Last 12 months, SunBriteTV demonstrated that it may make a downright inexpensive weatherproof 4K TV with its Veranda Series. It shares the identical resilience towards mud, water, and excessive temperatures as the corporate’s way more costly Signature Series. With the Veranda sequence, in alternate for affordability, you lose the flexibility to view the display screen comfortably in direct daylight. The firm has up to date the Veranda Series, enhancing each shade and distinction whereas leaving every part else largely untouched. The new Veranda Series provides a greater image than its predecessor on the similar value ($1,499 for the 43-inch SB-V-43-4KHDR-BL mannequin we examined), and is accessible in fashions as much as 75 inches. If you need a TV you may safely mount exterior, and you’ll hold it within the shade, the Veranda Series is your greatest guess, and our Editors’ Choice.
Editors’ Note: This assessment is predicated on checks carried out on the Veranda Series SB-V-45-4KHDR-BL, the 43-inch mannequin within the sequence. Apart from the screen-size distinction, the 55-inch $1,999 Veranda Series SB-V-55-4KHDR-BL is similar in options, and we count on comparable efficiency.
Weatherproof Design
Since SunBriteTV’s first precedence is climate resistance, it does not trouble to make its TVs very trendy. There’s solely a lot you are able to do within the design division whereas sustaining safety towards water, mud, and excessive temperatures, so the brand new Veranda Series employs a really plain design, in step with the remainder of SunBriteTV’s lineup.
The physique of the TV is a powder-coated black steel, with a flat, shiny bezel on the entrance surrounding the display screen. The body is pretty broad, measuring 0.8 inches on the highest and sides and 1.2 inches on the underside, with the underside bezel holding the SunBriteTV brand, the distant sensor, and an influence LED.
All of the TV’s ports sit behind a steel door on the again, which stays in place with three thumbscrews. The door is protected with foam across the edges to make sure water and mud do not get into the compartment. Component video and 3.5mm audio inputs, an antenna/cable connector, optical and analog audio outputs, a USB 3.0 port, and a connector for a second infrared receiver sit dealing with left within the compartment. Three HDMI ports, a VGA enter, and an Ethernet port (just for integrating right into a management system, not for streaming companies) sit dealing with down within the compartment. The heavy, weather-proof energy cable is affixed to the underside of the again of the TV, exterior of the compartment.
The case additionally conceals two downward-firing 20-watt speaker drivers. This is not notable for many TVs, nevertheless it’s distinctive amongst SunBriteTV units; the partial-shade Signature Series does not have any audio system, and the direct-sunlight Pro Series include separate soundbars that may be hooked up to the screens.
Like the earlier mannequin, the 2018 Veranda Series does not include a stand. It can work with any VESA mount, however if you wish to set it up on a desk you will have to get the elective desk stand, which is one other $75 for the 43-inch mannequin or $105 for bigger TVs.
The distant is simply as effectively unassuming because the TV. It’s a flat, 7.6-inch black wand with a silver-colored high panel coated in spherical membrane buttons. The membrane buttons are onerous to establish with out wanting on the distant, however they, together with the battery compartment (which takes two AAA batteries) that screws shut, be sure that the distant can deal with rain and grime in addition to the TV itself can. A wide array of controls are current, together with a quantity pad and navigation buttons.
No playback controls are on the distant, for the reason that TV does not have any streaming companies by itself. You can play media information on a USB drive by way of the TV, nonetheless, utilizing the path pad to regulate playback. The TV additionally includes a built-in tuner to be used with an antenna, giving the quantity pad and channel up and down buttons some use. The distant is useful for navigating the TV’s very barebones menu system to regulate settings, and it fulfills its promise of being weatherproof, however the many same-feeling spherical membrane buttons make navigating menus really feel like a chore of staring down at your thumb to be sure you’re urgent a path and never Back or Exit.
Like all SunBriteTV units, the Veranda Series is designed for use exterior, with intensive weatherproofing towards moisture and excessive temperatures. The TV does not have a proper IP score towards mud or water ingress like smaller waterproof units, however SunBriteTV ensures it towards rain, snow, mud, salt, and bugs, with its aluminum case and screw-shut port bay. The TV can perform in temperatures from -24 levels to 104 levels Fahrenheit, and may stand up to temperatures as much as 140 levels (powered off) with out harm.
