Quote Originally Posted by Ace H
I'll be setting this up for a neighbor. Suppose my neighbor decides that on occasion they want to watch HD TV WITHOUT the A/V Receiver on.

How about doing HDMI from cable box to TV, and running Component Video from the A/V Receiver and HD DVD player to the TV (I realize I will need either Optical or Coaxial Sound connections for this hookup)? I think with this option they can watch HD programming at all times (with and without A/V Receiver on)?
If you run an HDMI cable from the cable box directly to the TV, (and then components and optical or coax from the HD-DVD to the TV) he'll be able to watch any show he wants with the AVR on or off. He'll just have to turn the volume on the TV to hear it. Then you could run optical or coax from the cable box and HD-DVD to the AVR for when he wants surround sound to go with it. Just remember to turn the sound on the TV down or he may get an echo, an echo.....