The Samsung Freestyle blows away my old bargain backyard drive-in but, oh, the cost

It's possible I just found the ultimate backyard drive-in movie theater projector.

I grew up going to the drive-in. Back in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s drive-in theaters were, with their massive outdoor screens viewed from the comfort of your car, a popular movie destination for millions of Americans. 

By the 1990s, these open-air dream factories couldn't compete with the rise of the multiplex and creature comforts of an indoor movie theater (later, those same theaters could scarcely compete with the best 65-inch TVs and the choose-your-own-adventure possibilities of the best streaming services).

The idea of outdoor movie watching might've permanently faded along with all those shuttered drive-ins if it weren't for the Pandemic. Suddenly, the idea of being trapped in an auditorium with hundreds of other theatergoers sounded less like an opportunity for enjoyment than an invitation to infection.

The idea of an open-air communal movie experience was back and I was there for it. So, in 2020, I built my own backyard movie theater.

Keeping a strict budget in mind, I purchased a $229 GooDee projector capable of projecting up to 300-inch 1080p images. It's large and a little loud thanks to an internal fan that keeps the bright light cool. Focus and keystone controls are both manual but work well enough. There's a weak internal speaker and it has a pair of HDMI ports. To bring the content outdoors, I choose a $20 Roku Express streaming device and made sure it was in range of my WiFi network (I have an Eero mesh network that gives me good backyard coverage).

I also purchased a $54 Foldaway screen and adjustable stand on Amazon. Eventually, I added in some old computer speakers to replace the projector's underpowered single speaker.

It's not a bad setup and we used it through the summers of 2020, 2021, and even last summer when we all started returning (Thanks, Top Gun: Maverick) to indoor movie theaters.

Turns out though, that it isn't so easy to extinguish the outdoor movie-going romance. I'd rekindled something with my little setup and so, my family was anxious to try it again.

Somewhat serendipitously, Samsung recently let me borrow its The Freestyle portable projector for a TV shoot.

I first stumbled on the unusual-looking (it looks more like a tiny spotlight than a projector) device at CES 2022 and took notice when our review claimed that "It's clear that Samsung intends to bring portable projectors into the mainstream with The Freestyle, and we do believe it could be the device which finally cracks the market."

A year later at CES 2023, I marveled at how Samsung could stitch together the imagery from two Freestyle projectors to make an immersive ultra-widescreen whole.

In contrast to my largely analog GooDee projector, the Samsung Freestyle has some impressive specs. It has 500 lumens of brightness, integrated WiFi, and streaming service technology. Focus and keystone (making sure the screen image is rectangular with 90-degree corners and not trapezoidal) are both automatic. There's a built-in 360-degree speaker and, it includes a remote to control the extensive on-screen menus.

While you can plug in the projector, Samsung also sent along a battery pack and stand, which ships with a short USB-C-to-USB-C cable to connect the two. The Freestyle's flat, circular metal base actually snaps into the top of the battery. It's a pretty nifty setup.

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It's worth pausing here to say that the reason I haven't considered getting my own Freestyle is the prohibitive cost. it lists for roughly $600 and if you add in the battery, the setup can run you at least $800. The good news is that the price keeps coming down and if Samsung releases a 4K model, this one could come in at a bargain price.

Now after using The Freestyle, I wonder how I'll go back to my bargain setup.

First of all, even with the charging base, the Freestyle is lighter (2 lbs on its own and about 5 lbs. with the charge base), smaller, and more portable than a traditional projector. It's small enough to fit on the tiniest table and will slide into almost any backpack. And while I often struggled to get the angle of my analog projector right for the screen (sometimes putting notebooks under the retractable foot), the Freestyle's canon-like body easily pivots on the base to any angle.

Plus, it didn't matter how I set it up. No matter the angle or distance from the screen, the Freestyle instantly focused and keystoned the image into a perfectly sharp rectangle.

Thanks to the battery and the tiny included cable that I could run from it to the projector, I no longer needed an extension cord running to my sole outside outlet. The battery pack lasts, by the way, a little over two hours which means it has you covered for most movies.

Speaking of which, since The Freestyle came preloaded with WiFi accessibility and a nice collection of streaming apps, I didn't need my Roku streaming box (another plug I had to manage). I did have to use The Freestyle's remote to sign into Amazon Prime Video, which was a bit of a pain.

I was also pleasantly surprised at how loud the speakers could get, at least I was after I adjusted them There are a number of audio modes, and the default one had a habit of automatically lowering the volume when things got loud. I switched modes and the rest of the time audio was plenty loud and clear.

The projector does not beat my old system in every way. Aside from the much-lower price, my Goodee projector was capable of delivering a 300-inch image, while the Freestyle tops out at 100 inches. The reality though, is that my screen is only 120 inches and 100 inches is still almost 40 inches larger than the big-screen TV I enjoy indoors. Put another way, I didn't feel cheated on the outdoor, big-screen experience.

We watched Creed III that first night and if only the movie was as good as the technology. Still, I think Samsung's Freestyle has pretty much ruined me for my old bargain backyard theater experience. Time to start saving.