Well
Guys - I really LOVE these posts to either get rid of my new equipment (HDTV in this case) and/or replace virtually all of my stereo equipment - really not reasonable and helpful - I'm 65 y/o and don't know how much more time I have on this planet, so should be a consideration in making your recommendations; if I were 30 yrs younger, then my plans would certainly be different - just a thought when you presumed youngsters respond -
Concerning my current situation for those who may be interested or may have the same situation, I had 2 problems to solve: 1) Sound - as noted in my previous posts, the new HDTV had POOR sound, so I decided to purchase a Boston Acoustics soundbar/wireless sub (Model TVee 30) - rather pricey but sounds great for my needs; so happy in that decision; 2) HDMI - attached my 3 HDMI cables to my Time Warner cable box, Sony Blu-ray player, and Roku device - problem w/ loss of sound which seemed to be related to the cable box (HDCP issue?) - contacted LG TV, Crutchfield, & TW cable - which suggested that I just switch cables out & experiment; obviously no specific advice.
After giving the above HDMI attempts, I finally just connected the cable box to my TV via a component cable (and the additional 2 audio RCA connections - I don't need Dolby 5.1 digital so not an issue for me) - well all seems to be working well - I'm watching some new Blu-ray discs tonight and can get the digital channels on my cable box - satisfied at the moment.
Again, thanks for all of your comments and appreciate the GREAT experience & knowledge available on this site - I'm sure the I will be back soon w/ other issues - Dave