I'm late into this thread, but here's my contribution:
Whenever you suspect a remote control is not working, you first have to determine if it's the remote handset transmitter faulty or the IR receiver in the box.
Point your remote at a digital camera lens and take a pic whilst pressing a button on the remote. Because most digicams are sensitive to invisible IR light, you will see a white spot from the handset emitter on the recorded pic, if that button is working.
I've had remotes where infrequently used buttons work, but those used most often do not or are unreliable. This simple test method allows you to 'map' the non-working buttons, then open the remote and fix it if you have the skills.
I've never been a great fan of over air updates for anything, including DSL modems. With all the update traffic being carried, you never know what priority your product has. I prefer manual updates from a memory stick.
You can be sure you have downloaded good firmware and actually watch what's going on in realtime - rather than saying a prayer and waiting until you next check the system status. Another important advantage is you can be sure during the manual update the power has stayed on. There's probably a recovery procedure if the firmware or resident bootloader app. gets stuffed caused by a mains fail, but I don't want to take that chance.