Performance
The SunBriteTV Veranda Series is an extremely high-definition (UHD, or 4K) TV that helps excessive dynamic vary (HDR) content material in HDR10. It does not assist Dolby Vision.
We check TVs utilizing a Klein Okay-10A colorimeter, a Murideo SIX-G check sample generator, and SpectraCal’s CalMAN software program utilizing testing methodology based mostly on Imaging Science Foundation’s calibration strategies. In the Movie image mode with the backlight set to most, dynamic distinction set to excessive, and adaptive backlight set to low, the Veranda exhibits a peak brightness of 347.39cd/m2 on a full-field check sample, and a black stage of 0.07cd/m2. This leads to a strong 4,963:1 distinction ratio, beating out the 2017 Veranda with a markedly brighter panel (up from 288.37cd/m2 peak brightness and a 3,605:1 distinction ratio). It’s nonetheless lower than half as vibrant because the Signature Series (785.45cd/m2), however have in mind it is is designed for use in full shade whereas the later is usable in partial daylight. The Signature Series can be considerably costlier, and has a poorer 0.14cd/m2 black stage for an solely barely higher 5,610:1 distinction ratio.
The above chart exhibits DCI-P3 shade ranges as containers and measured shade ranges as dots. Out of the field, in Movie mode with shade temperature set to the Warm preset, the Veranda Series exhibits strong shade efficiency. Whites run simply barely cool and greens and reds do not hit the P3 shade house, however the colours stay balanced and do not skew noticeably.
The BBC’s Planet Earth II on Ultra HD Blu-ray appears to be like superb on the 2018 Veranda Series, and exhibits off the panel’s strong brightness and shade gamut. The greens of foliage and blues of the water within the “Islands” episode look vivid and pure, with robust efficiency in vibrant, sunny scenes. Fine textures like fur and tree bark seemed a bit smudged utilizing default settings, however disabling noise discount sharpens up the small print very properly.
The Great Gatsby exhibits the Veranda Series’ relative weak spot with black ranges. In the high-contrast social gathering scenes, shadows and highlights are inclined to overwhelm particulars. The contours of black fits get misplaced in muddiness, together with (to a a lot lesser extent) the perimeters of vibrant white lights and balloons. Flesh tones look pure, although, and the few vibrant colours current within the scene like orange feathers come out.
The pink in Deadpool’s costume in Deadpool appears to be like vivid and pure as effectively, exhibiting the Veranda Series’ strong shade efficiency. The shadow particulars within the burning lab combat later within the film may be seen clearly, however the restricted distinction comes by way of in the wrong way with the highlights of the flames getting blown out right into a principally yellow flicker, muddling the contours of the fireplace.
Input lag is the period of time between when a TV receives a sign and the display screen updates. In Movie mode, the Veranda Series exhibits a really poor enter lag of 136.2 milliseconds. In Game mode, which improves enter lag whereas sacrificing some image high quality, that quantity drops to a still-disappointing 62.5ms. We think about round 20ms to be superb for taking part in video video games, so the Veranda Series does not qualify as one in every of our greatest TVs for gaming.
An Excellent All-Weather TV
The 2018 SunBriteTV Veranda Series improves on the 2017 line with a brighter panel, a wider shade gamut, and HDR assist. It’s fairly dear for its dimension, however that is the premium you pay for a weatherproof TV, and it is lower than half the value of the brighter Signature Series. If you want a TV that is viewable in daylight, you have to spend the additional cash for the Signature Series (and if it must be usable in actually vibrant direct daylight, you are presently restricted to the 1080p Pro Series). If you simply need a good porch or patio TV you may watch within the shade, that is your greatest guess.
If weatherproofing is not a precedence, you may get a bigger TV with a a lot better image for much less cash with choices just like the TCL 6-Series and the Vizio P-Series. These fashions provide a lot brighter footage, wider shade gamuts, and higher ergonomics and linked options. But they will not survive an evening out within the rain just like the Veranda Series can.