Alot of people simply rely on apps like EventGhost to control everything(VLC,NPVR,WMC,MP,Explorer and the like).
If you can use a key to do it EG can "make it so".
And hence select the application specific command that suits the use regardless of the remote.
Or just move the bloody mouse and left or right click

Or just move the bloody mouse and left or right clickWho uses a mouse in a HT setup? I have a wireless mouse but it is a last resort or when working in the regular Win UI.

I have a Hauppage MCE remote and using my EventGhost profile for NPVR the "clear" and "enter" buttons are mapped to mouse left and right clicks.
This is useful in NPVR because a right mouse click brings up the "settings" menu(even while watching TV or video). I can select audio or subtitle stream or go into full settings menu and do a channel scan or tweak a decoder. There are also the rare ocassions when I may want to open windows explorer or control panel or navigate my desktop. Granted it's rare but I can do it.

I always said Microsoft should strip the crap out of Windows to make it a barebone OS and offer module for micro-transaction. Customers would get a more snappier OS and likely a more solid and secure ecosystem. You give away the razor then you sell the blades!

They've done that with Server 8. The default install is core with no GUI. If you love powershell scripts, there you go! ;-)

Here's some old news:
Making Windows Media Center available in Windows 8

http://blogs.msdn.com/b/b8/archive/2012/05/03/making-windows-media-center-available-in-windows-8.aspx

What I like is how MS has taken the complex and confusing aspects of a media center application and made it so simple and inexpensive.