A friend made some dvd recordings for me and when I try to play them on my dvd player I get a message on the screen that says playback feature may not be allowed for this dvd. Why can't I play them?

Several possibilities that I can think of.
1. The DVD format may not be compatible with the DVD player.
2. The original DVD may have been copy-protected and the copy is not allowing itself to be played.
3. The original DVD may be from a region that is outside your region of the world (not likely).
4. The DVD player doesn't have the CODECs required to play the DVD
5. The medium (the DVD, itself) is damaged.
6. Your DVD player hates you :D :rolleyes: