By Doug Twyman

Published Sunday, Jan. 11, 2009 | 6:26 p.m.

Updated Sunday, Jan. 11, 2009 | 6:30 p.m.

Flatwire at CES 2009

Everything is going wireless these days , and more than one wireless HD media solution is being unveiled at CES this year.

But how many wireless products can you stuff in one house, not to mention the expense. You could run raceways up your living room wall, but that is not , well, the classiest solution.

So how can you mount that flat-panel TV on the wall without a big mess of cables dangling from it?

Southwire Co. demonstrated a new product in its Flatwire line of paper-thin electrical cables, which can be glued to the wall and painted over. Previous Flatwire products have carried low voltages, but the new one carries 120-volt household current.

A Flatwire representative hammered a nail through a live wire, demonstrating that it only tripped the circuit breaker so no real safety concerns.

So how cost effective is Flatwire compared to traditional round wire?

According to Flatwire, the cost of the wiring itself is competitive, and FlatWire is much more affordable when installation is a factor. Because FlatWire is installed on the surface of walls and/or ceilings instead of inside the walls, there is no cost associated with drywall or plaster repairs – and the associated time, scheduling, privacy, mess and general hassle of a conventional professional wiring install.

If you have ever had wiring hanging down, raceways stuck the wall, you can appreciate the value in looking good !