If you go from satellite to receiver and receiver to TV, then the receiver is in charge of switching between sources and that is more convenient than connecting every device straight to the TV (because you never have to change the input on the TV).
If you have other sources, like a DVD player, you'd want them connected to the receiver too. But there are potential issues:
1). Does the DVD player or other source also have HDMI outputs?
If yes, no problem. If no, the receiver must have the capability of transcoding other video types to HDMI.
2. Does that satellite pass audio over HDMI? If not, then you need an additional digital audio cable (optical or coax) to the receiver.
