmitter that plugs into the video source’s HDMI output and a receiver that plugs into the projector’s HDMI port, working in essence just like an HDMI cable, but without the cable.

Finally, as mentioned above, if you want to play content downloaded (legally, mind you) to a USB drive or flash-memory card, make sure to pick a projector with an appropriate card slot or USB port. One wrinkle to that: Verify that the projector not only supports playing movies from the memory card or key, but supports playing them at the target resolution you want to use. That’s not always a given.

So, Which Projector Should You Get?

In our summaries above and in the spec table below, we’ve chosen some of the best projectors on the market for specific outdoor-projection situations and usage cases. For more projector reviews and our latest coverage of the category, check out our projector-coverage summary page, as well as our top picks for home projectors.