Thanks to everyone for all the info, though I'm still not sure if I'm looking for something that does not exist. The deal is my cheapo Insignia NS-D160A14 has started to make so much noise I have to wear headphones, so its time to replace it. I'm looking to upgrade, and the idea of a multi-region DVD player sounded good on paper, but theory doesn't always match reality. I definitely don't want to have to fuss with it, to get it to work...plus fooling with firmware and such is likely outside my tech skill. Definitely don't want to have to replace my LCD TV, as it is now only used for DVDs (kicked Comcast out, and threw away the useless Mohu-Leaf antenna).
If anyone can recommend a multi-region DVD player that works out of the box, plays on a regular ole American LCD TV, has composite (red, yellow & white) connectors, and is currently available on the American market, please let me know. If not, I'd like recommendations on a regular ole DVD player with composite connectors (my setup only uses these RCA connectors). I have zero interest in Blu-ray, so that is a non-issue.