Controlling Samsung VR325

I am going to setup my equipment to be controlled from my PC.

For my Samsung VR325 I can easily put an IR Sensor on it, but I don't see any other control input.

If I simply use the IR Sensor, I don't think I have any way to know whether the player is on or off. I want to be able create Macros that turn on (or off) my Projector, DVD, and Receiver from one button press and put each unit in the correct mode. The problem is that the same IR signal is used for Power on the DVD regardless of whether it is being turned ON or OFF.

Is there a way to get past this limitation?

I am planning on using Girder since I already have a copy from a previous project.

I don't want to try to keep track of it in software because it is certain to get out of sync. The wife will be using this as well.

If there is a trick to seeing the LEDs on the front panel, I might be able to use that.

Are there any other options?