Actually, Cisco is working on a two way box that uses IR only to send and receive data. Pretty crazy. Not sure how the technology work, but it has to be second rate. (but cheap so understandable.)

When you pick up your remote, how many seconds does it take before you can mute the volume? How long does it take for your iPhone to wake up when you pick it up, much less reconnect withthe host?

Here's the best example of why an iPhone makes a horrible remote:
You are watching a movie and your phone rings, how do you pause the the movie or mute the sound? The iPhone can only do one thing at a time.

More and more gear is starting to come with TCP/IP control as well as IR and/or RS-232. If it has an ethernet jack, there's a good chance that it can be controlled via TCP/IP as well as the standard IR.

there is a good chance that it will be IRDA not CIR.

IRDA IrDA's "simple" uni- and bi-directional communications.
CIR , Consumer infra red uni directional

IRDA has been around for a long time so i dont see why it will make any more impact on the AV industry.

I know this is an old thread, but the Marantz SR9600 uses IR to send feedback to a customized RC3200 remote control. On-screen you can see details such as current input, volume level, sound processing mode, active channels, sleep timer etc. It even knows when the unit is in standby (versus covering the remotes IR receiver where all status indicators go blank).

And you know the original Pronto? How IR codes are learned from the IR eye on the bottom? Not many people know that there's a second IR receiver on the FRONT of the unit, originally intended to be used for IR feedback just like this.

 Didn't Sony have a remote like that too for a couple of their receivers?

In theory, anything constructed to send a signal and receive one as well is considered a two way device. A remote that has IR flasher and an IR receiver is certainly capable of two way. Not a very popular and reliable way to do it, but certainly out there.

Yes they did, I used to have one of them. It came with some of the ES disc changers.

IR is just a communication channel. It depends on the functionality of the channel if it supports one or two way communication. With IR you can never (ok, not really never, its just hard) achieve full duplex communication, but dual simplex can be achieved easily, you just need some hardware and software, which most devices lack, or better they were never designed to offer two way comm between the device and remote, because there was simply no such need, and it added extra cost.

This is why rs-232 is so much used today, and why IP is entering everywhere. Although if you want deterministic and true rock solid comm. go for the rs-232 and avoid using IP in big/busy networks. I don't see IP as a replacement to rs-232, it's just another way of communication.