When I sit at my home office desk, I cannot operate my cable box nor my A/V receiver because my home theater seats are located between my components and my home office desk. I would like to be able to adjust volume and change channel while "working" at my desk.

How can I solve this problem?

Use this product if it is possible to run a "phone type" wire from your desk to the components.
[Link: inwallstore.com]
This is hardwired and "bullet proof" reliable.

Use this if you cant run wire and it is OK to have one cone sitting on your desk.
[Link: savinglots.com]
This product is still very reliable. Like anything using radio transmission, however, there are always slight risks of signal integrity from interference. They take up a little more space as well.

Could you give me a little more info about this unit?

Do I need a transmitter and a receiver?

How far can the transmitter be from the components (cable box + A/V receiver) I want to control.

Are the transmitter and the receiver AC or DC powered? If DC, how many volts?

use a dinky link and an ir connecting block.... or go rf

murdermike, I am a newbie at this type of stuff and do not understand what you are talking about. Could you explain further?

Xantech 291-KIT this item will include set top IR receiver, connecting block, power supply and 4 emitters which go over the IR receiver on each of your components, if you have more than 4 components then purchase Xantech 284M/286M emitters along with the kit. The emitters that come with the kit are single emitters, the 284/286 are dual emitters. The connecting block has 4 emitter outputs, so four 284/286 emitters will allow control of up to 8 components. If your equiptment has 1/8" IR inputs on the back(1/8" male to 1/8" male mini cable approx $2), that is far more reliable and cheaper than using the emitters, if not use the emitters.

(double post)

The wired and unwired suggestions are great. For an installation, I would choose the wired style if at all possible as it is the most reliable...unless there is a plasma in the room.

But have you tried pointing the remotes in every possible direction in the room? If the ceiling is at all glossy, IR from the remotes might bounce off of it to the units. I started this response thinking of telling you to mount a pieceof mirror on the ceiling where you could see the components through it from the remote control's location, but thought that might sound sarcastic. The principle applies, though: IR is light, even though we can't see it, and it bounces off of some surfaces that we would not expect it to, so try pointing everywhere before you decide you have to get technological about it.

in regard to the reflection of ir signals, i have used mirrors on the side of the theater for this effect.... it's inexpensive and if you aim it right very effective