I understand that connection. I'll be setting this up for a neighbor. Suppose my neighbor decides that on occasion they want to watch TV WITHOUT the A/V Receiver on, with the connection mentioned they would not be able to watch HD programming?
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)?
What you're suggesting is certainly workable. For that matter you could do component from the cable box to the TV along with analog stereo and keep the cable to receiver to TV all HDMI. Either arrangement will work, and neither is necessarily better than the other. It could come down to input and ouput placement on the components, the layout of the HT entertainment unit or shelving and the lengths of the various cables.
I've always been set up "directly" video-wise...box (cable then, HDTV now), VCR, DVD wired to the TV...A/V receiver only used for sound. The wife hates using the receiver.
Digital Cable box and TV both have Digital Audio (Optical Out). Is it best to connect the Optical Audio Out FROM the Cable box TO the A/V Receiver or FROM the TV TO the A/V Receiver? I was going to connect FROM the Cable Box TO the A/V Receiver.
I used to have the same problem. Then I bought a Harmony activity-based remote and my wife loves it. I run everything through the receiver and my wife just has to push the "Watch TV" button on the remote and everything turns on and gets set to the correct setting.
Actually, running the optical from the TV to the receiver will result in 2.0 PCM in 99% of the TV's out there. The digital audio out on most TV's only outputs 5.1 DD from the internal ATSC tuner. All other sources are downmixed to 2.0 PCM. He should connect the optical from the cable box and not from the TV in order to get DD 5.1 from cable.