so the HDMI is a passthrough for the video only? I would use it simply because of less cables, one hdmi from output to receiver, one hdmi from receiver to tv. I understant that some receivers are unable to decode the HD audio, but devices such as the PS3 decode the lossless audio and output the data, but not sure if regular AVRs are able to play it. If you worried about price of cable, I would check monoprice.com for cables, they are pretty cheap.