When you’re starting a home improvement project like investing in a new outdoor audio video system, it’s easy to make mistakes. However, many of those mistakes are easily avoidable with a little know-how! Below, we cover the three most common mistakes we see in homes throughout the Fort Worth, Texas area as well as offer some helpful advice on how to avoid these AV mishaps.

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Not Choosing Products Designed for Outside Use

If you’re placing a television or sound system outside, it’s vital that you only use models designed for the outdoors. A standard AV product won’t last long in Texas’ intense heat or occasional rainy weather. It’d be a shame to invest in outdoor audio video only to have to replace the equipment in a month because of the wear and tear of the elements. Certain TV manufacturers like Séura have quality models specifically geared toward outdoor use.

Weather-resistance aside, it’s also important to choose outdoor models because the equipment is designed to accommodate the increased brightness and open acoustics of outdoor areas. So while a regular TV will have a bad sun glare on the screen, an outdoor TV will maintain crisp visuals even on the brightest day.

Not Choosing Equipment to Fit the Space

A mistake we see quite often is when homeowners purchase a TV or sound system, bring it home, and realize it’s not the right fit for the area. Perhaps the TV is too small to accommodate the space or it’s designed for a brighter area than where you want to put it. The sound system might not have enough speakers to fill the area with sound, or it may have more speakers than are necessary for full sound coverage. In short, there are many different models of outdoor audio video equipment, so to make sure you get the best one for your needs, choosing equipment needs to happen after an assessment of the space, not before.

Not Connecting Your Indoor and Outdoor AV Systems

Imagine this scenario: You’re relaxing by the pool, watching a movie on your 4K outdoor television, when Texas’ fickle weather decides it’s time for a sudden rainstorm. With a standard AV setup, you would have to turn off the TV outside, grab the Blu-ray, go to your indoor entertainment system, put in the disc, and then navigate to the same scene to try to pick up where you left off. Even with streaming services, you’d have to spend some time finding the same service and movie on the second TV.

The better approach is to include AV distribution during your outdoor entertainment setup. This technology connects all of the audio video devices throughout your home into one easy-to-use system. From your smartphone or tablet, you can easily change which source the movie is playing on. That way, when the weather doesn’t cooperate, you can just swap the movie to a different room. Walk to the other area, and your entertainment will pick up at exactly the same spot!

That’s just one example; AV distribution has other benefits such as enabling you to enjoy the same media in multiple areas of the home, reduce the amount of equipment you need, and keep your interior design clutter-free.

If you want to make sure your outdoor entertainment setup is done the right way, the best approach is to bring in a skilled and experienced AV installer. To learn more about our outdoor entertainment offerings, please call (972) 488-5100 or fill out this quick questionnaire!