How can I manage a 360 box in a different room from the TV?

[richphilip]

My old V6 box in the basement - connected close to the VM broadband hub - has not been upgraded to 360 and is inaccessible by Bluetooth from the lounge, where we watch TV (Samsung 4K) using the old Virginmedia remote. The remote sends IR through a magic eye (stuck on the TV) down to the front of the V6 box (IR emitter stuck on by tape). HDMI from the V6 is converted and sent up through our ethernet to the back of the TV. We don't use VM TV for any other device in the house. (We abandoned a Harmony control system including IR control and HDMI switching, in the interest of relative (!) simplicity and reliability.)

The old V6 box has been performing badly and I assume it's a hardware fault so I'd like to get it changed to a new 360 box with the 360 remote, and at the same time renegotiate the contract. However, I understand that this box could not be controlled from the lounge to the basement, as only Bluetooth is made available (after pairing). Also, is the rumour true that VM will oblige us to convert our V6 box to 360 soon?

The only solution I see is for Virginmedia to connect the TV service by coaxial cable all around our house and through the wall to the lounge, for the 360 box. The connection to the basement could remain just for broadband. I'd then have to connect the TV by HDMI to the 360 box but that could again be done without an ugly HDMI cable showing by using the ethernet in our lounge to behind the wall-mounted TV.

Does anyone please have a more elegant solution?! 

[Tavis75 · Accepted solution]

You may be better off just looking at getting the faulty V6 replaced, the default 360 switch for the V6 is a software change, so if you have faulty hardware it may not actually resolve that. You also lose a lot of features on the 360 box and don't get many benefits in return, and of course, sounds like the IR remote works better for you as well.

As you say, at some point I'm sure the switch will become mandatory as the contract with TiVo is ending, but might as well try and put the change off as long as possible!