It’s often written that changing viewing habits will sound the death knell for the conventional TV, but that’s not proving to be the case. People’s viewing habits are changing, but when it comes to proper, focused TV viewing, nothing beats a large flat panel TV mounted on TV brackets.

It’s about the experience as much as anything. Video content is available from all sorts of different sources these days, but most of them are only really good for watching snatches of things – short YouTube videos and the like. If you want to watch 12 episodes of a drama series, you don’t want to be squinting at your phone, you want to be relaxing on your settee, looking at a large, well-positioned screen.

Nevertheless, in the States, Nielsen research has found that people are spending longer streaming online video, even if the total number of viewers isn’t growing so rapidly. People are spending twice as long watching internet video compared to three years ago with a 26 per cent increase in viewers.

Jo Holz from Nielsen, said:
“The greater increase in time spent viewing compared to the number of unique viewers is likely due to an increase in the amount of video content available for viewers to watch, especially long-form content like movies and TV shows on sites like Netflix and Hulu.”

Those aged 18-34 account for 40 per cent of total streaming time.

When many people think of internet TV, they imagine themselves hunched over a laptop watching snippets of video on YouTube, but technology has moved on and now conventional TVs can be internet-connected. This means that online TV services don’t negate TV brackets. In fact, by allowing us to watch the programmes we really want to watch, when we want to watch them, they make brackets all the more important, because TV viewing becomes something that demands greater focus, rather than being a background activity, as it often is now.

If there is one company that is always associated with the internet, it is Google, so it is only logical that they be linked with internet TV. The firm has installed a high speed web network in Kansas City and is now looking to provide a TV service through it. It is said that it is in talks with Disney, Time Warner and Discovery Communications regarding this project. It is also being reported that Google has hired Jeremy Stern, a cable TV network executive to have discussions with other networks.

Google do currently also offer a TV software platform which is built into certain brands of TV. The service is essentially an altered web browser, based on the firm’s Android operating system. Thus far it has received a lukewarm response, but as time passes, it seems more and more likely that such offerings represent the future of TV.

Recent figures indicate that BT Vision is proving increasingly popular and for the first time ever, it signed up more customers than Sky in the last quarter.

BT’s number of broadband users was up by 46 per cent in the three months up until the 30th of September compared to the previous period last year, but it was with TV that the most striking results were seen.

BT vision gained 41,000 new customers in the period, compared to 26,000 for Sky. BT also believe that they have outstripped Virgin Media, although the latter dispute this. However, overall BT Vision still trails its two competitors. With 638,000 users, it is way behind Virgin, with 3.7m, and Sky, with 10m.

Whatever TV service you have, you will need TV brackets to get the most out of it. As well as keeping your TV secure and out of the way, a bracket will also ensure a superior viewing position.

With a bracket, you can position your TV exactly where you want it to be. It should be square-on to your seating position, so that you do not need to twist your neck. It should also be at a reasonable height, because if it is too high, you will again find that you develop neck and back pain.

It is worthwhile having the TV located at a slight height, however, as it allows for a better view for more people. Also, through using swivelling and tilting brackets, you can have your TV set up for multiple seating positions.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is considering making a change to the licence fee in order to cover a loophole whereby viewers can use the BBC’s iPlayer without paying.

The £145.50 fee covers all programming, as it is broadcast, but not that which is played via computer catch-up services. Being as TVs and set-top boxes are increasingly internet-connected, this seems illogical, as it is perfectly possible for someone to watch the same BBC programme on the same screen mounted on the TV brackets in their living room as if they had recorded the show on a digital video recorder – for which they would have had to have paid the licence fee.

153m television and radio shows were broadcast via the iPlayer in September alone and it is still a growing trend. The newer, digital set-top boxes may even trigger a further surge in usage.

A Department for Culture, Media and Sport spokesman said:

“Government is aware of developing technologies and the changing viewing habits of those who watch television programmes. How the BBC is funded as these issues evolve is a matter the department will need to address in the near future.”

According to the BBC itself, no change is necessary at the moment, because while on-demand viewing is popular, few people use it without also viewing live TV.

However, a 2009 BBC Trust review of the licence fee did ponder whether changes might one day be necessary should internet streaming become the sole method of watching TV.

Final ratings aren’t yet available, but it seems that the World Series of baseball over in the US is attracting record numbers of viewers. The first two matches commanded the largest audience share for all but half-an-hour each day. In all, they were watched by around 13m people.

Those figures are likely to have climbed as the best-of-seven series between the Texas Rangers and the St Louis Cardinals wore on. The sixth game was a nail biter in which Texas were twice one strike away from winning the World Series for the first time in their history. However, St Louis triumphed meaning the seventh match is effectively a winner-takes-all final, which is sure to raise the viewing figures still higher.

Sports matches frequently draw the highest viewing figures because they aren’t entertainment that can be postponed. You can’t wait until the DVD comes out – you need to experience the action as it happens. For this reason, sport gives us one of the few remaining forms of ‘event’ television where people tune in en masse.

