SK -
Regarding cable runs, if you have any way to run conduit (i.e. PVC pipe or soft corrugated tubing) from your TV location to your AVR/equipment location, do it. When running your wires from one location, run them all through this tube so that they are easy to pull through in the future if you need to replace one.
Secondly, and more importantly, run two or three thick strings (or rope, or thick twine, etc.) of some sort through the tubing so that you can pull through additional wires in the future without needing to get inside the walls. If you can't find a string/twine strong enough, you can also just use a spare length of speaker wire that goes through the tube. In the future, when you need to make an additional cable run, you just tie the string/speaker wire to the new wire you want to pull through, then tape it together just to be sure and pull it through from the other end. If you are running conduit, run something that allows for future cable runs so that the tube is not so tight that you can't pull anything else through.
It works like a charm and will save you from trying to run every conceivable wire you can imagine now and allow for future upgrades.
Re: HDMI cables - I have a 30' run from projector to equipment rack and purchased BlueJeans Series 1 cable for this run only due to it's thicker wire and better rating for longer runs. It is definitely more expensive than some of the thinner runs, but considering I was going through ceilings and walls, I really didn't want to have to do this run again soon (even with my conduit path from point A to point B). The cable also supports HDMI 1.3, which isn't important now, but may be sometime in the future.
For all of my other HDMI connections I used Monoprice cables to save money as my max length for anything else was 3-4'.
Have fun.
Jason
