I have a Blu-ray DVD player from 2007, but when I try to play certain discs, it tells me that the player cannot read that disc and needs to be upgraded. What should I do?

Answer:

Blu-ray players first appeared in 206 but those sold then had fewer features and capabilities. Some older units may even be too quirky to play certain movie discs properly.

You can check the manufacture’s web site for any technical posting concerning your model. Many firms advise updating the players firmware (the software installed inside the Blu-ray hardware that allows it to read and play discs) as a first troubleshooting step.

The process may vary depending on the player, but it typically involves downloading a firmware file to your computer, burning a CD of the files and then inserting that CD into the Blu-ray player to copy the update to the player’s firmware.

Updating the firmware on an older Blu-ray player won’t automatically let it work with all the advanced features of the newer discs, but it could allow the older player to at least play the main video.

Some discs may never work properly. If you start by updating the player’s firmware, however you might be able to get some discs to work.

Adapted from NYT QN2YDJEDUYST