A big match is an occasion and it is more likely that you will be sharing the experience with friends and family. When this happens, you need a big TV and a clear view for everyone. The best way of achieving this is to have your TV installed on the wall with the aid of a TV bracket. In a higher position, the TV will be that much easier to see.

A major sporting occasion always leads to high TV viewing figures. Look at any list of the most watched TV events and you will see that the majority are sporting events. Dramas, films and sitcoms are always repeated and lose little through being watched later on, but sport needs to be watched live, as it unfolds.

This was borne out by the TV viewing figures for the Rugby World Cup. Officials proclaimed themselves ‘delighted’ with the numbers of people tuning in. According to Rugby World Cup Limited, the All Blacks’ semi-final victory over Australia drew a New Zealand record 1.97m viewers. Figures aren’t yet out for the final, but it is sure to have improved on that.

Australians were almost as enthusiastic, 3.23m watching the fixture, while in Europe, 9.5m watched France v Wales on TF1 in France, even though the fixture kicked off at 10am.

Here in the UK, ITV reported an average of 5.9m viewers for the same match with a peak of 6.6m.

RWCL and IRB chairman Bernard Lapasset said:

“Rugby World Cup 2011 has been an exceptional event on and off the field and what we are seeing with the strong viewing figures is a reflection of the highly competitive and compelling matches and the tournament’s position as a truly major international event.

“The audience figures in New Zealand highlight the massive level of interest in what is the biggest event ever to be hosted in the country.”

If you’re looking forward to a major sporting event, get yourself prepared for it. If you have a flat screen TV, install it on the wall using TV brackets for the optimal viewing experience.

When you hear the term ‘second-hand television’ you tend to think of an unreliable box that provides a terrible picture and muffled sound. However, the terms has also been used to refer to something else.

Researchers in the United States have looked into the impact of adults’ TV viewing when children are around – that is to say when the children aren’t watching the TV themselves, but are in the vicinity. Apparently, it can have a negative impact.

According to several studies, background TV can affect young children’s development. It can lead to their playing for shorter lengths of time and can have an effect on language development as well. This seems odd, but there is a fairly obvious explanation – when parents are watching TV, they aren’t really interacting with their children.

Children learn from face-to-face interaction, so anything that cuts into this time is going to have a negative effect. That isn’t to say you shouldn’t watch TV, however. It’s about finding a balance. Rather than spending long hours watching TV for no real reason, parents should spend quality time with their children and then, when they have an opportunity, spend quality time watching TV.

We’re conditioned to think that there can be no such thing as ‘quality time’ when it comes to TV, but that’s entirely untrue. There are educational and entertaining TV programmes that demand much greater focus from the viewer and reward them for it. If you’re watching documentaries or high quality drama, you’ll find that your greater focus leads you to hanker for a better viewing experience as well, so invest in a better TV if you can afford it and install it on the wall using a TV bracket to ensure the optimum viewing angle.

In an effort to make its Canadian fast food outlets look a little cosier, McDonald’s is to splash out $1bn on new décor. The outlay will cover 1,400 stores and it is hoped the work will be complete by next year.

The old plastic wipe-down interiors will be gone, replaced by leather furniture, plasma TVs mounted on brackets and even fireplaces. The move follows a similar overhaul in the States.

Explaining the thinking, McDonald’s Canada CEO, John Betts, said:

“People tend to linger a little bit more in restaurants today. They want to enjoy their meals, take a break from the busy lifestyle that they lead and we think our restaurants today are certainly doing that a lot better than in the past.”

The change in scenery will be backed up by changes in the kitchen as well. There will be new menu items and more stores will benefit from the McCafe which offers fruit smoothies, pastries and high-end coffees rather than the produce normally associated with the brand.

The firm is basically trying to reinvent itself in the face of a changing market. There is increasing emphasis on healthier options and the provision of wall mounted TVs and wireless internet access reflect the fact that customers prefer more comfortable surroundings. Should they succeed, it will be quite an achievement being as McDonald’s is virtually a byword for unhealthy eating habits and low cost, low quality food.

LG has been a prominent contributor in the HDTV market. Many LG HDTVs are available. Now, LG has launched a new 3D ready TV which is the largest 3D TV yet created at 72 inches. This will provide a great 3D experience and will allow a clearer image, making the 3D effect more impressive than ever before.

Many people buy 3D TVs so as to relive the experience they had in the cinema. By hanging a TV on the wall or from ceiling TV brackets and by adding surround sound, one can make the home a mini 3D cinema.

TVs have become a symbol of luxury and prosperity and installing TVs on walls and ceilings using TV brackets provides style and elegance to a home. A TV mounted on the wall is less obtrusive when not in use and is in a better position for viewing when it is.

If you have an LG TV and would like it to be wall-mounted, there are brackets specific to every model. If you take a look online, you can see which brackets fit which TVs and can then buy accordingly.