Originally Posted by vechinsj

The plan started off as just to get AV from the PC to the TV so I can do certain tasks while sitting in the living room (organize photos, maybe play some games on a nice big screen, etc). Then after thinking (and after buying the video card), I'd like to 'future-proof' the setup in case I ever get around to buying a TV tuner card for the PC so I could set the PC up as a DVR...saving and outputting in HDTV (1080i resolution with surround sound) would be ideal. My ultimate dream list would then be to buy a Blue-Ray disc player so I could watch movies in 1080p resolution; but this is not at all likely with my current time and cost restraints.
I'd like to make a beefier setup in my home as well but costs are the prohibiting factor...

Regarding your setup...you must have the audio signal going to a separate source than the video? I'm guessing if I set my TV to one of the HDMI inputs, it will be expecting audio from that input as well? I have a separate receiver that I can run audio to, so I should be OK; I'll just have to remember to turn my TV to "PC" and my receiver to whatever input I run the audio to.
Right now the PC is just sitting on the floor next to the TV stand. It's a rather unsightly setup, really. Since I have both the audio AND video running right to the TV I only need to turn on the TV. If I wanted to I could route audio to my receiver for better sound but lack the cables for that setup.

Would there be signal degredation using a DVI cable, if I didn't use a DVI-to-VGA adapter until right at the TV? Or doesn't it matter where the signal is converted (at the source vs. the receiving end)? Consequently, are you saying there should be little to no degredation using a DVI-to-HDMI cable?
If the TV has a digital input and the PC has a digital output then you'll want to preserve that. Converting the digital signal to analog and then back to digital can cause some loss in image quality. Using a DVI-to-HDMI will cause no loss in quality.

One more question (sorry!) - Would I be much better off going with 35' as opposed to 50' in terms of degredation? I only need around that where I'm at now, but we plan on selling our house and moving this summer, so I'd like to have a few extra feet.
Go with the shortest cable you possibly can. Like I said before, if you're planning on a long run you'll want a quality cable to preserve the signal. Even short cords that are of high quality can be expensive. AVOID MONSTER. Check your local suppliers and also take a trip over to www.milestek.com for more options.