The price of flat-screen televisions is plummeting, leaving consumers spoiled for choice on what was once a luxury item.
High-definition televisions, many with internet capabilities and some with 3D options, are flooding the market - putting retailers under pressure to move stock and creating bargains for shoppers.
Figures received by the Weekend Herald show the steady decline in prices. An entry-level 42-inch THP42X10 Panasonic TV that sold for $2099 in June 2009 now retails around $800.
The fall is almost consistent with figures from the Department of Statistics showing that from the June 2002 quarter to the September 2008 quarter, TV prices fell by a total of 79 per cent.
In 2004 a flat-screen LCD television cost on average $3500, but by 2008 the average price had fallen to about $1400. These days, $500 is all it takes to buy a full high-definition 32-inch Sony Bravia, complete with a wireless adapter for internet connectivity, while at Noel Leeming, $450 buys a Samsung 22-inch full high-definition LCD TV.