USB-UIRT is just an IR blaster. There is support for a few. I use a Actisys IR200L on my "production" machine. You can also use Girder for other options.
You could also use the .exe channel changer to run the app that controls the robotic arm that presses the buttons on the set top box....
I have seen similar robots pushing buttons on cell phones when contracting at Motorola. Having a robot recording shows for you would be a nice coffee piece.
WinXP Home
3 X MVPs
Hauppauge 250 MCE
Hauppauge 150
P-4 2.4 GHz / 768 megs Ram
610 Gigs Of Media Storage