Want to Watch the World Cup Outdoors – Outdoor TV Viewing Tips

With less than a month to go to the 2010 FIFA World Cup there are many businesses, bars and restaurants planning to install outdoor TVs in preparation for the tournament.

And it’s no wonder too, with record TV viewing figures expected it could be a real boon for owners of bars, pubs and restaurants especially if they install and outdoor TV to allow their patrons to enjoy the football along with the good weather.

However, installing an outdoor TV is fraught with difficulties and unforeseen challenges, many of which can be unthought-of until it is too late.

Protecting an Outdoor TV From the weather

Ensuring a screen is suitable to operate outdoors means that it needs to be waterproof. Waterproof TVs are available at a price but a more cost effective method of ensuring an LCD screen can operate outside is to place it in a weatherproof LCD enclosure.

These enclosures house standard and commercial displays preventing the need for expensive and waterproof TV systems. Waterproof speakers are also a good idea and these can be plugged directly into the TV via the LCD enclosure.

Outdoor TVs are proving popular for the World Cup

Outdoor TV – Sun Readability

A common problem with taking TVs into direct sunlight is the affect on readability. I’m sure most people have experienced the annoyance of sun glare at some point on a hot afternoon but the problem is many times worse outdoors.

Anti-reflective glass is one solution although this can dim the image other methods such as transflective screens work brilliantly but are extremely expensive. A simple and cost effective solution is to just place a canopy of the TV thus preventing sun glare and the need for a highly expensive sun readable high brightness TV.

Other Protection

Football fans can certainly get boisterous during the excitement and disappointment of a big game so it is wise to ensure the screen is capable of withstanding the odd beer glass or other rowdy behaviour.

Again, this is where steel LCD enclosures come into their own as they are often fitted with shatterproof screens and provide a real rugged solution for outdoor TV viewing.