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The summer is regarded as a quiet time of year for both the consumer electronics and furniture industries, it is no surprise then that numerous manufacturers have released new products during this period. As TV stands, TV furniture and TV cabinet design matures we have seen the release of some exceptional products this year.

BDI

BDI have launched the new Valera series of wood TV stands, as usual with BDI furniture each model features luxurious finish quality and exceptional aesthetic design. The BDI Valera’s are perfect for LCD, LED and Plasma TV’s of all sizes.

Gecko

Gecko are an international TV furniture brand and they have just entered the UK market, the Gecko range comprises of some innovative ideas including the Reflect Modular series, the Reflect range of TV cabinet is made up of 3 sizes, the cabinets can be interlinked to create larger TV cabinets, Gecko TV furniture is packed full of innovative features and finished to high standards of construction quality. The Gecko Reflect range is currently made up of gloss black TV cabinets although we can expect to see real wood finishes before the end of the year. The Gecko Impro, Gecko Sapphire and the unusual Gecko Omega complete the Gecko TV furniture range.

Techlink

Techlink are regarded as a leading TV furniture manufacturer, and have released some new cantilever TV stands perfect for the latest ranges of Plasma, LCD, LED and 3D TV releases.

Big AV are the UK’s leading TV furniture superstore and we provide consumers with the ultimate choice of LCD TV units, Plasma TV stands, 3D TV stands and LED TV cabinets.

Obviously we have had to learn a thing or two about what makes a good TV stand. With our range of over 800 TV furniture units we have seen pretty much everything that top brands have to offer when it comes to housing your TV.

Cable management is one of the first things you should consider when purchasing a TV stand or TV cabinet. Modern flat panel TV’s are beautiful in design and construction and with a site like Big AV you have a wide range of TV stands for LCD TV’s which offer equally beautiful aesthetics, but before you buy what you think is the perfect TV stand ensure that it features an intelligent cable management system ensuring all wiring is kept well out of sight.

A good TV stand will have a rigid structure which resists rather than amplifies vibrations, if you are placing your centre channel speaker onto the TV stand this becomes even more important as any kind of resonance will seriously reduce your overall enjoyment of our film or music. A good TV stand will resolve these issues significantly reducing the resonance and improving sound quality.

The other important thing to think about when you are purchasing a TV stand is the overall flexibility and interior space, it is critical you can fit all of your equipment inside but you should also consider the future, are you planning to get Sky TV? If so remember you need to accommodate that box, we find the best strategy is always to buy something with more internal space than is initially required and go for a TV stand with adjustable shelves to give you that extra flexibility if it is ever required.

Of course you should also consider how it looks, do you want a glass, gloss wood or stained wood finish? Consider the surroundings, the type of flooring you have is also important, we would recommend browsing on the internet for laminate flooring, you will be provided with a database of flooring information to help you the customer, make the most informed choice regarding products and suppliers. What kind of shape TV stand are you looking for, do you want a cantilever TV stand which offers an excellent alternative to wall mounting or would you prefer a corner black TV cabinet? A TV stand is a piece of furniture which most people will look at every day so it’s worth spending a little time and money in getting the right piece of furniture for you.

I hope these points can help people out, if you have further questions, feel free to contact us here for friendly advice….

In the wide world of TV stands there is now an almost unlimited amount of choice, but one particular type of TV stand seems to have become more popular than almost all of the other alternatives, the cantilever TV stand can now be found in all types of UK homes, these stands appeal to all types of people.

Younger audiences love the way a cantilever TV stand looks like a wall mounted TV, of course the elegant styling also offers far more flexibility and practicality than a wall mounted television ever can. First of all cables can usually be integrated into the spine of a cantilever TV stand ensuring they are kept neat and tidy and most importantly completely out of sight, running cables has always been the achilles heal of wall mounted televisions.

