Since the publication of our MP3 Jukebox back in October 2001, we've had many requests for a similar remote control system for DVD players. This time around though, we've dispensed with the liquid crystal display in favour of on-screen display (OSD) and designed a simpler, lower-cost infrared receiver.

Like the previous design, this unit hooks up to a free serial port and can be installed inside your PC or mounted externally. It even includes the ability to power up your PC remotely!

In conjunction with free Windows remote control software, it can be used to drive a popular DVD player (WinDVD 4 or 5) and MP3 player (Winamp 3). In fact, if you're a keen programmer, you can set it up to control just about any Windows application you desire.