I learned early on that if you are going to have a high definition television, you need to have the right cables. I got my first HDTV back in 2002 and it took all of a week to realize that unless I had the thing wired to output at the optimum, it was a waste of money.

I didn’t get the 55-inch TV in my divorce, but that’s fine with me since my daughter has informed me it stopped working shortly after I left the house. It would have irritated me to spend the time and money to move the thing only to have it go out on me. So, I’ve got a newer, flatter model and I hooked it up with the correct HDMI cables and other appropriate hardware.

However, I did not fall into the trap of buying all that stuff at the same store where I got the TV. Think abut it this way. When you buy a new computer, the salespeople will often try to sell you battery backups and surge protectors that you KNOW are way overpriced, but something clicks in your head and that tells you it will just be easier to buy everything at once, despite the inflated prices. It’s the same with HDMI cables. You’d be surprised how much money you’ll have just by looking online. Don’t fall into a trap. If you find a great deal on a HDTV somewhere, by all means buy it, but spent just as much effort looking for the best price on cables. I’m talking about the potential for an $85 price difference. It’s worth a few minutes of your online time.