Apple TV finally dropped this week, and there's one thing that seems to surprise people: There are no cables in the box. None. Nada.

It's not that surprising to me. Besides the fact that Apple's Web site says the cables aren't included, anyone with a home entertainment setup knows that devices often don't include cables. I've made it a habit to check what cables are not included whenever I get a new piece of hardware.

Because ease of use and simplified setup are Apple selling points, some people are going to connect the Apple TV themselves, even if they had someone else do the TV installation; people often have professionals install the widescreen TVs that the Apple TV requires. So you might be surprised to find that the proper cables aren't included, even if the packaging says so. A company can't predict how you want to connect your device. With Apple TV, you can connect via HDMI or component video - Apple would have to include two different cables, driving up the cost and leaving you with a potentially wasted cable.

Chances are, you'll want to connect your Apple TV via HDMI. It's the connector between the Ethernet port and the red component video port. HDMI stands for High-Definition Multimedia Interface, and it's a digital connection. Apple sells XtremeMac's HDMI cable for $20. You can also find HDMI cables for under $6 or for $200. Confused? You're not alone.

I've never been able to tell the difference in video and audio quality between cheap and expensive HDMI cables under 10 feet. And from what I can tell on the Internet, a lot of people feel the same way. An argument I often hear is that because HDMI is a digital signal, it's not as susceptible to interference as an analog signal, such as component video. (If you know where I can read hard data to support this, let me know. I'm talking actual data and analysis. Not that I don't believe the theory, it's just that I'd like to be able to back up the argument with substantial data.)

XtremeMac's HDMI cable is a reasonable $20.

Which HDMI cable should you buy? You can always buy, try, and return, but if that's too much work, go with a price you're comfortable with. Yeah, it's a cop out, but I've met people who just can't believe a $4 cable will work as well as a $20 cable - some people are willing to pay a little more for peace of mind. But I do think that paying $200 for a HDMI cable is too expensive for a $299 device. We plan to use XtremeMac's HDMI cable in our Apple TV testing.

Have experience with HDMI cables? Does anyone have experience with HDMI switchers that let you connect multiple HDMI sources to a single TV? (My TV has only one HDMI port.) Post a message in the comments section below.