Can't I just put a normal TV under a covered patio?

People do, and it usually lasts a season or two. An indoor television has a vented plastic housing designed to breathe conditioned indoor air. Outside, humidity condenses inside the panel, insects nest in the vents, UV yellows and embrittles the housing, and the brightness was never intended to compete with daylight. A purpose-built outdoor TV is a sealed metal chassis rated for water and dust ingress, with two to fifteen times the brightness. It is also worth checking whether your home and contents policy covers an indoor appliance installed outdoors.

How many nits do I actually need?

It depends entirely on whether direct sun reaches the screen. For a covered alfresco area, verandah or shaded courtyard, 1,000 nits is right and anything more is wasted money. For a position where sun lands on the screen at any point in the day — a north-facing pool deck, a rooftop terrace, an unshaded sports viewing area — you need 3,500 nits or more, and the honest answer is that nothing cheaper will work. A typical indoor television is 300–400 nits.

What do the IP ratings mean here?

The first digit is dust, the second is water. IP55 is dust protected and rated against low-pressure water jets; IP56 adds high-pressure jets; IP65 is fully dust tight. For an outdoor television under an eave, IP55 is sufficient. For a fully exposed position, coastal salt air or anywhere that gets hosed down, look for IP56 or better. All the screens we supply are rated for permanent outdoor mounting rather than "weather resistant".

At what size should I stop looking at TVs and start looking at LED?

Around 2.5 metres of picture width. Below that, an outdoor TV is dramatically better value — it is one sealed panel with a smart platform built in, a single power lead and a wall bracket. Above it, LED is the only sensible answer, and it brings integrated audio, cloud content control, IP69K weatherproofing and a 100,000-hour panel life. Our 110" screen and our 3m LED screen sit either side of that line.

Do you install, or just supply?

Both. Most residential screens ship and are installed by a local mount specialist or the client's own trades, and we supply the matched bracket and spec the position. For venues, holiday parks, clubs and commercial sites we scope and quote mount, power, data, audio and installation as one package. Anything over about 60kg — the 86" and the 110" — we recommend we handle.

Built-in speakers run from 2 × 10W on the Porch Pro to 60W with a subwoofer on the Cinema Pro. The Cinema Pro's audio genuinely covers a domestic terrace on its own. Beyond that, an IP65 outdoor soundbar over HDMI ARC keeps it to one remote, and for venue crowds or noisy sites we spec weatherproof CF-series speakers on amplification.

A weatherproof outdoor television mounted on a stand beside a swimming pool in bright daylight

Solutions

Outdoor TVs & Weatherproof Displays

Televisions engineered to be mounted outside and left there — IP-rated sealed metal bodies with Google TV built in, from 1,000-nit screens for shaded alfresco areas to 5,000-nit full-sun panels up to 110 inches.

A screen that is simply always there

Everything else we build is an event. A screen goes up, an audience arrives, the screen comes down. An outdoor television is the opposite proposition: it is mounted once and it is on whenever someone wants it — the Saturday game on the terrace, the kids’ movie by the pool, the racing in the members’ area, a film after dinner without anyone touching a projector.

That “always there” quality is the whole value, and it is also why the specification has to be right. A television mounted outdoors is exposed to weather twenty-four hours a day for years, and it is fighting daylight rather than working in a darkened room. Both problems have real engineering answers, and both are routinely fudged by products marketed as “outdoor TVs” that are simply indoor panels in a slightly tougher shell.

The two decisions that matter

Everything else is detail. Get these two right and the screen works for a decade.

1. Where does the sun land?

Brightness is measured in nits. Your living-room television is around 300–400. Ambient daylight is 10,000–25,000 lux, and it does not care how good the panel is — it will wash out anything that cannot fight back.

Illustration: an indoor living room at night with a TV on the wall — Brightness needed by position, bars drawn to the same 0–5,000 nit scale. For unshaded pool decks, rooftops and west-facing terraces, go straight to 5,000 nits — the Cinema Pro 86" or 110".

Illustration: a TV on the back wall of a covered patio, in shade beside a sunlit garden — Brightness needed by position, bars drawn to the same 0–5,000 nit scale. For unshaded pool decks, rooftops and west-facing terraces, go straight to 5,000 nits — the Cinema Pro 86" or 110".

The honest version: if the sun reaches the screen, a 1,000-nit television will disappoint you and no amount of contrast adjustment fixes it. If it never does, paying for 5,000 nits is money you could have spent on a bigger screen or better sound.

2. How exposed is the position?

Ingress protection ratings tell you what the chassis will survive. First digit dust, second digit water.

IP55 — dust protected, low-pressure water jets. Fine under an eave or overhang.
IP56 — dust protected, high-pressure water jets. Suits exposed positions, coastal salt air, and anywhere that gets hosed down.
IP65 — fully dust tight plus water jets. What we specify for outdoor audio.

None of these are “weather resistant” marketing terms — they are tested ratings, and a supplier who will not quote one is telling you something.

Indoor TV, TV in an enclosure, or a purpose-built outdoor TV?

These are the three ways people end up with a screen outside. The enclosure — a lockable box with a clear front window that an indoor TV sits inside — looks like the sensible middle ground, and it does solve theft. But it can’t make the panel any brighter, and a sealed box creates its own heat and condensation problems.

Indoor TVmounted outside

No: Bright enough for daylight300–400 nits
No: Tested water & dust ratingNo rating
No: Handles heatNot built for sun
No: Keeps condensation outVented housing
Partly: Clear view of the pictureGlossy glare
No: Theft protectionNone
Yes: Slim, tidy installSlim
No: Made for outdoor useOften outside warranty
Upfront costLowest

Indoor TVin an enclosure

No: Bright enough for daylightDimmer behind glass
Partly: Tested water & dust ratingDepends on the seals
No: Handles heatTraps heat
No: Keeps condensation outTraps moisture
No: Clear view of the pictureExtra pane of glass
Yes: Theft protectionLockable box
No: Slim, tidy installBulky box
No: Made for outdoor useStill an indoor TV
Upfront costLow to mid

Outdoor TVpurpose-builtRecommended

Yes: Bright enough for daylight1,000–5,000 nits
Yes: Tested water & dust ratingIP55 / IP56
Yes: Handles heat−30°C to 50°C
Yes: Keeps condensation outSealed chassis
Yes: Clear view of the pictureNothing in front
Yes: Theft protectionRear lock (Porch Pro)
Yes: Slim, tidy installUnder 9cm deep
Yes: Made for outdoor useBuilt for it
Upfront costHighest

If the screen is only ever used after dark under a deep roof, an enclosure can get you by. If it has to work in daylight, or survive years of Australian summers without attention, only the right-hand column does the job.

What we supply

The Sylvox range covers both ends of the brightness decision with the same sealed metal construction, Google TV on the panel and Australian plug and tuner support throughout:

Porch Pro (43”–75”) — 1,000 nits, IP56, 4K UHD, with a rear anti-theft lock that makes it specifiable for holiday parks, camp kitchens and club terraces.
Cinema Pro (65”–86”) — 3,500–5,000 nits of Helio QLED with local dimming, 120Hz, Dolby Vision and 60W of built-in audio. The full-sun answer, and fast enough for live sport.
Cinema Pro 110” — the largest outdoor television made, at 2.47m wide and 105kg. An engineered install, quoted per site.
Elf S2 outdoor soundbar — IP65, 120W peak, HDMI ARC so one remote runs both.

Where this fits against the rest of our range

We are not going to sell you a television when you need a cinema screen. The crossover is around 2.5 metres of picture width:

Under 2.5m of picture — an outdoor TV wins comfortably. One sealed panel, a smart platform built in, one power lead, a wall bracket. Nothing to set up, nothing to pack down.
Over 2.5m, permanent — outdoor LED. Brighter again at 7,000 nits, IP69K, integrated DSP audio and cloud content control, engineered and certified as infrastructure.
Over 2.5m, occasional — inflatable or fast-fold projection. Far more screen per dollar after dark, packed away between events.

Plenty of our clients end up with both: a permanent outdoor TV on the terrace for everyday use, and an inflatable screen in the shed for the two or three big nights a year.

Tell us about the position

Send us a photo of where the screen goes, which way it faces, and roughly where people will sit. We will tell you which line you need — including when the cheaper one is the right answer — and quote the screen, the matched mount, audio and installation together.

Built for outside from the start

What "outdoor" actually has to mean

Weatherproofing keeps a television alive outside. Brightness is what makes it watchable. A purpose-built outdoor TV has to do both, every day, without anyone packing it away.

Illustration: an indoor TV washed out in direct sun beside a bright, clear outdoor TV in the same position

The sun test an indoor TV can't pass

The same wall, the same match, the same afternoon sun (an illustration, not a photograph). On the left, a typical indoor television at 300–400 nits: the picture sinks into grey behind a sheen of reflected sky. On the right, an outdoor TV built for daylight holds contrast and colour in the same light. No picture setting closes that gap — only more light from the panel does.

