All I want to do is...

[danderrick]

I've read manuals and tried to understand the hardware. Here is what I want to do:

I want to have a laptop sitting next to me. On the screen I want to have buttons I have created that say things like: "Cable - Channel 9" and "Sound - up" and "TV input 5 - Xbox on". I use my mouse to point to a button and click it. The result does what the button says.

I can't figure out the combination of hardware and software I purchase to do this. I can write code so I can modify snippets. I considered using a Parallax Basic Stamp and circuity but that might take hundreds of hours.

Thanks for your time and guidance.

[harleydude]

Girder, NetRemote and the PIR1 should be all you need.

NetRemote provides the graphical interface
PIR1 will learn and output the IR
Girder handles interaction between NetRemote and the PIR1

[danderrick]

Thanks for your help. I just could not get the connection between Girder and NetRemote. Hands-on works the best for me.
Purchased PIR-1, trial Girder, trial NetRemote and I should be set for 30 days.