CE Pro March 2024 - 40

OUTDOOR TECHNOLOGY
Springing into Outdoor AV: 5 Tips for Success
The last dregs of winter are thawing, and clients are ready to
invest in outdoor upgrades for spring and summer. As you
prepare for upcoming outdoor projects, here are five design
considerations to keep in mind.
1. Set Up Sound for Party Mode
In an outdoor space, people are more likely to be chatting and
moving around more than in a home theater or media room.
That gives you a set of design goals more like a bar or restaurant
than a typical residential media system.
Instead of aiming for rich, immersive surround sound, select
and position speakers to give you even, uniform coverage.
The ideal approach is a 70V system that adheres to the AVIXA
Audio Coverage Uniformity standard. If you achieve standard
compliance, the entire listening area will sound the same.
variable impedance. Outdoor applications need a hybrid
amp with at least one variable impedance and one constant
voltage output.
A 500-watts-per-channel solution is generally sufficient
for a backyard system. The amp should be built tough,
though, with protection circuits to prevent damage from
electrical issues. With the right amplifier and a well-placed
outdoor subwoofer, your client's outdoor space will be
ready to rumble.
4. Display: Here Comes the Sun
Standard equipment won't work for outdoor systems. For
starters, any outdoor electronics must be IP-rated for water
and dust resistance. That's not the only factor, though: outdoor
displays also need to be dramatically brighter than their
indoor counterparts.
A high nit count will
help, but too much backlight
can degrade contrast.
Compensate with strategic
positioning. Whenever
possible, face the display
northward. Mounting the
display in a shaded or partially
sheltered position will
also improve both viewing
experience and equipment
longevity.
Audio systems can provide uniform
coverage throughout a backyard if
properly spec'd and applied.
2. Audio Coverage: Trust but Verify
Outdoor systems have very challenging acoustics. Water features
and sliding glass doors reflect sound with no dispersion.
Earth and landscaping features, by contrast, absorb sound
waves like a sponge. Any open, highly absorptive environment
requires a lot of SPL output for intelligibility.
Commissioning is key. Test your design predictions against
real-world performance and adjust to achieve the uniformity
you're looking for. An amplifier with a built-in DSP will give you
the flexibility to tune the system to the environment without
extra equipment or costly and time-consuming change orders.
3. Bring the Bass
An outdoor subwoofer can add dimension to your outdoor
soundscape. However, most outdoor subwoofers are
40 | CE Pro March 2024
5. Unified, Flexible
Control Is Key
Most AV sources aren't
rated for outdoor use. You
can mitigate this by housing sources in a weather-protected
space, installing specialty outdoor receivers, or running
cabling from indoor sources.
As a result, unified third-party control is essential. I generally
recommend including mobile control because remotes
and other control devices must be protected from the
elements. A mobile device is a convenient control interface
users can keep in their pockets.
Above all, the outdoor AV system should be designed to
facilitate kicking back and enjoying one another's company.
With rugged, thoughtfully positioned gear and flexible control,
you can create an outdoor oasis your clients will show
off at every opportunity.
-Brandon White, Director of New Product Development,
Vanco CE Pro
cepro.com
COURTESY OF VANCO
http://www.cepro.com
CE Pro March 2024

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