Well, I have had a Foxtel IQ box for ages, and I only just discovered that the remote can act as a universal remote!  It has lots of pre-programmed settings for TVs, DVDs, and amplifiers.  But its also a learning remote so you can program it up to control almost anything!

I have a Samsung LCD TV, so I looked up the IQ remote manual (look on the Foxtel site for accessories, I found a “download manual” link there – this URL is what I found).  In the back it listed a series of numbers for different TV brands.  Samsung has 30 numbers listed with no indication on how to pick the right one (groan).  I tried the first one, 0088, and bingo! My Foxtel remote can turn on/off etc the TV.  Does not replace all the functionality, but enough for normal TV viewing.  One less remote to worry about.