By Patrick Avenell

SYDNEY, NSW: There is a pulsating demand for new TVs and set top boxes in regional South Australia and Broken Hill, with these areas set to turn off their analogue sets for good in less than one month.

Come 15 December 2010 — four weeks from today — there will be no more rear pro or early model flatscreens, with only digital TVs good enough to receive the wonderful content being broadcast by the five networks and their digital multichannels.

A very busy store manager from Mount Gambier Retravision told Current.com.au that his outlet had been very busy and that there had been a noticeable upswing in demand.

Travel 100 kilometres north along the border to Naracoote, and the Retravision there is also getting ready for the switchover. Current.com.au was told that this story had also been experiencing higher than normal demand, but there had been no stock issues thus far.

There are four main regional centres being switched over on 15 December 2010. These are Broken Hill, Riverland, Mount Gambier and the Spencer Gulf.

The next batch of switching is scheduled for 5 May 2011, with Gippsland, North Central Victoria, South West Victoria and the Goulburn Valley all turning off the analogue.

To read about the uptake in 3D TVs, click here.