Offer the content and they will come: 99.5% of LCD TVs sold in Australia during the second quarter of 2008 were high definition, bringing the estimated number of homes receiving HD broadcasts to 25%. And just under five per cent of homes are now estimated to be watching on “full” HD (1080p) models.

With all of the terrestrial broadcasters now offering stand-alone high-definition channels, Sony’s High Definition Benchmark report, based on Australia Bureau of Statistics figures and compiled by GfK, says that a further nine per cent of homes have HD plasma TVs. That means over a third of the country can now watch high definition broadcasts.

The highest number of HD LCD TVs ever were sold during the (pre-Olympic Games) quarter, with sales at 326,909, plus another 113,314 HD plasma sets. And of those sold, around a quarter -108,792 - were full HD 1080p models.

Despite tougher economic times, the market for high-definition TV sets still rose 4.5% over the quarter, with spending at A$756.3 million, of which A$448.9 million came from LCD TVs. Another $223.6 million came from plasma TVs, with HD games consoles accounting for A$55.4 million.

© Rapid TV News 2008