yustr

Re: cables - I don't believe that there's much difference between cables - provided you stay away from the really cheap stuff. If you go to a company that sells cables - as opposed to an individual - and look to the middle of their price line, you'll probably be OK. Here's One - there are many others. I avoid high priced cable because my system and my ego don't demand them.

Re: hooking up the blu-ray player directly - no. Speakers need power to move the mass of the speaker back and forth to produce the sound. Blu-ray players put out what's called a line live signal. That signal then needs to be boosted (amplified) to work. Some speakers have amps built in and can take the line level signal and make music. Most do not.