Cantilever TV stands are also the best option for families and pet owners, most modern TV stands for LCD TV’s do not consider the fact that flat panel TV’s have become physically lighter than ever before. A lighter television obviously means less stability, a standard glass TV stand simply accommodates the plasma TV screen on top of the TV stand, as it is only resting on the top it can be dislodged easily. A cantilever TV stand secures the TV by bolting it to the base heavy structure ensuring that the TV can not be knocked over easily and that safety increases significantly.

When Plasma TV’s first hit the market consumers were amazed by the swanky new ultra thin sets, it was now possible to mount even the largest TV set on the wall. This concept was totally fresh and represented a status symbol as Plasma TV’s were ridiculously expensive, for those who didn’t want to wall mount a very limited range of TV furniture was offered, basically 3 shelf glass TV stands, designed with functionality in mind these stands were not designed to match other pieces of living room furniture.

So, if you didn’t want the hassle of wall mounting a TV you had no other real option but to buy a glass TV stand. Most consumers already have bookcases, sideboards and other living room furniture like coffee tables, these tend to be finished in wood. It took a while but eventually TV furniture manufacturers responded and released a range of wooden TV stands.

Whether your living room furniture is made up of dark or light wood units, cherry or mahogany you should now be able to find a wooden TV furniture unit which fits the bill. In the past you could have purchased a standard wood cabinet but it would not have TV and home cinema features like cable management, 360 degree rolling castors, ventilation and compartments measured specifically for audio and video components, but now it is a different story just browse our TV stand website to get an idea just how wide the range of TV furniture as now become.

In the early days of the flat panel television, the only options for your Plasma screen were aither a wall mount bracket or a clear glass TV stand. As time progressed black glass TV stands with chrome legs were released and became hugely popular as more and more of the Plasma and new LCD TV’s were manufactured in an all black finish. Over time some consumers grew tired of garish chrome legs and preferred the more subtle styling of an all black TV stand.

So what are todays TV stand trends, reading around some forums the concept of TV lift cabinets came up, this concept did threaten to become a major TV furniture trend, but in the end the sheer c0st of these TV units in addition to issues with practicality these stands have never truly made it mass market. Cantilever stands have proved to be one of the trendiest types of TV stands with some ultra cool designs like the  Aspect 9760 from BDI TV stands.

However the trend we have noticed as furniture retailers is that the biggest demand increase has been on traditional clear glass TV stands, TV manufacturers like Panasonic have gone back to basics and started to manufacture some LCD TV’s with a silver finish and consumers once again seem attracted to clear glass stands as an understated home for their new TV. As always Big AV seeks to respond with fantastic offers which offer simply the best value to our customers, so keep an eye out in the glass TV stands section where there will be some sensational offers on clear glass TV stands and clear glass cantilever TV stands.

We are now approaching the end of 2009, it may be remembered as a year of financial hardship and woe but here at Big AV we would rather take a more positive look and in this post we will be nominating some of the most innovative and interesting TV stands worthy of being classed as the best TV stands of 2009.

Glass TV Stands-

As the bread and butter of the TV furniture industry glass TV stands make up a large proportion of TV furniture so which ones provide the best style and value for money?

The portability GT-7 combines a stylish corner shape design with good quality toughened safety glass, available as a clear glass and silver stand, black glass with chrome or as an all black TV stand the portability GT-7 is an ideal budget solution and we don’t think there is anything as stylish and dependable for such a small sum of cash.

Cantilever TV Stands-

The cantilever TV stand market has come on leaps and bounds through 2009, old favourites like the Stil Stuk 2053 CHBL still present excellent value for money, the clear glass Stil Stuk 2053 now has stiff competition from the budget Alphason AA-2G-BR which is a fabulous budget option with a swivel facility, Alphason have also enjoyed great success with the Iconn ST600 and the BDI Vista is a sensational high end option, but all in all we think the best blend of value, style and quality is provided by the Aquila at just £249.99 this beautiful TV stand looks a lot more expensive than it really is and make a superb home for the latest ranges of flat televisions and with a class leading cable management system the Aquila cantilever TV stand will really take some beating in 2010.

