After going through all the setup options but before it gets to starting the actual install on an ESXi VM I get the error:
“ERROR: The disc you inserted is not a Solaris OS CD/DVD”
From this post here about the same error on a Dell server (I’m installing on a VM on an HP DL380 G7) with Solaris driver issues with ATAPI CD/DVD devices, I changed the virtual CD drive on my VM from SATA to IDE, and can now get past the error.