Here’s the one thing you need to know about computer and audio/video cables: They’re cheap.

“NO!” you exclaim, perturbed by my obvious and odious lie and my use of purple prose in this paragraph.

“But I spent $75 at Best Buy on an HDMI cable, and…”

Yeah, you’re an idiot. Though it’s not your fault. You, like many before you, have been duped by the markup gods and the big box retail game.

The truth is, depending on your technological needs, you can get away with paying little to nothing for cables and wires. Here’s what I mean:

Case #1: I have a new HD flatscreen television with a cable box. I do not have surround sound or an A/V receiver to hook up

You need: One HDMI cable. It will handle audio and video.

You could get away with: One component video cable (Red/Green/Blue plugs) and a Red/White RCA audio cable.

You should spend: $0. Comcast will give you either cable for free. Ask for the HDMI cable. It’s one wire that does everything instead of five wires. HDMI also supports 1080p, whereas component video only goes to 720.

What the stores have tried to sell me: An $89 — yes $89 — Monster HDMI cable. Again, you should spend ZERO dollars for the same quality.

Case #1a: I also have a Blu-ray player.

You need: To buy an HDMI cable, because it most likely did not come with your $30 Blu-ray player.

You could get away with: Asking your cable company nicely for a second HDMI cable. They literally have piles of these things.

You should spend: No more than $5. Don’t believe me? Click here.

The stores have tried to sell me: The $89 — yes $89 — Monster HDMI cable and a $35 optical audio cable. You don’t need an optical audio cable when you’re using HDMI. Ever.

Case 2: I have a flat-screen television, a brand new A/V surround sound receiver, a cable box, and a Blu-ray player.

You need: Speaker wire, a subwoofer cable, possibly a subwoofer Y-adapter, and three HDMI cables. You run one HDMI cable from the television to the receiver and one each from the receiver to the cable box and Blu-ray player. Same with a PlayStation 3. No audio cables needed. You run speaker wire from each speaker to its corresponding port on the receiver. DO NOT buy banana plugs or any other kind of accessory for the speaker wire. It’s simply another point of potential failure. Just use the bare wire.

You can get away with: Do not use component video cables. You’ll have to buy a separate coaxial or optical audio cable for surround sound (Dolby Digital/DTS) audio. Just use HDMI.

You should spend: $5 or less per HDMI cable and no more than about $15 for the speaker wire.

The stores have tried to sell me: The $89 — yes $89 — Monster HDMI cables, $35 optical audio cables, $40 Monster speaker cable and $10 speaker cable attachments.

Case 3: I have several home networking devices, including a NAS device, home theater PC, video game consoles, and a network printer

You need: Cat 6 cables and a gigabit router with Wireless N. You can use Wi-Fi for things like Wii, room monitors/security cameras, a smart thermostat, etc. For an Xbox 360/PS3, a computer, a NAS, and anything that is storing photos, videos, or music, you should make sure it is plugged into the network directly. Just my advice. Some will say Wi-Fi is there, but I say plug it in.

You can get away with: Cat 5e cables and a gigabit router with Wireless N.

You should spend: About $100 on the router (see this story) and $2-20 on each network wire.

The stores have tried to sell me: Extremely marked up routers and $20-40 cables. Think twice.

And here we go again.

Try walking into Target, Wawlmart, Staples, or a discount furniture store this time of year.

Everyone is spending all that discretionary income on back to school and back to college items. Beds and futons. Microwaves and microfridges. Notebooks and netbooks. It’s a cornucopia really.

We guarantee you missed something vital.

Here are five things you need, but didn’t buy, for your dorm or recently graduated apartment.

1. A home theater receiver with HDMI

You may have speakers. You may not, so keep that in mind.

What we know you DO have is a video game console or two, a Blu-ray player or DVD player and cable service with DVR. You also have that shiny new flat panel your parents bought you.

You need a home theater receiver to (a) have surround sound and (b) organize everything into a manageable mess.

An old hand-me-down receiver will not work. You need a receiver with HDMI ports.

On a budget, the Yamaha RX-V371BL will do the trick. It has four HDMI inputs as well as an output. This means you only need HDMI cables to wire up your PS3, video player, etc. You do not need several multicolored cables for video and optical cables for audio. One wire, done.

Of course, if you want to get a little more complicated and a lot more high-end, check this out.

2. A personal smoothie blender

You want the Oster BLSTPB-WBL My Blend 250-Watt Blender. Just trust our judgement on that.

You want to get in shape. You want to eat and drink healthy things. You just don’t have a handy solution. For all of $29.50, you can have a personal blender that makes fruit smoothies, mixes protein shakes, and allows you to craft something just for you.

The 20-ounce BPA-free plastic bottle is dishwasher safe and fits most cup holders.

It will pulverize frozen fruit, fresh fruit, ice, and even veggies, if you’re really healthy.

The My Blend also comes in a variety of stylish colors.

3. A keyboard case for iPad

You may very well have been lucky enough to own an iPad or have received one as a gift. The iPad is wonderful. The apps. The multimedia. The battery life. Love it.

The super duper new folding case? Not so much. It slips off and doesn’t provide much protection.

It’s also a bitch to type anything long on a touchscreen.

The Logitech Keyboard Case for iPad 2 solves a lot of these problems.

First, it is an aluminum case. It adds a new level of protection beyond the soft cover you may have purchased with the iPad. It’s also soft on the inside to keep your screen safe.

Second, it’s a real keyboard, no worse than a laptop keyboard. It lets you sit there and take notes or write emails or blog more comfortably on an iPad.

It also works in portrait or landscape mode.

