I think a bunch of you are way overreacting. You don't seem to realize the kinds of things Philips has been doing in the past. For example, they make their DVD players such that they are generally very easy to hack to make region free, so you can bypass the region coding that movie studios often put into DVDs. Typically, one simply enters a code via the remote control, that is easy to find on the internet. They also typically make their players compatible with both PAL and NTSC, making it so that they can play any DVD sold anywhere in the world (once you have hacked the region coding). Some other companies, like Panasonic, typically make their players so unhackable that it takes circuit modification to bypass the region coding. (Please note, "typically" means what it usually means, so what I am saying does not necessarily apply to all players made by these companies.) Also, Philips has been very much against the copy protection modifications to CDs (which have made them unplayable in some players), going so far as to take legal action and make the makers of such abominations NOT have them labeled as a "CD", because they do not follow the proper format. And Philips makes plenty of CDs themselves, so they have as much to lose with pirating as anyone. Now, with a history like that, do you really think Philips is going to seriously try to screw over people with junk that other companies want? With Philips owning the patent, NO ONE ELSE can use it without Philips' permission, and then they must use it according to Philips' standards.
As I said before, many patents are made for things that are never made, so getting your panties in a twist over a patent for non-existing products is just plain silly. Some of you need to learn to relax and not get worried over nothing.
