Summer is upon us, which means many of us, myself included, have started the yearly ritual of garden maintenance. Weeding, battling that one belligerent fox who keeps scatting (not in the jazz sense) on the patio, and, of course, getting the outdoor cinema set up.
In my case, that involves pulling out one of our portable projectors, plus the Anker SOLIX C300X power bank and 70-inch, portable Xgimi screen that’s become an essential item in my camping pack, out of our eaves storage and getting them set up outside, under our parasol.
What can I say, my wife and I enjoy the occasional movie night under the stars when it's warm enough. And this year it’s particularly pressing as I’ve been informed that we’ve been volunteered by friends to host some watch parties during the World Cup. I don't even like kicky ball...
Editor’s note: Haloumi and slices of Fiorentina are infinitely superior to nachos and popcorn as film-binging snacks. Trust me, I’ve done the research. Just make sure to invest in a floating party tray if you plan to enjoy them in a hot tub. I’ve also done that research and can personally attest that pizza and bubbling, chlorinated hot water are not a good combination, especially if you’re the one who has to clean the tub.
But, if you want to truly enjoy the experience and, like me, are limited to a portable, battery-powered unit, I have one key tip: invest in a Bluetooth receiver with simultaneous dual-link support and a couple of pairs of decent wireless headphones (or earbuds).
Why do that when most portable projectors already have Bluetooth and a sound system built in? The answer's surprisingly simple: consideration for the people around me.
I’m a night owl, and my wife is a superhuman who just doesn’t need sleep. So we tend to enjoy sitting watching films in the garden, or when out camping, into the wee hours of the night. We also, as evidenced by my recent ode to Hokum, enjoy horror movies.
Which is great, but when you live in a Victorian terraced house in zone three London and have neighbours with young kids, having a speaker blasting out Friday The 13th at full volume at 11pm isn’t a smart move – especially if you’ve already accidentally scarred said kids during your last BBQ when a “friend” decided Gwar was a good choice of background music. Never let Gerald Lynch, from our sister site, Shortlist, near your Bluetooth speaker…
So, having the option to continue enjoying our films, without keeping the entire neighbourhood up, just by switching to our headphones or earbuds when it gets late, is a game-changer.
The same is true when camping. Even if there aren’t people right next to you, the slightest noise pollution can carry a surprisingly long way in the great outdoors, so it’s only fair to try and keep things reasonably contained once it gets late. Though even with headphones, I’d still avoid watching Evil Dead while actually camping in the woods. I’ve still not gotten over that experience after my wife caught me off-guard with an improvised real-world jump scare a few years ago.
I’ve not used enough receivers to say which is definitely best. But I’m currently rocking an AirFly Pro 2, which works a treat, for these purposes. Connect it to your beamer via the 3.5mm aux input, and it’ll connect two pairs of wireless cans with zero fuss, then offering aptX HD Adaptive streaming.
Sure, the audio’s not perfect, but considering what we watch while outdoors, it’s good enough and delivers the main thing I care about with an outdoor cinema – a fun night under the stars.
I can’t ask for more than that, really.
MORE:
These are the best portable projectors we’ve tested
We rank the best projectors money can buy
Our picks of the best wireless headphones
