I need to get and install a remotely-controllable CD player to be used in a church. Part of the requirements for our setup is that we be able to view the track that is currently playing from the remote itself, at least 50 meters away - we don't want to rely on the display on the player itself.
Does any equipment like this exist, and is there anything special about it that I should know when comparing them? Is there a standard "go-to" model that is frequently recommended?
There are actually a couple of different routes here. If your CD player absolutely must be at one location and you must be at another, you could look at squeezebox, or any of the home audio companies out there. There are many products that will do what you want - some will require some computer/IT knowledge.
What might be much more suitable is to stop thinking of CD player as a fixed item. Instead, run an amplified mixing desk and speakers with inputs from a variety of locations around the hall. This is what a lot of live venues do (eg you have verious DI cables on stage for connecting microphones, guitars etc all back to a central mixing desk which then connects out to speakers) and in your case, you could have the CD player near enough to you to see the screen on it.
It isn't very expensive, and actually means you can sort out the PA system to meet your hall's acoustics, no matter what audio source you want to use - a CD player one day, a live entertainer the next.
You need to find a CD player with IP or RS232 2way control... maybe even a bluray player?. This is the protocol used to transmit disk metadata(artist track maybe even artwork, etc) to a remote control unit. Bitwise might be a good way to go to use a smartphone or tablet to control the CD player and read metadata. Also look into CI and home automation hardware. Universal Remote Control, control4.
You also need to make sure to get an appropriate DI box to interface with the PA Equipment, such as Radial PROAV
