Crave Summer: Waterproof TVs, perfect for June in Britain

By Ian Morris on 18 June 2007, 12:23pm

If you love the outdoors and love watching TV you'll inevitably be struck by how incompatible these two pursuits tend to be. After all, installing a TV outside is a foolish endeavour and will almost certainly end with an expensive puff of smoke and the death of nearby people.

Amazingly, there's now a solution that won't end in a multi-million-pound lawsuit against you: the waterproof television.

The first screen on our list is one we unearthed at CeBIT this year, the Sanyo 42LM4WPR-E, a screen designed for use in moist conditions, such as the great British summer. With this, you can enjoy a barbecue and watch Wimbledon -- two events that combined will guarantee a healthy downfall of rain. It's 720p capable and comes in an attractive silver case, ideal for confusing magpies -- the little blighters won't be getting away with this. The 42-inch Sanyo can be purchased for a bargain-basement £5,900.

There's even a company that's totally dedicated to outdoor televisions -- it boasts full 1080p TVs in its range. The AQUiVO range includes weatherproof tellies of up to 55 inches, so if you're loaded and in need of waterproof entertainment -- Hugh Hefner, are you listening? -- then these are the screens for you. You can get your hands on this mammoth TV for around £6,500, although the somewhat essential anti-theft bracket costs an extra £250. There are some smaller models in the range, including a 42-inch screen, which costs a more reasonable £2,950.

The AQUiVO TVs are IP56 rated, which means, according to the IEC 60529 standard, that they can resist water from a high-pressure hose without succumbing to the destructive power of H2O. This is great news, but what we really need is IP68 TVs, which are impervious to dust and will operate under water at depths of greater than 1m.

There are a number of applications for these damp-proof screens. Obviously you could install one in your bathroom and never be away from Jeremy Kyle and Trisha, but with our mind firmly on the summer, we think these TVs will make ideal screens for watching the summer's sport outdoors, where you can also get a healthy lungful of fresh air. -Ian Morris