Yes, same exact boat, I was just starting to think about looking for a small, cheap device in this space for HA.

I used a Flirc many years ago for my mythtv DVR and it worked great. https://flirc.tv/

edit: I used the receiver, but they do make a remote. It looks cool but I have no experience with it.

Let me know if you find one! I wanted to wait for a few months to let the experienced smart homers pave the way.