When looking for a quality outdoor movie screen, I turned to the company who knows more about inflatable products than anyone. Gemmy and its subsidiary companies are synonymous with outdoor inflatable products and since 1983 have been offering every form of inflatable product you can imagine.
In my case, I have been searching for a good quality outdoor screen for quite some time and had some specific features I wanted in an outdoor movie screen. My wish list was simple. I wanted a big screen that was cost effective and easy to set up.
My searches led me through literally thousands of Amazon listings. There are screens that hang on a wall such as this one by Hopfrog and others that come with tripods, or metal stands. The problem with these is they either require a wall to hang from, or the flimsy tripods essentially turn your entire screen into a sail that is easily picked up by the slightest wind.
Another problem I had with a lot of the inflatable screens I found on Amazon is that they usually sat relatively low on the ground like this one from Gooch. Larger industrial screens like the giant ones you see at corporate events or professional sports definitely sit up nice and high but also cost tens of thousands of dollars, so something in that realm was entirely out of the budget. Thankfully, Gemmy solved all of this with the Airblown Widescreen Deluxe. Retailing at only $87.99USD, the Airblown Widescreen Deluxe ticked all of my boxes.
The Airblown Widescreen Deluxe comes in its own carrying bag complete with tethers, stakes, a beautiful screen and built in air blowers for inflating. Inflating the screen only takes seconds, and setting up the screen is very simple. I just opened up the inflatable frame and laid it out on the ground and attached the screen with the plastic buckles. Once everything is snapped together, I plugged in the air blower and the screen quickly inflated. Once fully inflated, I secured the tethers to the loops near the top of the frame with the included ropes and set the screen upright and secured the stakes in the ground to stabilize it from the wind. The inflatable frame is made from thick air blown nylon fabric that Gemmy has upgraded over previous models and I can easily tell it’s much more robust than most inflatable fabrics.
What I love about the Airblown Widescreen Deluxe is how high the screen sits off the ground. At 6 feet tall, I can’t actually see over the bottom frame (without the screen attached) which makes it perfect for viewing in lawn chairs, blankets or even a vehicle. The screen itself measures 12’ high by 11.5’ wide with an aspect ratio of 16:9 and corner to corner measures 16.75”. Is it the largest screen on the market? No, but I was absolutely thrilled with its size and for small to medium sized backyard or church parking lot activities, it fits the bill perfectly.
The quality and brightness of your image on the screen is going to depend on factors like the brightness of your projector (lumens), how far back the projector is sitting from the screen and how dark it is outside. Check your projector’s specs for optimal distance from screen to projector and projected image size. Projector manufacturer BenQ recommends a minimum of 500 lumens for night time viewing. I found that the screen performed well once the sun went down and the white reflective surface of the screen made my movies look great.
Deflating the screen and packing it up takes a little longer than setup, so make sure you account for this when packing everything up. I clocked our teardown at about 15-20 mins. Once the blowers are unplugged, the screen will slowly start to deflate, this will take a few minutes and it’s best to let it come down on its own. Once it’s on the ground, you can begin to roll it and fold it up in sections to fit it back in the carrying bag. This is where having a partner to help with folding can really make things go a lot quicker.
There’s honestly little not to like about the Airblown Widescreen Deluxe, if I’m going to be nitpicky and point out any potential issues, it would be the blowers. Their plastic seems thin and since they are built in, may not be replaceable. But, for the price of the entire screen, it’s not a dealbreaker.
With a great price point, good quality and good customer service, Gemmy has an absolute winner with the Airblown Widescreen Deluxe. Now get out there and enjoy some family movie nights under the stars!
Note: Our reviews are always 100% independent but Gearadical receives a small affiliate amount if you purchase the product on Amazon.
