I believe HDMI CEC is a potential solution to this. It is a way to send keystrokes (remote-strokes?) back up the HDMI cable from the TV to the set-top box. Th

I believe HDMI CEC is a potential solution to this. It is a way to send keystrokes (remote-strokes?) back up the HDMI cable from the TV to the set-top box. This means that there's no need to have a separate remote. Now, all that needs to happen is the number of buttons per remote need to be reduced as the menus improve, and as some features are automated. It works well with the Nexus Player, for example.