That's HDMI-CEC, which is part of the standard. From the OP though, that doesn't sound like it's the case here - making an assumption that the laptop isn't connected to the TV kit.
Yeah could be wake-on LAN, although that's a bit of a random feature to bother with on a DVD player.
I remember the good times
What's the model on the DVD player?
Have you ever connected to it from the Laptop?