The remote is kind of dim and a bit hard to see if it is not looking directly at it. One would have to turn it at least 60 deg from horizontal if one wants to see the LCD buttons without turning the head downward. This is too far an angle for the IR LEDs to operate effectively, even after adding some of those powerful RS LEDs and bumping them right to the edge of the window. Taking the window out and pulling the LEDs into the open would look to ugly and make it too prone to damage. I thought if the concave region right below the IR window where the serial connector is located could be drilled out so that when the remote is at a vertical position, the IR beam could shoot through that opening and to the components. I was just wondering if anyone had done that or whether it is a good idea?

It might help - I have a Take Control with a completely clear case (promotional thing) and it doesn't really have any range/spread issues.