driving yard

Canada’s impressive qualifying team at the start of the summer prompted a number of fans to prepare themselves in order to follow the team’s progress under the stars. Far from being an exception, facilities for watching sports competitions, movies or TV series from your own backyard are increasingly common.

Daniel Bono
Journalism

Benoit Granata discovered the pleasure of watching movies with his family a long time ago on his balcony. Five years ago, when he was building a pergola in his spacious backyard in Montreal, he planned where to put a hand-retractable canvas and projector. All that was missing was the popcorn.

“When the weather is nice, we spend most of the time outside,” he explains. We watched hockey a lot, but we could watch anything, even play video games, as long as the sun was setting. We make use of it at least twice a week, until 11pm. We don’t want to disturb the neighbors. ”

Benoit Granata, a member of the Geek Squad band at Best Buy Canada, is well versed in constantly evolving technology. 15 years ago, while working for the former brand Future Shop, he took the opportunity to purchase a projector at a discount. “We installed it in our room, where there is no TV,” explains the father of two teens, aged 13 and 14. It was easy to project a picture on a white wall. We really liked the effect it made. ”

Outdoor specials multiply thanks to a favorable combination of circumstances, notes Thierry Lopez, director of marketing and corporate affairs, Quebec, at Best Buy Canada.

“In May and June, we were very hot,” he recalls. Second, there was dismantling, meaning we were allowed to have people in our backyard. Third, the Canadian started to win. We’ve always seen seasonality in the sale of TVs by sport. In early summer, people turned to devices designed for outdoor use. ”

live the ease

This phenomenon is not new, notes Felipe Gomez, consultant at Fillion Électronique. But the prices have come down and sitting on your balcony to watch TV is much easier than before. “Both Bell and Videotron have wireless terminals,” he says. It is no longer necessary to provide an external port with a cable connection. Now we can just take the station outside as in the Bell ad. Many wealthy clients have a permanent location abroad. Middle-income clients pull out a TV they already have and place it on a small table. ”

Samsung Electronics, looking to have an enviable spot anywhere in the home, launched in 2020 a range of outdoor smart TVs called La Terrasse, which are weatherproof and offer superb bright picture quality. 55-inch, 65-inch, and 75-inch models with 4K Ultra HD QLED display technology cost $5,000, $7,000, and $9,000, respectively.

And Filipe Gomes notes that customers who choose such a device are the exception.

He recommends smart models, like those offered by Epson for around $1,000, that, once connected to WiFi, allow direct access to streaming platforms like Netflix. They have the added advantage of built in speakers, but they can also be paired with portable Bluetooth speakers. Instead of buying handmade or machine canvases, many customers project the images onto a surface or a pale sheet of paper, notes Mr. Gomez.

“Technology is increasingly diverse, affordable and responds to the unique needs of each person,” says Thierry Lopez of Best Buy Canada. We are no longer in the same display mode for everyone. Each person will have a different installation because it has different uses and needs. All this can be done because the products are less, less expensive, more efficient and small.

He says, “Take the lights.” Epson is a recognized brand for quality. But what we’re seeing on the rise are compact projectors, like those on the Asus and Aaxa brands, priced at around $400. What is interesting is portability. Young people watch Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney + and even games on their phones. With the adapter, it is easy to put what you want to see on the projector and watch it. You can also connect a Bluetooth speaker for better sound. ”

Peace of mind for neighbors

This phenomenon raises an issue related to the calmness of the neighbors. Several municipalities draw up guidelines on the level of noise allowed inside and outside homes. In Saint-Lambert, for example, the maximum is 50 decibels, which is the equivalent of a human voice.

For its part, the City of Chateauway specifies on its website that “it is prohibited to make any noise likely to disturb the peace, quiet and well-being of one or more persons in the neighbourhood. Thus, municipal regulations state that noise, generated by any medium (stereo, television, loudspeaker) , a musical instrument) which is perceived at the property line or outside the home from which it originated, must not exceed 60 dB (the equivalent of a normal conversational intensity) during the day, between 7 a.m. and 11 p.m., and 55 dB at night between 11 p.m. and 7 p.m. A.m ”

In order to maintain good relations between the neighbours, the purchase of headphones or wireless headphones can also be considered …