TV Cabinets-

2009 was the year of TV cabinets, when flat panel TV’s came into the market glass TV stands were modern, trendy and cool and the TV cabinet was seen as old fashioned, that has all changed now with the release of some ultra smart TV cabinets from US manufacturers BDI and Salamander Designs as both have released inspirational designs, the Wenge wood finish of the Salamander designs berlin cabinets looks superb, for anyone who is interested in one of these we have one in our Huddersfield showroom, it is well worth taking a look as the finish looks much better in real life than on a picture, our favourite TV cabinet of 2009 is the glossy BDI Marina, combining modern styling and contemporary features the BDI Marina has been a roaring success as a high end home for your LED, LCD or Plasma TV.

So that’s what we think, let us know what you think, have we missed any killer products, is there a brand that we have not mentioned you think offer superb value or design?

2010 will see the release of even more quality products including the release of ultra slim wall brackets, more closed Hifi racks and a whole range of cinema seating.

The TV stand and TV cabinet market has shown some strange patterns and trends over the years, the question we are posing today is whether we will see more ultra modern TV stands or more contemporary TV stands in the future, as the design of the television screens has become ever more glossy and ever more modern some TV furniture has moved in the same direction this can be evidenced with the mix of cantilever TV stands which are now available on the market, other contemporary designs include the fantastic mickey mouse TV stand, combining modern shelving with cleverly designed media storage compartments and a truly unique shape and design.

For every modern product which has been released there has been a surprising response as many major manufacturers have created TV furniture with antique styling, most of these designs have come from the states the true home of antique TV furniture, with a wide range of brands combining traditional styling with modern features, these designers include Salamander Designs and BDI TV stands, both of these brands manufacture a whole range of television cabinets with traditional styling.

Surprisingly we are seeing more and more TV furniture and wood TV stands, than ever before, maybe the ultra modern lloks of the TV’s themselves leave consumers looking for ways to tone down the effect of high tech equipment and create a more welcoming, homely ambience in their living rooms.

There are many new types of TV furniture being launched onto the market, the level of competition in this new furniture market is fierce and manufacturers are constantly looking for ways to get one up on their competitors. Techlink have produced the funky Opod and Ovid series of TV stands which would not look out of place in an Austin Powers movie, but the retro design has become very popular in funky town houses and flats. One of the most remarkable TV stands I have seen is a TV stand with a built in fireplace, this TV cabinet has a funky electric fire built into the lower compartment, I don’t know how that would affect AV equipment and if the cabinet is designed to provide cooling to the equipment but it is certainly a novel idea and a unique product.

Other manufacturers like Salamander Designs TV Cabinets combine traditional styling with powerful modern features for use with high quality AV equipment, in a contrary manner to the above TV stand Salamander Designs do everything they can to keep the cabinet interior cool with an active cooling system which has it’s own thermostat. Jahnke are a German manufacturer of TV furniture and they have released the highly inventive Luxor range of TV cabinets and media walls, some of these have built in speaker systems to provide an all in one home theatre solution. Check out our full range of TV units for more examples of high quality TV cabinets with built in speakers from Sharp and Spectral.

Salamander Designs are an American manufacturer of high quality AV furniture, the TV cabinets are clearly geared at the high of the market and with that high price tag you would certainly expect high standards of customer service to go with it. We have dealt with the Salamander Designs UK distributers Atacama/Nordost for over a year now and we have found the customer service to be superb, in the event of any disatisifed customer the sales manager of the company will personally call the customer and do whatever he can to resolve the problem, what more could the consumer or the retailer ask for?

It was a great surprise for me to come across a consumer who describes the Salamander Customer Service. I was greatly surprised to read about this and was staggered at the comparison to the class leading service we receive on Salamander Designs TV furniture in the UK.

So it begs the question is UK customer service or US customer service better? Well I undertook a little research and found this article on UK and US customer service, certainly this paints a contradictory picture.