Sylvox 55-inch Deck Pro Outdoor TV: The Ultimate Backyard Entertainment Solution?-makeuseof

PROS

• 1000-nit brightness for partial sun visibility
• IP55 waterproof and dustproof
• Rugged, scratch-resistant design
• Familiar Android 11 TV interface with Netflix support

CONS

• Sharp corners may pose a safety risk
• Silicon sealant may require maintenance over time
• 60Hz limit and no dedicated game mode for gamers
• Speakers aren't great

The words "outdoor" and "TV" are not usually put together in the same sentence, but that's precisely what the Sylvox 55-inch 2023 Deck Pro Series 4K HDR Outdoor TV is. In today's review, we'll be finding out if it's the right outdoor entertainment solution for your backyard or venue.

 

How is an Outdoor TV Different?

An outdoor TV is an entirely different beast to a regular living room TV. They need to be rugged, able to withstand the odd bump and scratch, perhaps a bit of flying garden debris, and not to mention all kinds of weather resistant.

But that's not the only consideration, because your average TV is also pretty useless outside due to brightness. Any amount of sun would overwhelm typical displays.

With that in mind, let's talk first about how the Deck Pro fulfills the outdoor and entertainment venue portion of the brief before we go onto its regular TV and smart features.

Firstly, it can display up to 1000 nits brightness, around three times higher than your average living room TV, and is therefore perfectly visible in partial sun. If you need even brighter for viewing in full sun, Sylvox has an almost identical model called the Pool Pro, with the only difference being that it can go up to 2000 nits.

As it is, we mounted facing west, so it's sheltered from the bright morning sun but less so in the afternoon. A full cantilever mount can help you angle the TV for better visibility, but you should also keep in mind whether you want to use this in only partial sun, or full sun, and buy the appropriate model.

Weather Resistance and Durability

The Deck Pro series is IP55 rated for water and dust protection, which means it can withstand jets of water from any direction and is sufficiently protected against dust ingress so as not to interfere with operation. It’s not fully waterproof in the sense that you shouldn’t drop it into a pool—it cannot be submerged.

Water is just one element, of course. It’s also able to withstand temperatures of -22 to 122 Fahrenheit (or -30 to 50 Celsius).

The case is some sort of steel alloy, with an anti-corrosive anti-scratch coat, and is built like a tank. While the screen is the most vulnerable part of the device, that too appears to be scratch-resistant, capable of taking the odd knock with a more flexible screen than typical.

But there are a few points that I worry about the hardware. The first is from a health and safety perspective. In a busy venue where people are drinking, some might try to duck under the TV, especially if it's mounted on the extendable cantilever. If somewhere were to knock their head the corners, it would be absolute carnage. It's worth putting some rubber bumpers on there, not to protect the TV so much, but to protect your patrons. Even better: don't mount this anywhere within reach. A fixed, tilt-only mount would be more suitable for public venues.

The only other aspect that slightly worries me about the case is that there's some silicone sealant where parts of the case meet, which I suspect will require maintenance eventually. Silicone can be very long-lasting, but it is still a weak point, and under extreme temperature changes, the seal may eventually break. You'll want to keep an eye on it during your monthly venue risk assessments—or as a homeowner, when you're checking over the BBQ ready for the summer.

Tamper Prevention and Mounting Options

Lastly, as a tamper prevention method, there are no buttons on the device itself, and all ports are hidden away in the rear under a sealed chamber, which requires a screwdriver and plenty of patience to access. The cabling exits from the panel through a strong foam that form-fits the cabling, so this isn't something you can be regularly plugging and unplugging cables from.

Finally, on the outdoor and venue suitability aspect before we move onto the TV features itself: mounting options. The Deck Pro actually arrives without any mounting options at all—not even a basic desktop stand. You'll need to purchase a mount separately that suits your specific needs and installation location.

Plenty of mounting options are available from Sylvox, from simple wall mounts to the more versatile and adjustable cantilever mount, as well as taller floor-standing or basic desktop stands. However, the Deck Pro features standard 400 x 200mm VESA holes for wider compatibility, so you're not limited to the Sylvox accessories by any means.

Installation and Setup

At around 50lbs or 23kg, this is not lightweight. It's a two-person lift, and quite awkward at that due to the chunky three-inch deep case and lack of handholds. However, it's not impossibly heavy. The exact installation is going to depend on your chosen mounting option.

We were sent the full cantilever mount for testing, and although the instructions were quite unhelpful, we were able to figure it out.

