OK, laugh me out of here but I may have a not so elegant solution. I've unplugged the 455 several times tonight for up to an hour and each time I plug it in it remembers the last state it was in (Power on or Power off). So... With the help of a receiver that utilizes a switched power outlet or (gasp) with an x10 module the 455 seems to be capable of being power cycled to simulate discrete on / off. I've unplugged the unit for the night to see if the last power state is truly "remembered" or if it is the byproduct of bulk capacitance keeping the micro alive for more than the hour i've tested so far, i'll post that finding tomorrow. If this works I'll be out another 20 bucks for the IR to X10 converter so the pronto pro can discretely turn the unit on / off but at least the CD will always be on / off when I (or more importantly the wife) want it on / off.