4. HDMI and Cat5e Cables

We touched on wires a bit in the first option, but cables are the salt of the techno-dorm’s earth. The two main wires in services today are HDMI multimedia cables and Cat5e network wire.

Do. Not. Buy. Them. At. Best Buy.

At their core, cables and wires are cheap. They are just wire! Copper, plastic, rubber. Raw materials. They cost very little to make.

Do not pay $50 for an HDMI cable and $30 for a network cable.

Buy your cables on Amazon. You can get a good HDMI cable for $10 or a decent cable for about $3.

Network cable is even cheaper.

You can get 25-feet of Cat5E (which works for gigabit ethernet) for 30 cents on Amazon.

You need cables for all your devices. Don’t pay a lot for them.

5. A Crock-Pot

Even if you can’t cook at all, you can still use a Crock-Pot to make food.

And the Crock-Pot Cook and Carry 6-Quart Oval Manual Portable Slow Cooker lets you not only cook but bring your melange of foodstuffs with you. You can actually bring something homemade to that housewarming party you’re going to next week.

These slow cookers make stews and and chilis very doable. Anyone can cook with a Crock Pot, and if you’re new to living on your own, you need one. Unless you enjoy Ramen every day.

Oh, and it’s $29, so no price excuses here.

For those who grew up in the information age, the convenience of being able to manage multiple devices from a central location “" namely, our couch “" is very important. Well now, thanks to IOGEAR’s HDMI control center, you can now mange all of your HDMI inputs and home office peripherals from your couch.

The IOGEAR HDMI Control Center.

The device is complete with a wireless keyboard with a built in laser trackball allowing users to easily navigate, switch, and interact with all their HDMI peripherals. For example, the device allows users to quickly switch from a Blu-ray movie to a computer connected to their HDTV, type and send a quick email, then switch back and continue the movie all from the device’s remotes. This is extremely useful for those who work in front of the TV or prefer the ease and organization of a central organized location for work. It may also be the solution for those of us that lack a home office.

The device is simple plug and play with a sleek design and, according to IOGEAR, works with game consoles, set-top boxes, Blu-ray and DVD players and media servers/computers.

“At IOGEAR, we are constantly innovating new technologies to give consumers the easiest and most complete computing and entertainment experience,” said Miranda Su, executive vice president of IOGEAR. “As convergence increases between these two mediums, we strive to offer solutions that efficiently and cost-effectively bridge this gap.”

IOGEAR’s HDMI Control Center is at the 2009 CEDIA Expo in Atlanta, GA right now and until September 13^th at booth 5715.

IOGEAR recently announced a brand new remonte-controlled HDMI switch that will suit professionals and tech-addicts nicely until A/V receivers and other devices start putting four or more ports on their devices by default.

With gamers, audiophiles and every middle-aged man building the “theater room” throwing more and more devices into their entertainment centers — PC’s, gaming consoles, Blu-ray players, high-def cable boxes — this little box comes in handy. And it’s got a remote. Sweet.

The GHDMIS4W6 four-port HDMI switch with remote is available now on IOGEAR’s website and other retailers for $90.

Creative announced Monday the new Xdock HD, which will upconvert iPod-resolution video to 720p or 1080i and upconverts music to their X-Fi Xtreme Fidelity technology.

The Xdock HD can also play video on an HDTV in DTS surround sound. It will work with the iPod Touch, Classic, new Nano and previous generation iPod’s asa well.

“We designed the Xdock HD so that all the movies, music and photos that you carry with you on your iPod can be experienced in HD in your home,” said Steve Erickson, vice president of audio for Creative. “The Xdock HD transforms your iPod from a portable device into a high-quality HD entertainment system.”

The Xdock HD connects to a home theater receiver by HDMI, component or composite inputs and supports analog and optical audio.

The Xdock HD outputs a menu to a TV screen, and it lets users scroll through with an included remote to select among your videos, music, photos and podcasts and change video settings including skin tone correction, luminescence sharpening and color saturation, Creative said Monday.

The dock will be available in the spring for $399.99.

A recent survey sponsored by IOGEAR (sure they have an interest in the subject matter…) suggests consumers are lacking adequate numbers of HDMI inputs on the TV’s and home theater receivers.

As video games and home video units adapt high definition technology, most televisions still only carry one HDMI port while many affordable receivers come with one or two ports. So if you combine your Playstation 3, HD-DVD, high-definition cable/sat television and enough money leftover for an Xbox 360, you’re out of luck in the HDMI department.

“Home entertainment devices continue to come to market with HDMI capabilities, and as our survey illustrates, end users are finding it difficult to support the number of products in their living rooms,” said Miranda Su, vice president of sales and marketing at IOGEAR. “It is important for consumers to experience the high-quality audio and video that HDMI provides, as it enables them to have the richest home-theater system possible.”

According to the email survey, 300 out of the 1,000 respondents only have one HDMI input, while nearly 60 percent surveyed want to simultaneously connect up to four a/vl products to their TVs.

“This presents consumers with a home-theater conundrum, forcing them to either disconnect a device every time they want to access a new one, or not take advantage of the robust HDMI features incorporated in their digital entertainment products. Having multiple interfaces on HDTVs is increasingly vital as more than 600 makers of consumer electronics and PC products worldwide have adopted HDMI1, with products including set-top boxes, DVD players and gaming consoles,” IOGEAR said.

While it’s not common for users to have three or more HDMI devices, more and more consumers require at least two — one for high-definition television and one for a video game or home video (upconverting DVD, Blu-ray or HD-DVD) setup.

The result: look for more and more home theater receivers to include 2+ HDMI ports and added component video inputs too. Remember, HDMI and DVI use the same video interface — and you can buy an adaptor cable to use any DVI device on an HDMI port.