David Passell sends along this article by Jim Clark, from the Yavapai Amateur Radio Club Newsletter.
"If you have a working TV DVD or Blu-ray player, it is suggested that you DO NOT REPLACE IT with a newer version, especially one that does not connect with component (yellow, white, red) connectors. Also true for computer DVD or B-E (Blu-ray) recorder/players. Reason: The newer ones are designed to ONLY play commercial DVDs or Blu-rays. The new ones will not play home recorded or converted camcorder DVD's — take heed and if you must buy one (new or used) for a TV look for the yellow, red, white component connectors on the back and test them out in any case. There might still be some older ones left in the stores.
"Keep your old one just in case.

"This is a Sony and others' change supposedly to prevent movie piracy. There are workarounds like Locksmith on the Internet but you have to keep updating to keep ahead of the constant changes and need to be somewhat technically oriented to do that. If you already have a newer Blu-ray player you might be too late for home-recorded Blu-rays but look around on Craigslist for an older one if you need one and test it out before buying."

So, what do you think? We put the question to Jim Hamm, and here he enters the discussion: "Very interesting. Coincidentally, we just recently (within two weeks) purchased two new DVD Blu-ray players from Costco. They are the Samsung brand, and they connect to the TV with a HDMI plug. We don't happen to have a home-recorded DVD movie to try to see if it would play on the Blu-ray player.

"This makes sense from the perspective of Sony and other DVD manufacturers such as Samsung. But it probably won't sit well with people who have copies of DVDs. We'll be at our condo Monday and I'll see if I can pick up a home-recorded movie from our daughter and son-in-law. If yes, we'll bring it home and see if it will play. I'll let you know the results."