clarence6,

I'm sorry to hear that you're having issues with your television.

The IR stands for Infrared Receiver, which is the part that receives the signal from the remote inside of the television. You might try to register your television online (and get 3 extra months), and then call service to see if they'd be willing to give you an extention. It's out of warranty, technically, but maybe they might see things your way.

Does the remote work if you turn off your cable/sat box?

Keep me posted.

--HDTech