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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.

The TV furniture market is buoyant and ever expanding as more people come to realise a TV stand is not just a functional necessity but it can also be a stylish piece of furniture in it’s own right. In the UK alone there are over 30 quality manufacturers producing quality AV furniture for all tastes and budgets.

Glass TV stands are the norm, these have been manufactured since the emergence of flat panel televisions, the most popular manufacturers of glass TV stands include Optimum international, Stilexo and Portability. Available in clear glass, black glass with a mix of black legs, chrome legs, silver legs and brushed steel supports. Glass TV stands come in a range of sizes, they are usually found in a three shelf variety. Corner shapes, oval TV stands and taller TV stands are all available from online retailers like ourselves.

TV cabinets are the markets latest trend, high quality wooden cabinets with luxurious finishes like BDI’s natural stained cherry and espresso on oak. Gloss black TV cabinets have also proved to be popular evidenced by the huge sales of the Techlink Opod and Techlink Ovid ranges of cabinets.

Cantilever TV stands are a more modern concept and suspend the Plasma, LCD or LED TV in mid air giving a similar effect to a wall mounted TV screen. This idea is becoming more and more popular as parents prefer the safety of a TV which is positioned higher and the public have now come to realise wall mounting is actually a complex procedure which will require alot of thought to ensure wiring is convincingly concealed.

Visit our web site for a great range of all types of TV stands.

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.

We are proud to be one of the first retailers to be getting the NEW Iconic UKGL 510 designer cantilever TV stand in stock.  This is a brand new product and is due in towards the middle of next month, so in plenty of time for Christmas.  Featuring an ultra modern high gloss black finish and having the ability to support an LCD or plasma up to 46″ we know that this is going to be one of this seasons hot products. We expect to be taking pre orders from the first of November, once we have finalised the pricing with Iconic

We now have the full Iconic TV stands range available to order on our site.  We currently have all the stands listed with photos dimensions and basic specifications but keep coming back as we will be adding full detailed descriptions to all of them shortly.  In the mean time if you need any information about any of the fantastic Iconic range you can call FREE on 08000 556209.

With the addition of Iconic that takes the number of different brands we have available to 24.  But we are not content with just having the biggest range in the UK.  We aim to provide the worlds most comprehensive selection of TV and AV furniture, so keep checking back as we are always adding new and exciting products

As we have previously documented in this blog the TV furniture market has seen rapid and relentless expansion with more and more new, innovative products released on the market every month. Ambitious designers and manufacturers have looked for new and exciting ways of housing a LED, LCD or Plasma TV, while some of the results are staggering the beautiful BDI TV Stands for example, some television furniture may have taken afew wrong turns somewhere in the design.

The Dalcans design cube television cabinet is certainly revolutionary but it does remain debatable as to whether this kind of ultra modern TV cabinet has a place in the UK market. The designers basically decided that it was boring and restrictive to just place a TV on top of a cabinet and that this kind of futuristic design is superior in terms of visuals and functionality.

The American market has seen more and more innovation and the media wall concept seems to really be catching on across the Atlantic, whether or not these modernistic stands will be a concept which catches on here in the UK. Cantilever TV stands have now caught on here so maybe we can expect to see some movement from the UK market with this type of product. I guess many people will think these manufacturers are lunatics and that they would never put something so obtrusive in their living rooms, but for somebody with the right living space a piece of contemporary luxury TV furniture could be the icing on the cake for your home cinema system.

Cantilever TV stands provide the perfect solution for people who enjoy the look of a wall mounted television screen but do not want or need the hassle of wall mounting. Wall mounting can be more complicated than it sounds not only do you have to drill into the wall, providing your wall is strong enough but you need to run all the cabling, to do this without creating an eyesore requires the cabling to be run behind the wall, if you do this wall mounted TV’s look great, but then you decide to buy a Blu Ray player and you need to run another cable to the TV….

Cantilever TV stands cut out this headache by offering a much more flexible solution to the problem. A cantilever TV stand is a raised home for your Plasma or LCD TV, much like a wall mount solution, however the flexibility of a free standing unit makes life alot easier if you ever need to change equipment or add cabling. When buying a mountable TV stand you should always check the supplied mounting bracket to ensure it is compatible with your TV, measure the mounting holes on the back of your TV set and ensure that the bracket is large enough, if you have a TV 32″ or smaller it is important to check that the bracket itself is not larger than the TV, there are many cantilever stands specifically designed for smaller televisions so why should you buy one where the bracket protrudes from wither side of the screen. Follow this simple advice and you should be fine.

A cantilever TV stand is a tall TV stand with a built in bracket, this type of TV stand gives you a similar look to a wall mounted stand yet provides a much more practical and convenient solution.

The first cantilever TV stands to be launched on  the market were the Alphason Apex series, these stands had a beautiful four shelved leaf design and were immensely popular, Alphason had just created a product which would shape the future of the TV furniture market.

Following Alphason’s move a new TV stand company off the wall released a range of TV stands all with the cantilever theme. Each of the off the wall products also featured a four way adapter for easy management of AV equipment, off the wall proved to be successful and led to the creation of more cantilever tv stand specialist companies in addition to mainstream companies introducing cantilever TV stands.

Optimum launched the elmob TV stands, these European designed stands were of decent quality yet they significantly reduced the price of this type of TV furniture. Following Optimum’s move the then market leaders, S&C releaed afew cantilever models.

Today the cantilever TV stand market is dominated by Stil stands and Aquila TV stands. Alphason and Techlink are large mainstream brands with a strong ranges in the cantilever sector. Additionally high end manufacturers like Spectral and BDI also have a foothold on this market. New cantilever products are being released on a regular basis and the market is set to grow and adapt through the remainder of 2009 and thoroughout the whole of 2010.