I have a Sony XBR-65X800G on my patio that we recently realized has issues. I can turn it on from the power button on the back of the TV, but that provides little (near zero) actual control of the TV.

After much troubleshooting, factor resets, multiple remotes including the OEM and URC controller I'm confident the IR reader on the front of the TV bit the dust.

Question - can I use the "IR In" on the back of the TV to control it with a wired IR sensor that I tape to the bottom of the TV? Should I use a Roku or AppleTV and let it control the on/off of the TV? I've been using the native Android Apps.