Question for the tech heads.

My UPC Mediabox died and I got a replacement fitted the next day.
The new one is a HD box which is a huge bonus for me as I can now use HDMI without having to convert from scart

My TV equipment is in a closet in the kitchen and I use an IR extender to control the UPC box(the rest of the gear is controlled via HDMI-CEC)

Since changing upc box I now have a problem with the remote where it won't work from my couch(4m from TV) but if I lean forward it will work fine. There is obviously some signal attenuation somewhere.

I have covered all lights in the closet including the display on the UPC box, and have tried several types of emitters but still no improvement.(well kinda better with two emitters stacked but still not 100%)

Remote now has 2 new kodak batteries too.(same remote from previous box)

Any thoughts lads?

I know it's a tiny little first world problem but it's wrecking my buzz!!

I'm tempted to pull the cover off the UPC box and place the emitter inside it right on top of the IR receiver.