Just 150 of the promised 500 digital television set top boxes are currently available in Australia. Worse yet, local retailers remain unsure if they've been allocated any units from the next shipment.
It'll be the end of the month before punters can pick up a set top box for personal use as retail stores have been allocated individual boxes for demonstration purposes only.
"There's certainly not enough [set top boxes] for people to be walking home with them," Ten Network's network technology development manager, Stephen Rubie, told ZDNet.
The manufacturer of the boxes, Thomson Multimedia, confirmed the boxes would be delivered for "demonstration purposes only over the next couple of days".
"More will be struggling in later," Nine Network's manager of regulatory and corporate affairs, Creina Chapman, said.
The next batch is expected for shipment on January 8, according to Rubie.
The demo boxes are being distributed to retail stores as of today, with some retailers still unsure as to whether or not they've been allocated any boxes.
Retravision is currently "in discussions" with Thomson Multimedia and said it hoped to have an answer by the end of the day.
Harvey Norman expects to have boxes for demonstration in 25 of its larger city stores today, with the rest of its metropolitan stores receiving boxes by the end of the week.
"We've had quite a number of customers asking about digital television and digital set top boxes today," Harvey Norman's audio-visual coordinator Bret Davies said.
Harvey Norman is hopeful of receiving allocated sale stock of "a few hundred" set top boxes by the end of the month, Davies added.
During an earlier interview with ZDNet Australia, Seven Network's director of corporate development, Simon Francis, said the speculated price tag of AU$600 per box was "rather exuberant". However, the boxes will retail on Harvey Norman shelves for AU$699.
The boxes will be competitively priced at $698 in Dick Smith stores, although the retailer is yet to receive demonstration boxes.
"We're expecting these any day now," a Dick Smith spokesperson said. Demos will be available in Dick Smith's Powerhouse stores in Sydney and Melbourne.
"We expect to receive stock to sell by the end of January," the spokesperson added.
Nine Network's Chapman put the set top box delay down to Christmas and New Year "and the lack of working days", as well as testing, "to make sure everything will be working properly - which it is".
Network Seven's Rubie agreed that software testing and upgrading had slowed down delivery of the digital TV set top boxes.
This was "okayed by everyone late last week," Rubie said. "These are rock-solid saleable."
I recenty purchased a Std. definition "Set Top Box" for my 68 cm Analogue T.V. I might add at this point that I reside in a "Home Park" situation for over 50s and our reception is chanelled through a central antenna system . I have no argument with that as the reception is perfect on our 9 Channels. The problem is, my set top box doesn't like it. I can pick up Channel 9 perfectly but not a smidgeon of any thing else. Can you throw me a hint as to what is happening. Some say we are over boosted. I look forward to your comments as there must be others having the same problem.