Help with hooking up. (1 Viewer)

I am in the early stages of a home theater and the more I read the more I get confused. Here is where I am at. I have an older model Zenith 35" TV with RCA, Cable and S video inputs.
I have a Sony DVD Model DVP-CX850D with Component, Digital Coax, Optical, S-Video and RCA outputs. I am waiting for delivery on a Sony STR-DE995 A/V Recevier and I have a Sony Hi-Fi VCR and last but not least I have NON-Digital cable service. I really want the recevier to control everything. I am also going with 6.1 Surrond. What should I use to connect the DVD to the Recevier?The Digital Coax or the Optical? Also how do I get my NON digital cable srvice into this system and if I go with the S-Video only input into my TV will it work? I have downloaded the manual for thr Sony Recvr. I have also read Home Theater for Dummies and Home Theater for Everyone by Robert Harley. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank You

Hook up the dvd player with whichever cable you have more inputs for on the receiver.

I think the only way to get sound from cable when you're using the built in tuner of a tv is to use audio out jacks from the television to the receiver. If your tv doesn't have those, I'm not sure what you can do.

If you want receiver sound from you CATV you would have to run it into the VCR, and the VCR out to the receiver. You could also split the CATV coax line and send one directly to the TV also.

You should compare your picture quality from the DVD player by trying out both the S-video and the yellow compoite cables. If the S-Video is better, you'd have to run the S-video to your TV, and probably the composite from the VCR too, unless your receiver can 'upconvert' the composite signal to an S-Video.

Glenn