A few thoughts here...

One: As has been pointed out, covering the front of the remote can prevent the 950 from switching modes. It's a little annoying and I always feel sort of silly doing it, but it's quick and effective.

Two: If you are running into the problem because of a few specific commands (like switching to stereo bypass mode or the 6 CH input), the macro buttons may be helpful. I set up M4 to switch to 6 CH for DVD-Audio playback, for example. It's a limited fix, but it can be a real time-saver for specific commands.

Three: While the 950 remote's input switching didn't really cause much trouble in my setup (especially after I added a couple of macros), I did recently upgrade to a different remote. My wife and I used a Sony RM-AV2100 for a while, but didn't really like it a lot. We have been very pleased with the Home Theater Master MX-500 (a relative of the 950's remote, but with some major refinements). It's available from a few good online sources for around $110, and is a great remote.

Interesting side note... With the MX-500, I still have the device buttons set up to switch inputs on the 950. It can be very convenient, and it makes the system quite a bit easier for my wife to use -- saves her having to switch to a separate device and hunt down the input command before going to control the DVD player or the cable box.

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