Porch Pro — 1,000 nits for shaded and partly-sunny positions
Cinema Pro — 3,500–5,000 nits for direct sun on the screen
Roughly 3× to 15× the light of a typical indoor TV

Illustration: a slim outdoor television mounted on a covered patio wall, still showing a clear picture in heavy rain

Mounted in the weather, not hiding from it

A purpose-built outdoor TV is meant to stay on the wall through a southerly change, a tropical downpour or a hose-down at close. The chassis is sealed and rated as one unit, so there's no box to fit, no seals to maintain and nothing to cover before a storm (illustration).

Rated IP55 (Cinema Pro) and IP56 (Porch Pro) — dust and water jets
Rated for −30°C to 50°C on the Porch Pro
A fitted cover is included, but only for long shutdowns

Water droplets beading on the sealed edge of a Sylvox outdoor television chassis

Sealed, not vented

Indoor televisions breathe through vents because they're designed for conditioned indoor air. Outside, those vents let in humid air that condenses inside the panel overnight, along with dust, insects and salt. The Sylvox range uses a sealed metal chassis with water beading off the frame rather than running into it.

Sealed metal chassis — no vents for moisture or insects
Corrosion resistant for coastal and poolside positions
Under 9cm deep — sits tight to the wall on a fixed bracket

The Sylvox Elf S2 outdoor soundbar in heavy rain

The sound is rated for the weather too

A weatherproof screen with an indoor soundbar under it just moves the weak point. The Elf S2 outdoor soundbar is IP65 — fully dust tight and rated against water jets — and connects over HDMI ARC so the TV remote runs both.

IP65 outdoor soundbar, wall-mountable under the screen
120W peak, 2.0 channel, four EQ modes
HDMI ARC — one remote for TV and sound

Frequently asked questions

Can't I just put a normal TV under a covered patio?: People do, and it usually lasts a season or two. An indoor television has a vented plastic housing designed to breathe conditioned indoor air. Outside, humidity condenses inside the panel, insects nest in the vents, UV yellows and embrittles the housing, and the brightness was never intended to compete with daylight. A purpose-built outdoor TV is a sealed metal chassis rated for water and dust ingress, with two to fifteen times the brightness. It is also worth checking whether your home and contents policy covers an indoor appliance installed outdoors.
How many nits do I actually need?: It depends entirely on whether direct sun reaches the screen. For a covered alfresco area, verandah or shaded courtyard, 1,000 nits is right and anything more is wasted money. For a position where sun lands on the screen at any point in the day — a north-facing pool deck, a rooftop terrace, an unshaded sports viewing area — you need 3,500 nits or more, and the honest answer is that nothing cheaper will work. A typical indoor television is 300–400 nits.
What do the IP ratings mean here?: The first digit is dust, the second is water. IP55 is dust protected and rated against low-pressure water jets; IP56 adds high-pressure jets; IP65 is fully dust tight. For an outdoor television under an eave, IP55 is sufficient. For a fully exposed position, coastal salt air or anywhere that gets hosed down, look for IP56 or better. All the screens we supply are rated for permanent outdoor mounting rather than "weather resistant".
At what size should I stop looking at TVs and start looking at LED?: Around 2.5 metres of picture width. Below that, an outdoor TV is dramatically better value — it is one sealed panel with a smart platform built in, a single power lead and a wall bracket. Above it, LED is the only sensible answer, and it brings integrated audio, cloud content control, IP69K weatherproofing and a 100,000-hour panel life. Our 110" screen and our 3m LED screen sit either side of that line.
Do you install, or just supply?: Both. Most residential screens ship and are installed by a local mount specialist or the client's own trades, and we supply the matched bracket and spec the position. For venues, holiday parks, clubs and commercial sites we scope and quote mount, power, data, audio and installation as one package. Anything over about 60kg — the 86" and the 110" — we recommend we handle.
What about sound?: Built-in speakers run from 2 × 10W on the Porch Pro to 60W with a subwoofer on the Cinema Pro. The Cinema Pro's audio genuinely covers a domestic terrace on its own. Beyond that, an IP65 outdoor soundbar over HDMI ARC keeps it to one remote, and for venue crowds or noisy sites we spec weatherproof CF-series speakers on amplification.