So I wound up getting the Hitachi 42HDS69 (42" plasma)which isn't getting delivered until Saturday. I'm not going to have a fancy set up by an stretch of the imagination, but am just looking to get as much satisfaction as possible with what I have to work with at this time. I will not be hooking up a receiver or any speakers to the tv at this time, so I will only be using the speakers that come on the tv. I will be getting an HD DVR box from Cablevision that includes an HDMI input, and my tv has 3 HDMI slots. First, should I really go with HDMI with such a basic set up that I have? Not sure if it's worth it at this point. Also, do I need to go with Monster cables, or will other brands do the trick for my situation? I saw a surge protector/home theater power center at Costco for only $39.99 that looked similar to one of the Monster power centers I saw. Is there anything specifically I should be looking for when shopping for this? In addition, I have a DVD player that's more than 6 years old, though it is in excellent condition. Does it make sense to switch to a DVD player with progressive scan? I'm assuming at some point I will look to buy surround sound, but not right away. Just trying to find ways to maximize my initial investment with not breaking the bank on extras right away.

- Steiner74