Me, too.

The company that installed our TV set it up this way. They put a tiny (less than one sq. inch) device on the front of the TV. It is black and blends in fine. This device has some sort of sensor on it. They put another device on each component (receiver, dvd player, sat box, etc). We have these in our home office which is adjacent to the family room.
The devices use infared technology to transmit the signal. It works quite well.
The only issue we have is that sometimes- at a certain time of day- light coming in the windows is picked up by the device on the TV. This can make it difficult to use the remote. Closing the curtains is an easy fix for that. :)
We are pleased overall with this system and it is very nice not to have to look at all the components.
HTH

The guys installing our home theater said to go get something called "leap frog". I went to Circuit City and they didn't have that exact named item, but had another brand, which I'd have to run down 2 flights of stairs to get the name for you :-) Just ask at CC or BB, and they'd know what you're talking about.....or google it.

I'm not sure if it's ok to post outside links here for shopping. If it's not, I can remove this post.

This is what we have:

http://www.smarthome.com/8100/Wall-Mount-IR-Sensor/p.aspx

I posted this picture in another thread, but you can see the sensor right next to the outlet on the left of the fireplace. (the outlet in the middle of the wall is the fireplace switch, and I wish it were somewhere else) You can also get a sensor that goes directly on your TV, as mentioned above.

This is the other piece which is in a closet. The dvd player/satellite receiver/etc. all hook into this. This connects to the remote sensor that I linked to above, using inexpensive cable from the electric store.
http://www.smarthome.com/8191/Four-Emitter-Infrared-Connecting-Block-IR-100/p.aspx

mmmmm.... I got some thinking to do. I like this! It would free up 3 shelves by putting these components into a closet.
Thanks.

Robin,
I just want to make sure I understand.
If I put my DVD, and TV recorder box, in a cupboard nearby and plugged them into a wall socket in the cupboard and then I guess also connect then to this Block IR100 and then have the other sensor piece somewhere near my TV and also then have a remote in hand, are you saying that I will be able to signal my DVD or recorder from my chair.

I'm a bit confused about the technology. Hopefully someone can explain. I understand that the infrared system allows you to control your remote for your components, but how are your components connected to the TV?

What a brilliant invention. I want one for each TV!

Ok, here is what mine is like. When we installed tv over the fireplace we put all the components in the office in other room, hall closet or whereever would have worked also. We ran one HDMI cable from back of tv through the wall, along the baseboards and into the next room, connecting to the receiver. All the other components connect to the receiver. There is a little box, smaller than a cable box that sits in the room where the components are. I think you can also do it without the little box, but we used it. Anyhoo, we programed the remote and so now when we want to watch a movie we hit dvd and all the components in other room come on at the settings we have already set up for that. When we want to play the ps3, same thing, the components necessary come on for that need.

I am not familiar with the little black things others have posted about. There are many tech sites that can explain all this stuff. My dh is a techno geek and loves this stuff. I love that the only place I have to see electronics is in the office, tucked away.

The remote packaged with the little box was around $100?? Not nearly as much as I thought it would be. If you do not have the ability to run cable it sounds like the little black things would be worth the hassle to have to close blinds here and there.

For those interested in the hdmi cable, please research for price. We bought our own and saved an incredible amount, I would type in caps but don't want to get yelled at but I literally mean my savings were literally incredible online. Think $6 vs $50.

Thanks for the explanation, Shannon. I suspect that type of set up would be pretty difficult to put together in our 1964 split level without substantial cost for running cable through the ceiling since our TV room is the only room (except for foyer) on the lowest level of the house and there is no closet on that level to use, either.

We have this set up. We had AV professionals install it. The wiring and installation cost about $1200. Here's how it works. The TV is mounted over the fireplace. The AV people provided a new universal remote from RTI that uses radio frequency or RF technology. Of course, RF technology does not require a direct line of sight to work. The RTI remote uses RF to communicate with a receiver and that receiver has wires that are attached to the infrared sensors on all of the devices (tuner, Blue Ray and TV). The wiring for the TV over the fireplace was run through the wall, along with HDMI cable, speaker wires, etc. All of the wires exit the wall at one location. If front of the wires, we have a cabinet that houses all of the components. Even with the cabinet closed, the remote runs all of the components. You do not need line of sight. If you pull the wires through the wall into a closet or another room, you can store all of your components in that location. The RTI remote is programmable with macros allowing one button to turn on a variety of components (the cable button turns on the TV, cable box and surround sound). Hope this helps.

Sarschlos...

Retrofitting can be a pain but it may be worth looking into if you really want to do it. Not everyone is comfortable taking chunks out of walls only to discover the ceiling joists run the other way. You could do some research or get an estimate. If the plan sounds like something you can do, go for it. Like I said, you can save a lot doing it yourself but also need to be willing to fix any mistakes you make. Sometimes the pros are a better choice. You could still do same set up with the components in same room, hiding the wires somewhere to come out the wall where your components are just like monkeyjac did. Worst case scenario, you can hide wires in corners of rooms. I ran a speaker wire by digging a tiny crack in corner of room. Crammed wire in and filled with caulk or joint compound. Painted and you cannot see it at all. Once I hid the wire using that plastic tube stuff and ran it along the baseboards.

Monkeyjac...

Thanks for adding the technical terms to the set up. My dh is the one who knows all that stuff. I just come up with the ways to hide the stuff. I am the official drywall/texture person on any project. I have become really good at fixing holes in drywall. Not necessarily because we have accidents but mostly out of having to move fixtures or such. I must say that your cost was not too bad hiring the job out.

One thing we decided to do when moving tv to over the fireplace was to recognize that a potential new owner may not like the idea. So we left the original port for the components we had in the entertainment center on wall all nice and neat. We have a sofa in front of it. We figure this way any future owner could still put tv wherever they wanted. They would put a picture or mirror over fireplace and use an entertainment center or they could have tv over fireplace. They could even leave tv over fireplace and keep components in same room. Options are always a great feature when designing something. These days you really need to appeal to as many potential buyers as you can.

OT but I really like the contrast of your walls and trim (both monkeyjac and sachro)
What color are your walls and what/whose white is that?

Compumom...
Paint is BM desert tan and the white is also BM, although I don't know the exact color name.