Heading down the garden path

Why stay inside on a glorious summer’s evening? A portable projector allows you to watch films and sport in the great outdoors

What makes a projector portable? It's a fairly loose term and all but the heaviest native 4K projectors are easy enough to move from place to place without planning your route and performing a warm-up.

Most agree that a portable projector should be able to stand alone as an all-in-one entertainment solution; that means sound and source material built-in. Many budget home cinema projectors come with a 2W sound system, but those tinny speakers won’t exactly replicate the cinema experience.

Instead, all four of the portables here have a stereo set-up and smart platforms packed with most of the major audio and video streaming apps and services you’ll need to keep yourself watching films and TV for hours on end. Should you wish to watch further afield than your wi-fi network, all feature USB ports for media file playback and some have internal storage too, for you to load up your chosen collection of movies and music.

For that pinnacle of portability – let's call them ‘true portables’ – a built-in rechargeable battery offers the ultimate freedom. Charge it up, chuck in your bag and you have a mobile movie night wherever you are. Our selection of four projectors contains two ‘true portables’ and two that require mains power; but, before ruling any out, it’s worth remembering that these batteries last long enough only for one feature film, and that garden extension cables go a long way.

While features may rightly lead your decision making, we encourage you to focus on performance too. All four can handle a 4K video input. Two max out at 1080p resolution with HDR abilities, but arguably the key specification to bear in mind is luminance.

If you’re dreaming of a summer of sport in the garden, the home nations on the big screen and the sausages sizzling on the BBQ, then spending extra on a model that's capable of going brighter seems sensible. You can always save money by asking your guests to BYOB.