You're in the wrong forum as your Sony is an LCD "rear projection" unit. People here tend to be picky about such things.
That said, you'll want the best available connection between your cable box and the TV. Quality generally goes down in this order: HDMI/DVI, component, S-video. Depends on what your cable box supports and which input you want to reserve for your DVD player assuming you have one.
I'd post in the RP forum and tell people what cable box you have and what cable provider. You'll get some feedback on HDMI vs. component. Your TV supports both. Monster Cable is a fine brand; they make both types of cable and they are readily available online and at retail stores.
Also, you may need to call your cable provider and have them upgrade you to receive their HD digital signal. Usually involves you giving them more money. Alternative is to try to receive HD off the air using an antenna (remember those?) Your Sony has an internal ATSC tuner that will receive standard and high definition broadcast signals.
Finally, your TV also has a CableCard slot. If you really intend on going to DirectTV, then it's useless. If you think you'll stay with cable for a while, CableCard is an alternative to your external cable box. The advantages of CableCard are: 1) some cable companies charge a lower monthly rental fee for it vs. an external box, 2) some people report they get better picture quality with it vs. the box, and 3) you have one less component to manage and your channel selection is done through the TV. The disadvantage is you'll lose the ability to "2-way" communicate with your cable company, i.e. you'll no longer be able to order PPV and your on-air channel guide may no longer work. For that, you'll need to wait for "CableCard2" which is still some months off (and no guarantee it will even work in your "CableCard1" slot).
Oh, one last thing... If I were you, I'd wait to do anything until my TV arrived and I had the chance to play around with what it can do. The first thing I'd do is screw the cable directly into the TV -- NO CABLE BOX -- and tell the TV to seek all available channels. I'm pretty sure that TV has an internal QAM tuner for receiving digital cable. Depending on how much scrambling your cable provider is doing, you may find that you get all the channels you need without the box and some may even be HD!
Good luck.
That said, you'll want the best available connection between your cable box and the TV. Quality generally goes down in this order: HDMI/DVI, component, S-video. Depends on what your cable box supports and which input you want to reserve for your DVD player assuming you have one.
I'd post in the RP forum and tell people what cable box you have and what cable provider. You'll get some feedback on HDMI vs. component. Your TV supports both. Monster Cable is a fine brand; they make both types of cable and they are readily available online and at retail stores.
Also, you may need to call your cable provider and have them upgrade you to receive their HD digital signal. Usually involves you giving them more money. Alternative is to try to receive HD off the air using an antenna (remember those?) Your Sony has an internal ATSC tuner that will receive standard and high definition broadcast signals.
Finally, your TV also has a CableCard slot. If you really intend on going to DirectTV, then it's useless. If you think you'll stay with cable for a while, CableCard is an alternative to your external cable box. The advantages of CableCard are: 1) some cable companies charge a lower monthly rental fee for it vs. an external box, 2) some people report they get better picture quality with it vs. the box, and 3) you have one less component to manage and your channel selection is done through the TV. The disadvantage is you'll lose the ability to "2-way" communicate with your cable company, i.e. you'll no longer be able to order PPV and your on-air channel guide may no longer work. For that, you'll need to wait for "CableCard2" which is still some months off (and no guarantee it will even work in your "CableCard1" slot).
Oh, one last thing... If I were you, I'd wait to do anything until my TV arrived and I had the chance to play around with what it can do. The first thing I'd do is screw the cable directly into the TV -- NO CABLE BOX -- and tell the TV to seek all available channels. I'm pretty sure that TV has an internal QAM tuner for receiving digital cable. Depending on how much scrambling your cable provider is doing, you may find that you get all the channels you need without the box and some may even be HD!
Good luck.
