If your directv reciever is a standard defintion reciever a red white yellow cable from reciever to tv and a optical cable from directv reciever to samsung home theater system. Hdmi from samsung to tv for your dvd/cd playback. You want to run a red white yellow cable from directv to tv so you can not only watch tv but listen to the tv thru the tv speakers if you don't want the surround system on, but i would personally always have the surround system on. Also remeber to turn your tv speakers off thru the menu settings on your tv when playing the surround sound sometimes the tv automatically does this sometimes you have to phyiscally turn them off. The reasoning is that the tv speakers are quite tinny and create an echo effect if on at the same time as the samsung system. If you have a hd directv reciever that does not have an hdmi slot then use the component cable connection red blue green to the tv for the video and an optical cable to the samsung surround sound.