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BCD DVD-C7
(PC & Button Control)

DVD Player
for Museums, Interactive Exhibits & Displays, Trade Shows...


BCD DVD-C7 DVD Player with Wired Remote button control connector and RS-232 rs232 control

BCD DVD-C7. Inset shows Wired Remote pushbutton connector and RS232 control connector.

DVD-C7
DVD Player "Wired for Buttons" & RS-232 Control

It's a DVD player designed especially for interactive displays and exhibits in museums, trade shows, or the corporate lobby. It has a built-in button controller and RS-232 control! Just connect your buttons and you're ready to go. The DVD-C7 is preprogrammed with the Arrows (Up, Down, Left, Right), Enter, Next, and Previous, but you can assign any command to any button. OR, control multiple players from a single RS232 serial port!

The built-in RS-232 (rs232) DVD control port provides PC operation of one or more units in an interactive exhibit or display. It is also the interface for reprogramming to add firmware features. The RS-232 protocol expands on the BCD's 4-character command set in use since 1982. For example, "PLAY <CRLF> makes it play. (CR is a carriage return/linefeed). The DVD-C7 command set includes most of the commands found on the unit's handheld IR (infrared) remote control.

The 8-pin "button control port" provides closed contacts to let simple buttons / pushbuttons act as a wired remote for stand-alone operation without a computer.
MSRP $

BCD DVD-C7 Manual as .PDF file

How to: Play video scene #3 when the user presses Button # 3
Easy.
  • Preparing the Disc
    Make your DVD with a Menu. Most authoring systems assign, or let you assign a Key Number to each menu item. (When you press the '3' Key on the Remote, the player shows Scene #3.)
  • Programming the DVD-C7
    Use a serial port terminal program like HyperTerm that comes with Windows® or BCD's DOS-based BCDComm communications program.
    Type the command BT03 NUMB 3 (NUMB means NUMBer.) This assigns the command "NUMB 3" to Button # 3. Then type SAVE and your new command is saved in the non-volatile Flash memory.
All of the commands on the standard remote control are available as RS-232 serial commands. Any of the RS-232 commands may be assigned to any of the buttons!


How to: Run Multiple Machines from One Serial Port.
It's not hard, just a little more complicated.

You can control many machines from one computer RS-232 Serial Port.

  • Assign each machine a DECK number. Zero (0) is the default DECK number and is not used in multiple machine operation.
    • Type DECN and see that it is already Zero.
    • Type DECN 1 to make this deck be #1.
    • Type SAVE so the deck will remember its number until you change it.
    • Do this for all of your decks, assigning each a different number.
  • Connect the decks together with BCD's C7 Multiple Deck Kits. (Or make your own with some 1/8" mini-plug cables an some "Y" adapters.)
  • Type DECK 1 to control deck #1. All subsequent commands will go to DECK 1.
  • Type DECK 2 to control deck #2. All subsequent commands will go to DECK 2.
  • .... etc.
  • Yes, you can group machines together with the GRUP command so that they all do the same thing at (nearly) the same time. NOTE: Only the Pioneer DVD-7400 with external video sync will lock several machines together in absolute sync.

Control Connections
Back Panel with LED, 8-pin Button Connector, 1/8" RS-232 port

Back Panel with LED, 8-pin Button Connector, 1/8" RS-232 port.
  • The LED indicates operation and status codes.

  • Using the 8-pin Din connector harness (provided), the BCD DVD-C7 can accept up to 7 closed-contact pushbuttons. Preprogrammed commands are Up, Dow, Left, Right, Enter, Previous, and Next, but any commands may be assigned to any button.

  • The RS-232 port is 3-wire (TxD, RxD, GND) and uses a 1/8" stereo plug.


The DVD Player:
We enhance existing DVD players by installing our controller. The DVD players we select must meet certain criteria:
  • Play DVD "A", "-R" and "+R" discs.
    (We plan to make "-/+ RW" a requirement soon.)
  • Play VideoCD (VCD) discs recorded on CD-R or CD-RW.
    (Have you considered using a menued VCD as an Audio Only source in an exhibit?)
  • Autostart when Power is plugged in. (If the raw deck doesn't do this, our controller detects the power condition and turns it on!)
For 23 years we have had excellent relationships with Sony, Panasonic, JVC, and Pioneer, and now have become acquainted with the US managers of Apex and Go Video. (Oddly enough, all of these are made in China, and many of the brands may share the same core components.)

BCD offers the same warranty as the manufacturer: 90 days labor, 1 year parts, and also offers extended parts/labor warranties at a modest cost.


What it doesn't have:
It has a lot for a player with industrial features, but it doesn't do everything:
  • Touchscreen Interface (use Pioneer or Philips)
  • Goto Frame # (use Pioneer)
  • Return Frame # to PC via RS-232 (use Pioneer)
What it does have is access to all the functions found on the remote, accessible with ordinary closed-contact pushbuttons or RS-232... and multiple machine control!


Dimensions :
  Width: 10.125"
  Height: 2.375"
  Depth: 11"

Model Order Info & Pricing:
BCD DVD-C7-C-APX    MSRP $

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