The Home Show, which is in its 19th year, will run till Sunday at the Sydney Convention Centre in Darling Harbour.

With everything from home automation to design solutions and furniture to swimming pools, vendors are taking the opportunity to display and explain their products. Especially in the complex area of home automation or even networking, seeing how the solution can work in a "real life" situation can be key to understanding how these technologies can benefit a consumer's home. Companies such as PDL and Netgear have setups for this purpose.

The big CE companies are represented at the show, including a large stand by Samsung, which has its whitegoods, vacuums, computer monitors, audiovisual products as well as its new cooking range on display. Sporting a European look and feel, the new cooking range includes gas and ceramic cooktops, (with the former manufactured by Samsung, and the latter sourced from France) as well as ovens and a microwave.

Look out for some slick designs from Omega Smeg, which has a new line of retro styled fridges, as well as a smart dishwasher which breaks away from the traditional size and design, to give you an alternative option for installing it in your

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kitchen.

Motorola is also showing off its range for the whole home, including new Bluetooth headsets, its Audex ski gear as well as a new device which plugs into a USB drive to provide Bluetooth streaming capabilities to the machine.

Philips is showing off its $250,000 diamond encrusted Ambilight plasma, made to celebrate its millionth Ambilight. Don't get any ideas though, it's guarded full time by a burly bodyguard.

Given the environmental issues of water and power on the agenda at the moment, there were many exhibitors large and small showing off smart eco-friendly home solutions. One smart little product is something called Thermilate, which when mixed in with your paint, will provide natural insulation to your house, promising significant reductions in your power bill. According to the company, the technology was originally invented by NASA for coating space shuttles.

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Also in the eco-friendly space is Advantage Air, which offers a power-saving automated reverse cycle air-conditioning system, called GEN III, and "ecosmart fire" which is a really neat ethanol-fuelled fire place which can be installed or come in a self contained glass panelled box complete with cubist art decorating it.

See: www.sydneyhomeshow. com.au