I just found this site:
http://www.structuredhomewiring.com/
Wow, that's a lot of info. Is there an easy way to do something like this, like an all in one cable?
It seems like a ton of wires, do I really need all of that, like all those phone jacks and coaxial cables, etc?
What would you want to have in the wall plate behind your tv for the main viewing area?

Here is a link that might be useful: how to wire a house

basically what *I* would do with new contruction is to run 2 rg6 quad coax and 2 6pr cat5e/6 lines to every room, also prewire rooms for speakers and outside for patio, etc

cat5/6 will commonly be used for ethernet connection for hardwiring computers, video game, appletv, uverse, etc etc

you can run hdmi signals over ethernet if needed

so basically put cat5e/6 drops everywhere even where you thing you wont need it

@ace_tx From what I've read a lot of people are suggesting what you said, so I'm thinking that would be a good idea....
can you just help me understand it a bit more?
Would I run all four of those wires to where the tv would be in the room? or only 1 rg6 quad coax and 1 6pr cat5e/6 lines to where the tv and they other 2 would be at a different location in the room?
(Then of course all those wires would run to the central location, right, and plug into what?, I'm not sure - guess I can figure that out later)

Are there any other cables I should have behind my TV in the main viewing area (assuming my dvd player and stuff are in a separate cabinet)?

THANKS!

i'd run drops to opposite walls in rooms where furniture/tv arrangement changes, bedrooms 1coax/1cat5 on each side because you dont know which wall you'll put the bed on sometimes or place furniture

certain areas like built ins, above fireplaces, niches spots where tvs would go i'd put 2 coax, cat5, and prewire for speakers

and in say a kitchen 1 coax/cat5 for like a small tv

study, office, excercise, laundry rm etc you may want a tv or an ethernet/phone connection in there

so main rooms id do 2 drops of coax and category cable

and make sure to put at least 1 drop of each in other rooms

Great thanks!!

just to clarify
you said "certain areas like built ins, above fireplaces, niches spots where tvs would go i'd put 2 coax, cat5, and prewire for speakers "
is that 2 cat5 as well or just 1?

If I want to keep my dvd player and anything else specific to the TV in that room is a separate cabinet than the tv (but still in the same room and not in the basement) what should I do?

Also, if I wanted to stream something from the computer to the tv would I run a cat5 or cat6 from the computer location directly to the tv?

Hey @ace_tx
Since you've been so helpful and if you have time, I posted a lot more questions here: http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/build/msg101021327297.html?5
You've answered a lot of them, but I was wondering if you'd mind going through this and answering the rest.
If you don't have time, I understand.
Thanks!

Its 2015 and wireless tech for computing etc is surely the way forward, so why would anyone need to run Ethernet cables round a house. I have never used an Ethernet cable for years. Could someone please point out what I am missing.

The networking backbone will still be a physical cable - whether it be wire or fiber optics for reasons stated above.

The endpoints are more likely to be wireless e.g. - 2.4/ 5/ 60Ghz for convenience and mobility.

MiFi (cellular to Wifi) may possibly eliminate physical cables in limited circumstances