not sure how to connect HDMI DVD player

Can someone please explain the advantage(s) of connecting my DVD player to my 970 & then to the TV, instead of just going directly to the TV? My DVD player has HDMI, so I'd need 2 HDMI-DVI cables to reach my HDMI equipped TV if I go through the 970. Going straight to the TV of course means only one cable. My system has only the DVD player as a source, & I don't see adding another component in the forseeable future.

My DVD player (Denon 1920) has 5.1 analog outputs. The manual doesn't give a clear desription of what they're for (well, to me anyway). Are these strictly for SACD, DVD-Audio, DVD-Video, or all? I'm just using the digital Toslink connection to the 970. Am I missing out on some sonic goodness by not using the multi-channel analog outputs? I've bought a few DVD-Audio discs (& quite like the quality) & am planning of regularly adding them to my collection.

Outlaw Model 970
Anthem MCA50
Denon DVD-1920
Toshiba 34" 16:9 HD CRT
Wharfedale Pacific Evo 8/center/surr/12" sub

The benefit of using the 970's DVI switching with your HDMI-equipped DVD player is that you can still connect a second DVI or HDMI-equipped component (HD cable box, HD satellite receiver, or later this year a Blu-ray or HD-DVD player) even though your TV doesn't have another input. If you don't plan to add anything else, you can of course go straight to the TV with the HDMI signal.

The Denon DVD-1920 supports both SACD and DVD-Audio, both of which are under some heavy restrictions as to how the signal can be output. The only ways to get the full resolution audio signal out of the player are to use multichannel analog outputs or an approved digital output (IEEE-1394, HDMI 1.1 for DVD-Audio, HDMI 1.2 for DVD-Audio and SACD, or a proprietary format like Denon Link), none of which either the 1920 or 970 support. In the case of the DVD-1920 (and most other universal players), the multichannel analog output also includes decoders for Dolby Digital and DTS, although I don't recommend using them with the 970 mainly because the digital output allow you to use processing modes like Pro Logic IIx. If you are not using the multichannel analog output with DVD-Audio or SACD, however, you are not truly getting the high resolution audio available with these formats - SACD typically provides no signal at all to the digital output, and DVD-Audio only provides a Dolby Digital 2.0 track.