Sylvox 43-inch Deck Pro Outdoor TV

Verdict

If you’re a family that spends a lot of time outside, and don’t want to have to come in to watch sports or a movie at night, the Sylvox 43-inch Deck Pro Outdoor TV could well be for you. Rugged and waterproof, this TV is bright enough to watch in the shade (not full sunlight), with solid image quality. It is quite expensive and doesn’t come with a mount, though.

Introduction

For anyone who’s tried it, watching TV outside in the garden is one of life’s pleasures, whether it’s a sporting event or just a chance to catch up a bit of streaming while the weather’s good. However, the great British weather often makes it difficult to do, with rain a big problem.

That’s where the Sylvox 43-inch Deck Pro Outdoor TV comes in: a TV built to withstand the worst of the weather while providing the brightness to overcome the sun.

Available as a 43-inch set (on review) or a larger 55-inch, this chunky TV is part of the company’s ‘Partial Sun’ series, which means it needs a bit of shade to work; full-sunlight models are available if you need that.

This TV gets a lot right, although the high price means that it’s likely a model only for those that will make the most out of the outdoors.

Design

• Chunky metal body
• Requires a mount
• Ports hidden behind screw-in panel

The main difference between the Sylvox 43-inch Deck Pro Outdoor TV and a regular TV is the frame. Most modern TVs are super thin, with barely a bezel on display, even for budget TVs, such as the Amazon Fire TV 4-Series.

Made of chunky metal, the Sylvox 43-inch Deck Pro Outdoor TV is something of a beast, it weighs a considerable 22kg. Not only is the case waterproof (the TV has an IP55 rating), but it’s scratch and, generally weatherproof, too. It certainly feels tough to the touch, and has a pleasant industrial look to it.

There’s no mount or stand provided in the box, so you’ll need to buy one, which is a little frustrating. Take into account the TV’s weight when purchasing, not just the rated screen size of the mount.

I went for a flat wall mount, attached to the front of the outdoor bar. If you’re after a bit more manoeuvrability, then a mount with an arm may make more sense.

Before the TV can be mounted, cables need to be connected. To maintain the IP55 rating, the TV hides all of its ports behind a screw-in panel. It’s fiddly to fit and remove, so this isn’t the kind of TV that you can quickly connect and disconnect different devices from.

If you do want to plug external devices in, then it probably makes sense to leave an HDMI cable connected, but wrap the unused end in a waterproof covering, so that it’s ready when you need it. It may well make sense to swap out the relatively short kettle power lead for a longer one, depending on where you need to place the TV.

Sylvox provides a combination Bluetooth/IR remote control in the box. Well, I should say that it should do: my TV shipped with an identical-looking IR-only remote by mistake, which can’t be paired with the TV, so doesn’t support voice control.

Basic controls are on the side of the TV, so I could turn it on and off, and adjust volume with the remote control.

Fan vents are also on the side of the TV. Given that the Deck Pro is packed into a large metal case, the fans run pretty much all of the time and are audible during quiet moments in watching, although not so loud as to be annoying.

Features

• Android TV 11
• 4K resolution
• No advanced HDR formats

Running Android TV 11, the Sylvox 43-inch Deck Pro Outdoor TV uses an interface that will be familiar to many. Setup is quick, although I immediately ran into a problem: the TV asked me to select my region for the satellite/antenna tuning, but the UK is not currently available on the list. For now, then, this is a TV that’s likely to be used for streaming apps only or external sources.

For the latter, there are three HDMI 2.0 inputs, one of which supports HDMI ARC, rather than the newer HDMI eARC format. Given that this is an outdoor TV, it’s unlikely that most users would use a soundbar; if you do want one, then Sylvox sells an outdoor soundbar.

Most streaming apps are available via the Google Play Store: Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+, Disney+, Netflix, NOW and Paramount+ are all correct and present. There’s ITVX, BT Sport, My5 but no sign of Player.

Specs wise, the Sylvox 43-inch Deck Pro Outdoor TV is more of a mid-level TV: there’s a 60Hz panel, 4K resolution and HDR10, but no sign of more advanced HDR formats, such as Dolby Vision.

Picture Quality

• Very bright image
• Decent contrast, but blacks can suffer
• Good colour accuracy

Your average indoor TV will typically be between 300 and 450 nits backlight, but the Sylvox 43-inch Deck Pro Outdoor TV is rated to 1000 nits. Powered by a direct backlight, the TV needs to be this bright to work outdoors.

As the specs state, this is a ‘Partial Outdoor’ TV, which means it needs a bit of shade to work. It’s worth thinking about that when mounting the TV. I placed my review model on the side of the garden that gets sun in the morning, but is in shade from the afternoon, when I’m more likely to want to watch TV.

With the full sunlight on the TV, I could just about make out the image, but with a bit of shadow that changes, and the TV is easily viewable. That’s a big step up from a normal TV, which is practically impossible to watch until it’s dark outside.

Even so, there are limits to what you can watch. During the day, even in shade, the TV is better suited to bright content, such as football matches or cricket. Watch Moana, and the lush Pacific Island of Motunui is bright and vibrant depicted.

Switch to something moodier, such as the latest series of The Witcher, and it can be a little trickier to see what’s going on, with shadow detail hard to make out. Dark material isn’t impossible to watch, which is impressive, but I’d save moodier movies until it gets dark.

When it’s dark, it’s easier to see everything. HDR means that colours are bright and vivid, with even lighting across the entire screen. Blacks are a little grey, although that’s to be expected, given the high brightness of the screen. Overall, it’s solid mid-tier image quality all of the way.

 Sound Quality

• Loud speakers
• Can sound a bit hollow
• Good bass presence

Dual 10W speakers and Dolby audio are available on this TV. The speakers are loud and audio is clear, even when the TV is playing in the middle of a loud day. Given that this is an outdoor TV, audibility is arguably more important than finesse, and that’s certainly what’s on offer here.

Ramp up the volume, and the TV can sound a little hollow. That’s not a huge surprise as the speakers are encased in a large metal box. Bass isn’t bad, with punches and gun shots in action movies coming across quite well, although the overall sound is a little flat.

If you want more, then the TV can be connected to external Bluetooth speakers, or other external speakers via HDMI ARC or Optical. Overall, the Sylvox 43-inch Deck Pro Outdoor TV is designed to be used outdoors and its speakers cope well.

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