Unknown DVD player control

June 23, 2006 12:06 PM

Someone pilfered a DVD player from an interactive display that my employer designed and built. For some reason, no one seems to have record of the model of DVD player in question, and it was attached to a "menu" and "play" button via an 8-pin cable (pictures here and here.). Does anyone out in the void know of a DVD player with this kind of controller input?
posted by hominid211 to travel & transportation (4 comments total)

Ack! Did not mean for "travel & transportation" as the type of question.

Although, in my defense, it is a display at a museum.
posted by hominid211 at 12:08 PM on June 23, 2006

Something like this?

You may also want to search for DVD players with RS-232.
posted by I EAT TAPAS at 12:40 PM on June 23, 2006

Many, many thanks Tapas!
posted by hominid211 at 1:06 PM on June 23, 2006

FYI, what you're looking at there is a Mini-DIN 8 plug, probably serial, as was commonly used for Mac serial ports pre-USB.

The problem here is that it is very possible that it was connected to an adapter and then plugged into a regular DB9 serial port. The adapter would have been connected to the DVD player with thumbscrews, but Mini-DIN 8 uses a friction fit, and is easy to pull apart. If you were stealing the DVD player, at which point would you disconnect such a cable?

It may be useful to know exactly what is on the other end of this cable. Are the buttons directly wired to the cable, or is there some sort of interface board or box?
posted by trevyn at 1:17 PM on June 23, 2006