What's the best way to connect a home theater system?

I have a slew of cable choices for my home theater system which ones are the best way to connect my componates?

• I have HDMI cable which I know is the best way to connect my A/V to the TV but what about the VCR? I can use RF, componet, A/V (red & white) optic, This is my first set up and I am unsure which cables/configuration will give me the best quality

• Answer:

  VCR - use a composite video cable set (yellow, red, white). The order for video quality is as follows, from worst to best: * RF (single cable, like the cable TV cable or antenna cable) * composite video set (yellow, red, white) * s-video cable set (black cable with 4 pins sticking out, red, white) * component video cable set (HD capable!) (red, blue, green, red, white) * HDMI (HD capable!) (single cable with a sort of rectangular connector on either end) The only thing RF should be used for is connecting your antenna / cable TV to your TV and other devices that have a TV tuner in them, like a VCR, DVR, cable box or satellite receiver. RF and HDMI carry both your audio and video signal on a single cable. Composite, S-video and Component video all use separate cables for stereo audio (red, white cables). Only Component Video and HDMI cable can carry a HD signal. Generally, HDTVs will only let you do up to 1080i on a component video cable, while HDMI can go up to 1080p. If you have a choice, use HDMI. Only HDMI, optical audio, or digital co-ax audio cables can carry a surround sound signal usable by your surround sound receiver for surround sound. In the case of HDMI, you would connect your device (e.g. HD satellite box) to your receiver with 1 HDMI cable, and then connect your receiver to your TV with another HDMI cable. The receiver will process the audio signal, while passing the video signal to your TV. This also allows you to use your receiver as a switch for your various devices.