I really wonder about this strategy of not distributing the software and forcing the customers to bring their device back to the dealer every time they want to adjust an option. This would be akin to a shoe store forcing you to bring back your shoes when you want to put new shoe laces on them!
I suspect the days of the dedicated, limited functionality remote control are numbered. Something like an iPod Touch or a Crackberry would be far more compact, configurable, and cheaper than any remote control. Configuring a remote control to operate a home theater is not particle physics. There is no reason that dealers should have to do this. Let them do the tougher jobs like wiring homes and performing complex installations.