If you have ever thought of getting an outdoor television, you likely thought of a traditional flat screen television that is installed on your lanai or deck. While this is certainly possible if you have a professional mount your television and purchase a weather proof TV mount, there is also something called an “outdoor television.”
Outdoor Television – What Is An Outdoor Television Anyway?
You may or may not have seen advertisements for outdoor TVs, if you haven’t, don’t worry because we’re going to explain this gadget and how it can help you!
An outdoor television is somewhat self explanatory – obviously, it’s a television that is safe to setup outside, but what qualities make a TV specific for outdoor use?
Weather Resistance
One of the most important qualities of an outdoor TV is the ability to stand up to the weather! No, you never want to set your outdoor TV outside in an unsheltered environment, but even on your lanai, that television gets exposed to the elements. So, an outdoor television should always be built with wind, dirt, dust, rain, snow, sunlight, heat, and humidity in mind.
An example of this type of specialty outdoor television is the MirageVision TV.
Brightness
An outdoor screen always needs to have a crisp and bright picture to ensure that it can be seen by everyone in the immediate viewing vicinity. The average in-home television doesn’t have this problem because it is shaded by the house structure and – when light shines through the windows onto your screen – you can just close the blinds.
When you install your TV outdoors, however, you are limited in how much you can shade the screen from sunlight. One of the most important things that you can do to limit sun glare on your TV screen is to have a professional television installer do the installation for you. Using their knowledge of the installation process and their experience, a good installation technician can help you to place your outdoor TV such that it is out of direct sunlight glare.
Even with your outdoor TV in a good shaded spot, there are likely to be a few hours a day where your tv gets a glare from the sun. Outdoor TV companies battle this glare by having high brightness settings that make the picture more easily viewable.
An Incredible Warranty
You may decide to get a warranty on everything that you purchase and that’s perfectly fine, but when you are shopping for an outdoor TV you HAVE to choose a television that has an incredible warranty.
Hopefully, you select an outdoor television that is top quality and isn’t going to need a warranty, but even so, always choose an outdoor TV that comes with a great warranty option just in case! Most specialty outdoor television companies offer a solid warranty, but be sure to check!
How do you know if you are getting a good warranty? Do a little research online! Find out what purchasers are saying and how well their claims have been received.
Liability and Warranty Issues
Something else that’s important to consider when purchasing a TV for outdoor use is liability concerns.
If you purchase a regular television and install it outdoors, that television is not rated for outdoor use. So, if your television has problems that result from being installed outdoors, the manufacturer or warranty company is very likely to deny your claim. Even if you don’t specify that your TV has been outdoors, signs of wear and the issue that caused your TV to malfunction in the first place can tell a lot about where your TV has been installed.
So, that regular TV that you installed outdoors is not going to be replaced under warranty. You have lost your television and you have no recourse to replace your TV.
Now, purchasing a television made specifically for outdoor use is not going to cause this type of issue because you have purchased a television manufactured specifically for outdoor use. So, if something does go wrong – assuming that you have a good warranty – you can get your television repaired or replaced without much hassle at all!
Need Outdoor TV Installation Help?
If you live in or around south west Florida and need assistance with installing an outdoor television, Gulf Coast Installations can help! Just give us a call at (727)-710-5224 if you live around Tampa or
(239)-682-1077 if you live around Fort Myers or Naples! We’ll get you set up with an appointment time that’s convenient for you and get that new TV setup done in no time at all!
