Might be a little late to this party but as for HDMI runs, I pulled the trigger on a brand I could find no reviews on.

FORSPARK, sold on Amazon, at Newegg and eBay. I purchased mine on eBay. 50ft, non directional, no chips, beefy, hi speed hdmi. It's performed flawlessly thus far. I'm setting up an equipment rack in the back corner of my basement and this hdmi feeds up to my living room TV.

Conduit is always a good idea if it's an affordable situation.

Pan TH-50PZ800U
Onkyo TX-SR805
Axiom M80 (2)
Axiom VP180
Axiom QS8 (2)
Axiom EP500
PS3, Harmony One