Connecting a MBP to an HDTV

was thinking of picking up a DVI<->HDMI cable off of ebay (what can I say? I'm stingy )

Is it as simple as hooking up the MBP to my TV and then sitting back? (I wanted to display some vacation photos on my screen)

Was also wondering about a connection to the surround sound system. Do I just use the digital out port and connect to my receiver?

 

It was for me going from the dvi out to vga on my family's Sony Bravia LCD.

 

I agree, yes on both points. This is the method I also use to put my Mac mini on my HDTV.

Also for cables, ebay may or may not have them, but for the most part, nothing beats www.monoprice.com . I got my DVI-HDMI cable there (3 foot) for $3.31 plus $2.78 shipping (shipping varies)

the also have 6 foot ($4.03), 10 foot ($4.70), and 15 foot ($5.82) lengths... for higher grade lengths, (i.e. in-wall quality) up to 50 feet ($86.57).

http://www.monoprice.com/products/subdepartment.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10231

their prices for other cables are similarly inexpensive. Remember, with digital signal cables, don't believe the marketing hype over Monster Cables and terms like signal loss and interference. When you're dealing with lengths as short oas the typical home theater, cables that carry digital signal (like DVI and HDMI) don't suffer those effects.