This summer has been exceptionally hot across Canada, and chances are the temperatures won't be cooling down from patio weather any time soon. So it seems like an opportune time to look at a few products that A/V installers can use to help their clients enjoy the back yards, cottages, and front decks.

Think of backyard entertaining and most of us still think of audio exclusively, like standard outdoor speakers or those shaped like rocks ("You can only play rock music on them, right?" the joke goes.) Or perhaps more cutting-edge wireless designs like the floor-standing SoundCast (distributed in Canada by Erikson Consumer) that comes in both a senior and smaller junior design, and communicates with a wireless receiver to play tunes from a connected iPod or other music player.

Today however, the wireless revolution has had a huge impact on the ability to get HD video to places where it was previously inconvenient to do so.

Gefen, distributed in Canada by Sound Developments, has an array of wireless video senders. As Sound Developments President Barry Wosk explains: "Much like Sony's old ‘anywhere TV,' this allows people to easily set-up temporary video for movie night by the pool, game in the hot tub, et cetera." Bear in mind that Wosk takes pains to point out that these devices are NOT weatherized in any manner, and are merely portable systems for short-term use only.

The GTV-WVGA-LR, which has an MSRP of $675, extends VGA with L/R audio up to 100 feet at 1,280 x 1,024 resolution wirelessly using 2.4GHz 802.11b/g/n wireless network technology. The Extender can be operated on any one of four channels to minimize interference. A a plug-and-play system, it's also easy to configure.

For wireless HDMI transmission, the GTV-WHDMI, which carries an MSRP of $999, is an HDMI Extender that sends 1080p to any HDTV display up to 100 feet away. It's available in two configurations: Unicast Mode for One-to-One transmitter-to-receiver installations, and Broadcast Mode for One-To-Many single transmitter, multiple receiver installations using up to 10 receivers for 10 displays.

That's not to say that there's nothing new in the audio side of outdoor entertainment: far from it. Acoustic Vision distributes Sonos in Canada, and the new Sonos Zoneplayer S5 is another portable system that's easy to move out to the deck and plug in when needed. Like all Sonos products, it connects wirelessly to the home's network and can be controlled from an iPhone. It retails for $479.

It's not the end of the world if an existing home doesn't already have lines run for outdoor speakers. In addition to standard wireless audio options, LightSpeaker is a retrofit option that combines LED lighting and a wireless speaker into a device that threads into a standard light socket, such as the lighting cans in the soffits above a deck. The LS5.2.2 package includes 2 e²LightSpeaker speakers, transmitter, RF remote and installation accessories for $699.

And just because no article about outdoor A/V systems is complete without a rock speaker, the e²LightSpeaker AudioRock is a completely wireless rock speaker with a rechargeable battery that has a one-hour lifespan. As the RS5.2.2 kit with a transmitter, it sells for $499.

Strictly by the calendar, it may look like summer is nearly over. But with current warming trends, odds are that your clients will be able to enjoy their backyards well into October or later in many parts of Canada. So explore new options for helping them enjoy the great outdoors in style.

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