There’s now a Roku TV that can live outdoors. It's called the Patio Series TV by Element Electronics, a budget TV maker based in the US, and it starts at $1,299 for a 55-inch screen. (The mounting brackets aren’t included, however, so be sure to budget a little extra for those.)
While that price seems a bit lofty for a 4K HDR TV, it’s actually not so bad considering that the recently released SunBriteTV Veranda 3 begins at $2,898 for a 55-inch screen and rockets all the way up to $5,000 for the 75-inch model.
According to Element, the Patio Series TV sports a peak brightness of 700 nits and its anti-glare glass should make it easy to see all the action on the screen. For rainy days, the TV sports IP55 weather protection that makes it water, dust and humidity-resistant.
The glass has also been tempered, making it less resistant to cracking should an object come into contact with the screen. You probably shouldn’t use it as a backstop for a baseball game, but you won’t have to worry about the occasional hail storm.
The other nice feature here is the inclusion of Roku TV. Not only does Roku’s platform have most of the best streaming services, so you can access the new shows and movies to watch this weekend, but its built-in search feature is surprisingly good at finding films with specific actors, actresses and directors, should you ever decide you want to go on a Chris Evans movie bingeing spree.
Whether the Element will have the chops to beat out other outdoor televisions like Samsung’s high-end The Terrace or some of the best Roku TVs from TCL and Hisense remains to be seen, but thanks to its lower price, it’s currently the cheapest ticket to creating your own private outdoor theater.
So how soon will you be able to snag one? Good news there: the Patio Series TV goes on sale today (May 19) and is already up for sale on Walmart's website.
Be sure to check out our best TVs page for our top picks for every budget. And if you want a super huge screen, LG just announced a new laser projector that beams a 120-inch image.
In bad streaming news, Sling TV's buffering problem made for a choppy night of NBA playoffs and other streams — but there appears to be good news.
