Sylvox Pool Pro 2.0 Series Review

Sylvox Pool Pro 2.0 Series: Introduction

An outdoor TV might sound like an expensive extravagance, but once you’ve tried one, you won’t go back, trust me. While some outdoor TVs need some shade to work, the Sylvox Pool Pro 2.0 Series is designed for all weathers, working in everything from full sunlight to a snowstorm.

Sure, it’s not cheap, and the lack of some apps is a little frustrating, but this very clever TV is brilliant if you spend a lot of time outside and don’t want to miss your favourite shows.

Design and installation

• Full weatherproof casing
• No stand, requires wall mounting

The Sylvox Pool Pro 2.0 comes in 43-, 55-, 65-, and 75-inch sizes. I’m reviewing the 55-inch model (OT55A2KOGF), with other sizes available as OT43A2KOGF, OT65A2KOGF, and OT75A2KOGF.

Aside from the screen size, they’re all bulky, big TVs, with solid metal cases that are designed to withstand all elements. If you’re used to super sleek modern TVs with ultra-thin bezels, the Sylvox Pool Pro 2.0 Series will automatically stand out due to its size.

There’s no getting around the bulk, as the TV has to withstand everything the outdoor environment can throw at it (it has an IP55 rating and is resistant to temperatures between -30°C to 50°C).

Just be careful, and get someone to help you unbox and set it up: the 55-inch model that I reviewed weighs 21.8kg.

There’s no stand provided, so instead you need to wall-mount the TV. A standard flat mount is probably best, and you need to put the mount somewhere that can take this much weight. I mounted my TV on a bar that I built out of pallets.

Before you do mount it, make sure that you unscrew the waterproof back panel to get access to all of the ports: three HDMI 2.1 (one with eARC), satellite and coaxial antenna inputs, optical out and Ethernet (Wi-Fi is also available).

I think it’s worth connecting an HDMI cable and wrapping the bare end with a plastic bag, so you can plug in external devices if you need them.

I also plugged in a Fire TV Stick, powered by the USB ports, as the Google TV OS didn’t have all of the apps that I wanted (more on that later).

A kettle lead is used for power, and there’s a metal cage that holds it in place. Once everything is connected, all of the fiddly screws have to be put back into the back panel, waterproofing it once again.

Features

• Runs Google TV
• Waterproof remote TV

Unlike the previous TV we reviewed on The Ambient, the Sylvox 55-inch Deck Pro Outdoor TV, this version runs Google TV rather than Android TV. There’s not much between the two in terms of interface, but the new OS is better.

With Google TV, you can configure your TV using an Android phone or iPhone (Android TV only supports setup via Android devices). In practice, this makes setting up the Sylvox Pool Pro 2.0 Series faster than its predecessor.

Sylvox bundles a Bluetooth remote in the box, which has a waterproof exterior. That’s a good choice, as the company used to ship standard remotes, which are easy to ruin by leaving outside by mistake.

I quite like the voice remote, and it has responsive buttons and works well, with shortcut buttons for Disney+, YouTube, Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. It is odd that there’s no Mute button on it; if you don’t want sound, you have to turn the volume down.

For quick use, the side of the TV has physical power and  volume buttons, which you can use if you can’t find the remote.

Google TV offers broader app support compared to Android TV, though some apps are not available. Major streaming services such as Apple TV+, Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, Paramount+, and Disney+ are supported. UK streaming app support is limited: NOW and My5 are available, but ITVX and BBC iPlayer aren’t due to a lack of official support. Adding a Fire TV Stick fixes this. Live TV is available via satellite or a standard aerial.

Performance

• Very bright
• Almost too bright at night
• Sound a bit tinny

The main difference between this TV and regular TVs is brightness: the Sylvox Pool Pro 2.0 Series has a 2000 nit panel, which is twice as bright as the one on the Deck Pro, and a lot brighter than a regular indoor TV (typically around 300 to 450 nits for regular TV, although HDR does have higher peaks).

With this level of brightness, the TV is classified as a full sunlight model, which means you can watch it under the glare of a bright sun. That’s absolutely true: even with the sun shining on the screen, I could still watch TV easily enough.

Well, bright scenes, such as those in typical sports are easy to see, but darker moodier content is harder to watch and you’re better off waiting until night time to watch.

At night, you might want to dial the brightness back a little: the TV is extremely bright, and there are a few noticeable artefacts that appear, such as uneven black backgrounds. Dial the brightness back and these issues disappear.

A standard 60Hz panel is used, which is a little behind the times of modern indoor TVs, but I guess that’s a trade-off for having the high brightness panel. That means that this TV isn’t ideal for gaming, but that doesn’t appear to be its best use case.

HDR10 is available, but you don’t get Dolby Vision. Still, some HDR support is better than none, and the high brightness means that you get the full searing bright peaks that HDR can offer.

Ultimately, a TV like this has different compromises to one built for indoors. Take a flagship TV from this year and watch it under ideal conditions in the dark, and its picture quality will be better than the Sylvox Pool Pro 2.0 Series; take that flagship TV and put it outside and it will be rubbish compared to the Sylvox.

That’s what’s important to remember about this TV: it’s built to work under the harshest lighting conditions. The fact that the Sylvox Pool Pro 2.0 Series can produce a bright, vivid and detailed picture outside is impressive.

Its thick metal case, high brightness, and the fact that the sun shines on it mean that there’s a constant fan going, venting hot air out of the side of the TV. It’s more noticeable in quiet scenes, but isn’t distracting when watching most things.

The sound is loud and I can hear soundtracks clearly outside. Given that there aren’t walls to bounce the audio off, as you get inside, that’s really good. Audio does sound a bit tinny and enclosed, although that’s to be expected: the Sylvox Pool Pro 2.0 Series is encased in a metal frame.

Dolby Atmos is supported, but the virtual surround effect isn’t particularly noticeable or engaging.

Sylvox sells a waterproof soundbar if you want to boost audio quality, although I find for general watching that I can get along with this set.

Final thoughts

By the standards of a regular TV, the Sylvox Pool Pro 2.0 Series seems very expensive. Still, it’s money well spent: you’re paying for the full waterproofing, and you’re paying for a highly bright panel that can work in any lighting condition.

Able to produce a bright, vibrant and rich picture in any setting, and with audio loud enough to fill a garden, this TV is a joy to use and helps turn an outside space into a living room in the warmer weather.

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