Before you put the TV onto the mount, you should deal with your cabling. There are around twenty small screws to be undone. Plug your cables in, then screw everything back together. It's quite tedious, but not difficult. The TV comes with a standard IEC power cable, of course, but the power side of the installation is up to you. Perhaps you have a waterproof socket installed that you can use; otherwise, it's on you to figure out a permanent solution.

Also, while we're on the topic of ports, you'll find three HDMI 2.0 (one of which is ARC-capable), two USB ports for direct media playback or powering a streaming dongle, an optical out, a TV aerial and DVB-S2 satellite socket, as well as Ethernet. Additionally, it's Wi-Fi 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz capable.

Android TV Interface and Image Quality

The Android 11 TV interface is instantly familiar and easy to set up if you have an Android device. It quickly copies across your Wi-Fi details and Google account, so you'll be ready to start using the new system within minutes. The UI is snappy and responsive.

The screen runs 4K resolution, supporting HDR and a maximum 60Hz refresh rate, with a stated 8ms response time. Although this isn't a super high-end premium QLED and doesn't feature Samsung's quantum dot technology, it does provide a decent 4K HDR image. Despite the chunky case, the bezel around the screen is surprisingly thin.

The viewing angle is great, up to 178 degrees, but with the caveat that it’s quite reflective.

Chromecast is fully supported, though if you're using this in a public venue, you may want to disable that feature. The lack of on-screen controls and port access means Chromecast is the only risky feature when it comes to public interaction. Without that, you can completely lockdown playback functions.

One huge plus point for home users is that, unlike most Android TVs, Netflix is fully certified and supported on this model. The ability to install Android TV apps and use Netflix means all bases are covered, and you can stay entirely within one ecosystem. I don't have a Netflix account, but I did try a variety of 4K, standard HD, HDR, and other media through Plex and YouTube, and it all looked great.

As a quick warning, if you're looking across the Sylvox line and see the 55-inch Deck TV as a cheaper alternative, you should know that it’s only the Pro model you can download your own apps to from Google Play. The basic Deck model cannot; it's limited to what’s already installed on the TV. You want the Deck Pro 2023, or Pool Pro model, for the full and proper Android TV experience.

Gaming on the Sylvox Deck Pro

Gamers might be disappointed. The 60Hz limit means you won’t get super-smooth gameplay, and the lack of a dedicated game mode means that response times can be a little high.

Since I'm used to gaming on a 4K60 projector with even higher latency, this isn't something that bothers me, but if you're coming from a high-refresh gaming monitor, it's likely to be more of a concern.

Remote Control

The remote control is comprehensive, if somewhat generic, and of unremarkable design. It features a microphone for Google Assistant, plus direct access buttons for Netflix, Amazon Prime, YouTube, and Google Play, as well as all the expected interactive TV buttons, channel and volume, etc.

The remote itself isn’t ruggedized or waterproof, so it will need to be kept inside behind the bar or somewhere else that's not exposed.

Sound Quality

In terms of sound output, I was initially quite disappointed when I had it just sitting on the kitchen floor. The quality was terrible, and the interaction of the metal case and floor was horrible. However, it was significantly improved once we had it mounted up on the wall.

Ultimately, it's still TV speaker quality, and it's worse than usual TV speakers because it has a metal layer surrounding it with something to reverberate and muffle. But it’s not terrible by any means. It's okay for live sports and casual viewing. If you want to watch full-length movies on this, it might also be worth looking at their outdoor soundbar. You can get them both in a bundle, greatly improving the audio quality.

It does, however, get very loud, which is great for larger venues. Even at louder volumes, I didn’t feel it was too distorted, but admittedly I couldn’t bear to whack the volume up full. I don't think volume will be a problem.

Upgrade Your Outdoor Entertainment

In terms of durability, it's solidly built and can withstand temperatures up to 50°C, but I wouldn't suggest permanently leaving it exposed to the elements, particularly over winter. If you can bring it inside for storage, I recommend doing so. At the very least, get one of the optional covers. Rain isn't going to hurt it, so the occasional summer shower won't do any harm. But where I live, the Cornish salty air can quickly corrode anything metal.

As an outdoor entertainment solution for your venue or just at home on your deck to watch football or movie nights in the summer, the Sylvox 55-inch outdoor TV fulfills the brief—and all for under $2000. It's very much a functional device in terms of style, and the audio is about as good as you'd expect from something encased with metal. It's not a home cinema audio experience by any means, but you can improve the sound quality by adding the Sylvox outdoor soundbar. The quality of the 4K HDR image is decent, and with up to 1000 nits of brightness on the Deck Pro model, you'll be fine watching in partial sun. The Pool Pro series ups that to 2000 nits for full sun viewing.