Mini displayport to vga to hdmi? or...

I got a new TV for Christmas which has VGA and HDMI set up. Would it be better to go straight from my mini displayport on my macbook pro (2009) to HDMI or to from mini displayport to VGA to HDMI? Also what would you suggest I connect to get the best quality sound?

Clearly, I don't know a lot about this so I'm also wondering where you would suggest I get this stuff...? is it cheaper on Amazon.com? cause I saw generic connectors that aren't apple for mini displayport to HDMI that are only like 3 dollars. Are those worth it?

Thanks.

Please see the sticky at the top of this thread: http://www.mac-forums.com/forums/other-hardware-peripherals/193239-connecting-your-mac-your-tv.html

Also, your Mac does not support audio through its HDMI port so yea, you can use HDMI for the best picture but then you would need a separate audio cable.