New System cable advice please

[Tubas]

I am doing up the sitting room, and it has presented me with the opportunity to totally revamp and update my AV system. A system that is about 5 years old, and all components to that system will go into the tip. I have settled pretty much on the individual parts, but the technology of "connection" has me a little baffled. I have read the faqs, and think I have a fair grasp of what I need, but what I do seek to avoid is buying the "wrong" thing and wasting money.

I will be purchasing:

Toshiba 46" XF355DB LCD TV or the 40" if the wife veto's the size.
Toshiba HD-EP35 - HD DVD Player
Sony STR DA5200ES Receiver
SKY HD Box

The sky aerial enters the room about 20' from where the TV will be.

My fundamental question is: What cables and leads do I need to purchase to make the above system work? If at all possible I would like to place all the "boxes" at the side of the room, with the TV isolated on a cabinet. I cannot wall mount the TV. Is it OK to run a pair of coaxial cables to the HD box under the carpet?. Or is 20' to far? The cables would then need to run from the side of the room to the TV. That seems a problem as I will then have a pile of ugly cables running across the carpet. Alternatively I would place all the boxes under the TV. With the cables emerging from under the carpet behind the TV, then running across the carpet to the TV, and amplifier.

So many questions, and so few answers. I am going round and round in my head with all the permutations but just cannot find an elegant solution.

Any advice gratefully received.

Many thanks

 

[MitsiTurbo]

You will need two HDMI cables, one for the SkyHD box, the other from the HD-DVD player. An optical cable from the SkyHD box to the receiver and either an optical or digital coax cable from the HD-DVD player to the receiver (dependant on which connection it uses). Obviously, the SkyHD box will need the two coax's from the dish. That is the minimal that you need. I would say that you will struggle to get all that under the carpet and I would consider pulling the skirting board off and running behind there

 

[Tubas]

MitsiT:

Many thanks for that. Sadly I am unable to run the cables behind the skirting boards as I have a fireplace in the way. But another solution is to move the sky aerials to a different close spot.

As the Sky installer is going to have to put an extra aerial in for the HD I might as well get him to move the current one to the "closer" spot and have both enter the house there.