Agreed. If the remote worked (or changed the state of the empeg) while in the car, it would seem that the player application loaded. So the disks would have had to spin up and read the player software / configuration correctly. The lack of sound and display seems like a wiring / power problem.

I know you were doing Force DC mode in the house, but you were still powering through the AC plug. Do you have one of Mark's docks or access to another installation to test the empeg on a DC power feed through the loom? It almost sounds as if something was either fried along that power path (causing trouble with the display and output stage) or that the wiring is a problem.

One last thought - have you tried all the dimmer settings / autoblank features? I know that you are getting no sound out as well, but perhaps you somehow got set to defaults of a very low volume (minus infinity) and screen brightness / blanked to zero. A thought...