Home Theater Review’s John Higgins shares insights on outdoor TV options and Séura’s latest model: Shade Series 2
The following is an excerpt from the article published on hometheaterreview.com. Click here to read the entire review.
If you search the Internet for “Best Outdoor TVs” listicles, there are some otherwise-reputable sites whose lists are partially (or completely) filled with regular indoor TVs. This is a terrible idea. Your run-of-the-mill indoor TV is not designed to withstand even minimal exposure to weather or outdoor conditions — be it the heat of direct sunlight, the chill of a winter wind, or even the condensation that can happen as early-morning temperatures approach the dewpoint. And if you do put your indoor TV outside, there’s a good chance you just voided the warranty, so good luck getting it fixed or replaced.
In addition to protection from dust and rain, any TV installed outdoors needs to be able to withstand much wider temperature extremes that you would hopefully ever experience inside. This is where those Best Outdoor TV guides are really failing, especially for anyone that lives in a climate where temperatures can swing 100 degrees throughout the year. When off, the Shade 2 is rated to withstand temperatures anywhere between minus-24 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit. The upper limit lowers to 104 degrees when the TV is in operation (it will be generating heat, after all). So you could even watch the Packers outside in your Green Bay backyard as they play in December (although optimal viewing temps are between 32 and 104 degrees Fahrenheit). I had the Shade 2 outside my home during one of Los Angeles’ heat waves this past summer, where high temps reached into the upper 110s, and while I didn’t watch it during the heat of the day, it showed no issues when I turned it on later in the evening.
Needless to say, the Shade 2 is solidly built. Side and bottom bezels are sufficiently thin and aren’t distracting, although the top bezel is a little over twice the width of the others. At its deepest (which is the top half of the display), the Séura is 2.9 inches thick. Unlike many indoor TVs, the entirety of the Shade 2’s chassis is metal, and after spending time with it, I have no reservations about its build quality.
All of the connections are hidden behind a hinged panel that is secured with five thumbscrews. There’s a rubber gasket that seals it from all directions when the thumbscrews are tightened, as well as a foam section along the bottom side where cables can run out without significantly breaking the seal. The panel also has a RF window to allow for better signal transmission. Behind the panel are three HDMI 2.0 ports with HDCD 2.2 (one with ARC), component video input, RF, coax and optical digital audio out, RCA audio out, a 3.5mm analog out (which connects to the included soundbar), USB that supplies 5V 0.5A and is also capable of playback and updates, IR in and outs, RS-232, and an RJ-45 port for IP control.
The same care given to the weatherproofing of the connections panel is given to the remote. The bottom sheath slides off to reveal a rubber flap that protects the battery compartment. The remote is light and thin, though slightly boxy. The buttons panel has a slightly rubberized texture and buttons have a satisfying click. There’s no backlight, so if you’re watching at night there could be some difficulty seeing which button is which. But all of them are in relief, so it’s pretty easy to feel your way around. The IR signal beam is narrow, so the remote needs to be pointed almost directly at the IR sensor on the TV (at the top right corner) to be sensed.
Setting up the Séura Shade 2
A consideration when mounting is access to the back panel. When an indoor TV is attached to a wall mount, it can be difficult to access the connections because of how close the back of the TV is to the wall. Access can be made easier by using an articulated wall mount that allows the TV to be pulled away from the wall. With the Shade 2, access is even more difficult because of the panel door. The door needs 14.5 inches of clearance to fully be able to open, but you can get away with five or six to have suitable access. That amount of access isn’t possible with a regular tilting wall mount, so I highly recommend taking stock of the cables you’ll need and plugging them in to the Shade 2 before putting mounting it.
The Séura Shade 2 is not a Smart TV, so a streaming stick is the easiest way to get your Netflix, HBO, Amazon, and other streaming services to the TV. There’s a decent amount of space in the connections compartment to connect one — in my case a Roku Streaming Stick+. The design of the Roku (with its power connection coming out the side) means I needed to connect it to HDMI 1 to keep it from interfering with other HDMI connections. This places it at the farthest point from the USB, though, and the USB power cable is barely long enough to make the connection, so it pulls slightly at the streaming stick while it’s plugged in. If you’re using a Roku stick and have only one other HDMI source then the easy solution is to put the Roku stick in HDMI 3 and the other source in 1 to avoid any issue, but this means you won’t be able to use HDMI 2. It’s a very situational problem, but one to be aware of if you too use a Stick+ and have any other HDMI sources.
Menu options are sparse. For video options, you basically have the choice of picture mode and color temperature (both of which I’ll address in the next section). If you are not planning on having any 4K signals and choose Standard mode for the HDMI, you get the additional option to toggle Adaptive Contrast. Enhanced mode allows for 4K at 60Hz. When I initially switched this on for HDMI 2, it didn’t sync properly and displayed images at 4K/30. A quick on/off managed to sync the picture back up and I didn’t encounter the issue again. Audio is a bit more in depth, with six different modes, a five-band equalizer (with User mode), and a dialogue clarity option.
“When it comes down to it, the Shade 2 delivers a great picture any time of the year, and that’s what really matters.”
JOHN HIGGINS, HOME THEATER REVIEW
How Does the Séura Shade 2 Compare to the Competition?
The most direct competitor to Séura is SunBriteTV, another popular outdoor TV manufacturer. The company’s Veranda series is built for shaded installations, and the 55-inch version retails for $1,999 — $500 less than the Shade 2. There are a lot of similarities between the two displays: both are 4K HDR, they have the same operating temperature ranges, and both come with weatherproof remote controls — but the SunBriteTV is a half-inch deeper, not quite as bright, only has a one-year warranty (Séura’s is two years), and doesn’t include a soundbar. SunBrite sells a weatherproof soundbar, but it’s $1,000, so getting comparable features and performance from the 55-inch Veranda Series actually costs an extra $500.
A name you most likely recognize is Samsung, whose line of outdoor Smart TVs is called The Terrace. The 55-inch version retails for $3,500. Its IP55 rating means it’s not quite as water resistant, but it can operate in temperatures up to 122 degrees Fahrenheit. The extra $1,000 also gets you significantly more brightness (2,000 nits) for better HDR and out performance during the day, a built-in HD Base-T receiver, and the features you’d expect from a Smart TV manufacturer such as voice integration, streaming apps support, and screen mirroring. There is no included soundbar, however. The Terrace Soundbar costs an additional $1,200, so a comparable setup to the Séura Shade 2 is almost twice the price after the soundbar is added into the equation.
Final Thoughts
Outdoor TV manufacturers have significantly more to deal with in the development of their televisions. Just getting a complicated piece of electronics to survive a temperature swing of over 100 degrees is impressive. But beyond that, Séura has managed to deliver solid performance. While the light output doesn’t rival that of its pricier competition, the color accuracy and detail of the Shade 2, particularly with 4K, is wonderful.
For future iterations of the series, I hope to see a more robust user interface and maybe with some Smart TV functionality to compete with Samsung, but that is a big ask for a comparatively small company already producing a great outdoor product. And those missing features can be added with a $50 streaming stick, which is likely a lot less than the price increase that would result if Séura started licensing this sort of technology. When it comes down to it, the Shade 2 delivers a great picture any time of the year, and that’s what really matters.