HDMI Cable Necessary?? (1 Viewer)

[Michael Fein]

I'm in the process of finishing up an addition on my house. Next week the drywall goes up and I want to pre-wire before the drywall goes up for a HT System. Utilizing a 5.1 HT System with DirecTV HD DVR Receiver and
37" Panasonic HD Plasma. There is an output on this TV for an HDMI cable, but I've been told that if I am hooking up to a 5.1 receiver, the HDMI is a waste of money and I'll be just fine with the component cables, especially if they are hidden behind the wall. Is it really true that the HDMI cable is not necessary? Would greatly appreciate feedback before the walls go up ;-)

 

[Jack Briggs]

That would be an input for HDMI on the Panasonic -- and HDMI connections are the gold standard for DVD-player connectivity by keeping all information in the digital domain. So, you definitely need it (assuming you eventually get a DVD player with an HDMI output -- which we all will eventually).