Big screen TVs get hot

The Sydney Olympics has set off a boom in sales of hand-held and big screen television sets to allow people to watch events away from home, the Australian Financial Review reported on Wednesday.

The newspaper said some retailers had seen a rise of nearly 500 percent in sales of $150 hand-held televisions that would allow viewers to watch Olympic events at work, on the beach, at a restaurant or even in a car.

Retailers also said sales of big flat screen television sets were also up about 70 percent over the previous two months.

"It is quite clearly tied to the Olympics," said Ken Barelli, Australian managing director of manufacturer Pioneer.

Television rentals were also up with one Sydney outlet reporting that all 2,000 of its big screen televisions were already leased.

Many Australian resorts plan to set up outdoor big screen televisions to enable guests to watch the Olympics.