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It's almost become an annual tradition for us to do a feature on backyard HDTV for summertime. This time of year there isn't much to watch on TV, so we have concentrated mostly on movie setups. We'll expand the scope a little this year, and hopefully provide a little something for everyone.

Summer HDTV Fun, Outside

Video

The Screen
We're going to stick with the recommendation of an inflatable screen for the patio cinema. At just over $200 for 144 inches of screen real estate, it's tough to find a better alternative. For those on a budget, you can always hang a sheet from your balcony, or try to rig something else together, but an inflatable is a sound investment if you plan to do it more than once or twice.

The Projector
Options abound when it comes to projectors. If you simply plan to watch movies, the Epson MovieMate 55 (480p 3LCD Home Theater Projector with Built In DVD Player) is perfect. It has built-in speakers so you just plug it in and away you go. 480p is perfect for DVDs, so there's no sense overpaying for 1080p. It's going for about $750. Not bad for a one-stop solution.

The Source
If you buy the Moviemate 55 or something like it, you've got your source built right in. But if you want to watch a baseball game in HDTV or a Blu-ray movie, you may need to get more creative. One option is a super long HDMI cable, right now 100 feet costs about $100. High quality, but maybe not the most convenient option in the world. The Brite-View BV-2500 Wireless HD Video Transmitter and Receiver Kits allow you to send your HD signal through the air. The only problem? It will only go 20 feet with line of site and 10 feet without. and at $400, maybe that long HDMI cable is worth the extra hassle.

Audio

Speakers
Audio outside is a lot of fun, even if you aren't using it for watching movies. Background music for your backyard barbecue is great. Strategically placed speakers could even double as a 5.1 surround system for your patio cinema. You could opt for Audio Unlimited 900MHz Wireless Rock Speaker System, the perfect blend of form and function for right around $80 each. Set them up around the yard and you have instant surround sound and another distributed audio zone.

If you want to get fancy, the LiteSounds LS2400K Landscape Lights with Speakers will get you both mood lighting and mood music. The $300 system gets you everything you need to install and run the lights and speakers. Of the 6, 4 are lights and 2 are lights with speakers. To get 5.1 surround with this setup, you'll need to shell out quite a bit of cash.

Processor
The only way backyard surround really makes sense is if you've gone the long HDMI cable route or the wireless transmitter route. Otherwise you need to drag a receiver outside with the projector. If all the gear is safely store inside, simply plug the wireless transmitters for your speakers into the receiver (you may want a speaker switch for this) and you're ready to rock. Connect something like a Squeezebox or AirPort Express with Air Tunes to the receiver, and you've got tunes in the yard all day and night. Your neighbors will love this.