Besides, remotes get stepped on, lost in the back of the fridge etc...

Remotes are almost like buying a cell phone. Some will purchase a Harmony because they are not techies and want a no brainer setup. Other will purchase a MX-1000 with two satellite remotes, multiple RF transmitters, light dimmers, shade closers and connect it to their PC and write 10,000 lines of code for it..

But once you buy a piece of gear for your HT, you are stuck with its features until you can't stand them anymore and upgrade to the latest greatest and rewrite 1000 line of code for that remote..