HDMI cables exemplify an amazing achievement in home theater cable electronics. They carry digital audio and video signals to the various peripherals of the theater system. This is advantageous in several ways. First, digital signals are preferred to analog because of the minimization in 'noise' and the increase in clarity of the picture and sound. Secondly, since the cables carry both audio and video signals in one cable, they are much simpler to setup.

It used to be very difficult to setup an entertainment system. Video cables were independent from audio cables and audio cables had several separate pieces to them. You had to figure out where each cable was coming from and going to. Unless you rightly labeled them when installing the system, you would never be able to figure out the mess of cables and wires.

Using HDMI cables is amazingly efficient in comparison, even if you are hooking up a lot of different components. You just connect one end of an HDMI cable to your input device. This could be your cable box or a Blu-ray player. Connect the other end of the cable into your receiver in the appropriate location. Repeat this step for all of the different input devices you have.

Next, connect another HDMI cable to the output section of your receiver. Plug the other end of the cable into your high definition television and the entire setup process is complete. Labeling the cables is completely unnecessary because in the worst case scenario you still only have a small handful of cables clearly plugging into different devices.

If you set everything up in this manner, instead of connecting directly to the television, then all you have to do is change the source on your receiver in order to use a different input device. For example, if you were watching football through your cable box but decide you want to watch a movie, you just switch the receiver to the Blu-ray player's input and the television will show that signal instead.

Beyond being simple to setup and use, these new, fancy cables also provide clear picture and sound quality. A high definition picture that is displaying in true 1080p is absolutely breathtaking to look at. Combined with the great clarity of the sound signal and the ability to use full surround, HDMI cables are a massive step forward in home theater equipment.