Hi Arduino experts, this is for you. I am new to the Arduino board but already aim high : I was wondering if any of you out there heard about connecting an IDE DVD drive to the arduino Mega (I can't find CD-ROMs anymore). I am particularly interested in the CODE for interfacing with the drive for playing music CDs and giving it commands like to a CD player : next/previous track, random, repeat, stop, eject, program..........etc. I am sure you understand what I mean. I have an expert friend that says I can do this. Every piece of information helps.
CHEERS ! 
-DANIEL-
Well, I kind of googled the whole world and couldn't find even HINTS of coding. As for doing it it with other microcontrollers I know about that, I even have schematics but that friend of mine told me it would be easier (and cheaper) to do it with the arduino.
Ebay is out of the question as I don't live in US.
It would be much easier since I already have the arduino. Getting all the parts required for building my own controller or ordering to Europe would be beyond my financial and time possibilities at my age of 16. Anyways thanks for you good-will, I will dig deeper with that friend of mine 
Get a player with buttons and use simple reed relays and small transistors to make a switch closure across the buttons.
Some players may not be accessible since may designs are now using printed metal film contacts and mostly hiding the traces from access.
If all else fails get a junker PC. Set up a keymapping for a player and then have the arduino make a key press. There are instructions for all of these on the playground or internet
That's off the topic a bit, but thanks anyways. I thought of hacking into the face of a player but where's the fun of coding ? Thanks anyways again