Ttrev laments how much flatscreen television prices have plunged.

Under a thread on PC Magazine site headed "Flat screen TV prices plummet" posted in January, Trev of Napier (who doesn't give his last name) said: "Makes me feel like crying. I paid $2500 for my 40-inch LCD Sony four years ago. Mind you the previous model to my Sony cost over $5000."

That same model on electronic retailer Dick Smith's website this week was selling for $688.

On the website PriceSpy, it puts the spotlight on the Panasonic Viera TH-P50X30Z. The lowest price for that model in May last year was $1600. Today it is half that price, with Heathcote Appliances offering the best price of six Kiwi retailers at $798.

Unsurprisingly, shoppers spend most on televisions and laptops, according to Statistics New Zealand's prices team, which has been analysing retail transaction data on consumer electronic goods.

Averaged over a three-year period, the biggest proportion of cash spent went on televisions (about 40 per cent) and laptops (28 per cent).

Kiwis spend significantly more on digital cameras and portable media players at Christmas, the new data on electronic-gadget shopping habits shows.

Statistics NZ worked with market research company GfK to research the retail sales of eight gadgets over three years from mid-2008 to mid-2011.

It examined the sales of camcorders, desktop computers, digital cameras, DVD/Blu Ray players and recorders, laptop computers, microwaves, televisions and portable media players such as iPods.

The data showed there were "significant increases" in relative spending on digital cameras and portable media players in the Christmas period.

"For nearly all the goods, spending peaks in the Christmas period," Statistics NZ said.

"The exceptions to this are computers, both desktops and laptops, where spending peaks in January."

In 2010 and 2011, spending on televisions peaked after Christmas. The data shows a large number of post-Christmas sales of televisions in January 2010 and January 2011.

During the three-year period the number of televisions sold rose, while spending on them was largely unchanged from 2009.

The fall in the amount spent on televisions reflected a drop in the average price of the units over the period.

In the three years the number of laptops and televisions sold grew, while the numbers of digital cameras, DVD/Blu Ray players and recorders, portable media players and camcorders declined.

Just two goods increased in average price during the period – desktop computers and portable media players. They were both about 10 per cent higher in mid-2011 than at the same time in 2008.

In mid-2011, average prices of DVD/Blu Ray players and recorders, camcorders and televisions were all about 30 per cent lower than in mid-2008.

The average laptop sold was about 20 per cent cheaper and average prices for digital cameras and microwaves fell about 10 per cent.

"Interestingly, the average price of digital cameras drops each December," Statistics NZ said.

"Our analysis has found there is a change in the mix of digital cameras purchased towards lower-priced models during this month."

- © Fairfax NZ News