Component Video cables vs HDMI

Depending on the quality of cable you may or may not experience a better picture. Source material can also make a difference.

The component cables are good for everything up to 1080i, but HDMI is required for 1080p (blu-ray). I think some HD Cable broadcast at 1080p, but I don't know this for a fact. Just get an HDMI from Fry's online. You can get three cables for under $20 most of the time.

The pros of HDMI are 1080p video and digital sound are transferred through the cable. The con is the HDMI connection is slightly fragile and is more prone to damage than other connections. The importance of cable quality increases along with the length of the cable. For cables less than 2 or 3 meters focus on the quality of the connectors. I use three MonoPrice.com (no affiliation) premium HDMI 1 meter cables, Product ID: 3991 @ $5.17 each, in my home theater with very satisfactory results.

Hoever, since you are replacing several video and audio / digital cables with one cable you can still save money with moderately priced HDMI cables.