Outdoor and beer garden screens: what to know before you buy
· 5 min read
An outdoor screen needs to cope with rain, cold, heat and direct sun, which an ordinary indoor TV isn't built for. Before you buy one for a beer garden or the front of a venue, work out how it'll be protected from the weather, whether it'll be bright enough to read in daylight, how power and the internet get to it safely, and whether anyone needs to give permission. Get those right and the content side is the easy bit.
Indoor TVs and the weather
Under a canopy or a smoking shelter, a TV looks safe enough, but damp air, condensation on cold mornings, rain blowing in sideways and a frost in January all reach a screen that's only roofed over, and indoor TVs aren't sealed against any of it. Heat is a problem too: a dark screen in summer sun gets hot, and an indoor set has no way of cooling itself down.
There are broadly two proper ways to do it. One is a display made for outdoor use, sealed and with its own heating and cooling. The other is a weatherproof enclosure, a sealed, ventilated cabinet that an indoor display sits inside. Either way, look for an IP rating. It's the two-digit code for how well something is sealed against dust and water, and the higher the numbers, the better it's protected. The supplier can tell you what rating suits a fully exposed wall compared with a covered terrace.
Brightness in daylight
A living room TV is made for a living room, and in daylight it looks faint and grey. Outdoor displays are built to be several times brighter, and brightness (measured in nits) is the spec to compare. Even then, a screen in direct sun is harder to read than one in shade, so think about where the sun is at the times the garden's busy. A wall that's shaded on summer afternoons may suit better than the obvious one facing the tables.
Too bright is a problem as well. A screen bright enough for midday can be glaring at ten at night, and neighbours may notice it before you do. On hardware that supports it, Casty can control screen power and brightness from the CMS, and screens can be switched off on a schedule at closing. Ask us which of these your display supports before you buy.
Power and safety
Get a qualified electrician to run power outside. Outdoor sockets and connections need to be rated for outdoor use and properly protected, and a trailing extension lead from the bar is how accidents happen. The electrician can also put the player's power somewhere dry, which matters if the player is a separate box.
On that point, a display with the player built in makes life easier outside, because there's one power lead and no separate box to keep dry. Casty runs built in on Samsung and LG commercial displays and on Sony Bravia, Philips and Hisense professional displays. Commercial displays have their own requirements, such as firmware versions, so check the model with us before you buy. The devices page has the full list.
Getting the internet there
Wi-Fi that works fine at the bar can be patchy at the bottom of the garden, especially through a thick old wall. A network cable is more reliable if you can get one there, and the electrician running power may be able to run it at the same time. Wi-Fi or wired goes through the options.
A dropped connection won't blank the screen. Casty players download content ahead of time and play from their own storage, so the garden screen keeps going and catches up when the connection comes back. Anything that needs a live connection, such as a web page or a live stream, won't show while it's down. More on that in what happens when the internet drops.
Security and mounting
An outdoor screen is easier to get at than one behind the bar. Mount it high enough to be out of reach, on a bracket that locks, and if you're using an enclosure, choose one that locks too. Think about people leaning on things late on a Saturday, or a ball from a kids' game, and put it where neither reaches.
Sound and neighbours
If the screen will carry the sound of a match, check your premises licence before you put speakers outside. Licences can carry conditions about noise from outdoor areas, and your neighbours are the people who'll complain if you get it wrong. Running the garden screen with the sound off avoids the question, and it suits promotions anyway.
Planning permission
If an outdoor screen can be seen from the street or a road, it may count as an advertisement under planning rules, and some need consent from the council. Listed buildings and conservation areas can have extra controls. Check with your council's planning team before you fix anything to the outside of the building. For England, the government's guide to outdoor advertisements and signs explains how the rules work.
What to show outside
Content for an outdoor screen needs to be bolder than indoors: bigger text and stronger contrast, because people are further away and the light is harsher. Dark backgrounds with light text tend to read well in the evening; test both in daylight. Designing for screens covers sizes and contrast.
The garden has its own rhythm, too. Food and drink offers suit summer afternoons, and the fixtures board belongs out there when there's a game on. If you'd like the weather forecast on the screen, ask us about the weather widget. And in winter, if nobody's out there, switch the garden screen off for the season, or give it a single layout with your opening times.
Questions people ask
Can I put a normal TV outside under a canopy?
It'll work for a while, but indoor TVs aren't sealed against damp and condensation, and they aren't bright enough to read in daylight. For anything more than a one-off summer event, use an outdoor display or a weatherproof enclosure.
Does a beer garden screen need a wired connection?
Not always, but it helps. If the Wi-Fi reaches the garden reliably, a wireless player works. If it drops in and out, a network cable is the fix. Players keep playing their stored content either way.
Should I take the screen in for the winter?
If it's an outdoor display or in a proper enclosure, it's built to stay out, though it's worth checking the operating temperature range in the spec if your garden gets hard frosts. What changes in winter is what you show, so switch it off or give it something simple while the garden's quiet.
Can the garden screen show different content from inside?
Yes. Each screen has its own schedule, so the garden can run summer drinks offers while the bar shows the menu. Put it in a display group with the other screens when you want them all to match, such as on a match day.