The Elite Screens Yard Master 2 is a freestanding outdoor projector screen with a 100-inch 16:9 CineWhite snap-on screen on a hinged, folding aluminium frame. Better Homes & Gardens named it its best outdoor movie screen for quick setup and stability on uneven ground, The Spruce chose it as its best portable screen, and Wirecutter picked it alongside the Yard Master Plus as its top outdoor screen, noting it uses the same material. PCMag rated it 3.5 out of 5, praising its light weight and wind stability but breaking two snaps during a hurried takedown, and Better Homes & Gardens found its colours not very saturated. It suits people who want a portable backyard screen they can put up in minutes; buyers who need a raised screen for a large crowd should look at the height-adjustable Yard Master Plus.
Full review
Up in about five minutes on a folding frame
The Yard Master 2's hinged aluminium frame unfolds and locks into place rather than being assembled piece by piece, and that is what reviewers liked most. Better Homes & Gardens found it took less than five minutes to set up with no tools, and The Spruce's tester said it took about five minutes once past a tricky first assembly, compared with over 15 for the Yard Master Plus. PCMag needed under five minutes for the frame and under 15 minutes to snap on the screen on its first attempt, and recommended reading the manual and watching Elite's setup video first, as each contains tips the other lacks.
The whole kit packs into a padded soft case that PCMag measured at 7.1 by 9.4 by 32.7 inches and 20.3 pounds fully loaded, and The Spruce found the lightweight aluminium tubing and bag easy to carry to movie nights away from home. The Spruce found it easier with two people, though its tester could set it up alone, and Wirecutter warned that stretching the screen taut takes some strength. PCMag judged setup simple enough to be a one-person job.
Steady outdoors, sharp from the side
Each of the four feet extends 18 inches from the frame, and PCMag found that with the four supplied 8-inch stakes and guy lines the frame stayed upright in moderate wind gusts. Better Homes & Gardens called it stable even on uneven ground, and Wirecutter credited the Yard Master design with withstanding wind better than other screen types, partly thanks to diagonal support beams on each leg. The Spruce noted it did not cope with wind as well as the Yard Master Plus.
On picture quality, Wirecutter found the Yard Master material delivered the best results in its outdoor-screen tests, and PCMag confirmed the promised 180-degree viewing angle. PCMag could see a hint of fold lines from a foot or two away but could barely make them out from about 10 feet. Better Homes & Gardens was less impressed with colour, finding it not very saturated.
Snaps and a fixed height are the compromises
The main problem PCMag ran into was the snaps that attach the screen to the frame. Taking the screen down too quickly, PCMag broke two snaps in half, although the screen still set up just as flat afterwards and Elite told PCMag it would replace the screen material under the two-year warranty. Unlike the Yard Master Plus, the frame has a fixed height; Wirecutter noted that extension legs are available but cost almost as much as the screen. PCMag also pointed out that the CineWhite material is less rugged than Elite's weather-resistant DynaWhite, making this a screen to put away after use rather than leave outside for days.
Strong value among framed outdoor screens
At its $224.95 listing price for the 100-inch size, the Yard Master 2 gets the same screen material Wirecutter rated best in its outdoor tests without the cost of the Plus. Wirecutter says it is offered in sizes up to 135 inches, and The Spruce tested a 120-inch version. PCMag's verdict was that it is incredibly easy to set up and break down and makes outdoor projection simple, though it judged dedicated indoor portable screens easier to set up for indoor use. For anyone who wants a framed screen they can carry to the garden or further afield and pack away in minutes, three of the four reviewers made it a top pick.
Strengths
- +Folding hinged frame goes up in about five minutes with no tools needed
- +Stable on uneven ground; stakes and guy lines held it upright in moderate wind gusts
- +Uses the same screen material as the pricier Yard Master Plus
- +Delivered its promised 180-degree viewing angle in PCMag's tests
- +Packs into a padded carry case weighing 20.3 pounds fully loaded
Watch-outs
- −Snaps can break if the screen is taken down too quickly
- −Better Homes & Gardens found colours on the screen not very saturated
- −Fixed height; Elite's extension legs cost almost as much as the screen
How it compares
The Yard Master 2 matches the 100-inch diagonal of the KHOMO GEAR 100-inch Fixed Frame Projector Screen and the SUPER DEAL 100-inch screen, but stands on its own folding aluminium frame with stakes and packs into a carry case. It is far smaller than the 20 ft Outdoor Projector Screen and uses a rigid snap-on frame rather than the inflatable structure of the XHYCPY 16ft Inflatable Movie Screen.
Rating sources
Not in the average — we derived this score from the review's words, and a publisher printed a score for this product, so the printed number counts instead.
Not in the average — we derived this score from the review's words, and a publisher printed a score for this product, so the printed number counts instead.
Not in the average — we derived this score from the review's words, and a publisher printed a score for this product, so the printed number counts instead.
Counts as 3.66/5 in our score — this publisher's 181 scores on the site average 4.00, so its scores are adjusted up to compare fairly with other publishers.
Our 3.7 score is the average of 1 of the scored reviews above, each adjusted for how strictly its publisher scores. 3 derived scores above are not in the average because a publisher printed a score for this product. Ratings marked * were derived from the reviewer’s written analysis or video transcript — the publisher didn’t print an explicit numeric score, so we inferred one from their own words. Click through to verify. More about methodology.
