To hook up hdmi i know you need a hdmi cable. The question i have is does a 1080 I or P cable make a differenc?

Many people say they find it difficult to distinguish between 720p and 1080i, but they can between 720p and 1080p

The cable directly affects the quality of the picture. The following is a list from best to worst including their resolution capabilities for transport:

HDMI (1080p, 1080i, 720p, 480p, 480i)

Component (1080i, 720p, 480p, 480i)

S-Video (480i)

Composite (480i)

Coaxial (480i)

If you stick with a 1.3 HDMI cable you should be right.

There is a difference between expensive and budget HDMI cables. It revolves around the quality of the cable build and the materials used. The question is whether this will affect my set up. First you should determine the length between your source and your display. If this is less than 15 feet a "standard" cable will be ok. If it is more than 15 feet you are best to consider a "high speed" cable. Make sure that you buy from a reputable source and that the cable is marked with the HDMI logo and says that it is a version 1.3 (don't worry about a, b or c as these are only testing protocols) If you live in a coastal or high humidity area it is worth considering getting a cable with gold connectors. While this will not improve your signal it will stop corrosion degrading the signal over time.

Some people assume that as the signals are digital either the cable works or not. Sometimes however the 1s and 0s aren't all there because of signal degradation due to inferior cable construction. That can be especially true with audio and video sources such as CDs and DVDs. The signal will degrade gracefully, to a point and then it will break up. Music and video is not like data. Digital signal processors can work with a degraded signal and deliver less than perfect sound and pictures.

You can never improve a digital signal by using an expensive cable but you can certainly degrade a signal using an inferior cable.

If you want to know more about the HDMI interface and HDMI cables you can download the free 21 page ebook "HDMI Demystified" at the following link.

http://www.hdmisystems.com/

There are different types of HDMI, 1.4 is the latest and supports 3D among other things. But don't get ripped off by a high street technology shop trying to sell you cables that can often cost up to £50. Go on eBay, Amazon or similar and search for a 1.4 HDMI cable and you will get as good a cable you would pay £50 for in shops. I've just bought a 1.4a gold plated 5 metre HDMI cable off ebay for £3.18 :)

HDMI and Component cables will carry all flavors of video. They can carry all forms of HD and SD. Whatever you send through them, they'll get it to the TV. Then it just depends on whether or not the TV supports that format.

You do want to make sure the HDMI cable is rated as version 1.3. That means it can carry both video and audio over the cable. That's the only thing I would worry about for the HDMI cable.

Also, don't go spending a lot of money on an HDMI cable. There are numerous consumer reviews out there that show the $10 no-name one gives 100% equal quality as the $100 "brand" name one. So check out Amazon, Newegg, monoprice, bluejeanscables, etc. and pick up a nice cheap one. You can check out stores as well, but the big box places often carry and try to sell you the $100 cables, so you might have to check out a few stores (check out computer/electronics speciality stores) to find a good price.

There is no such thing as a 1080i or 1080p cable.

no difference, HDMI is HDMI