The ir sensor does work by enabling internal lirc
Code:
/etc/init.d/lirc start
This needs to be done as root.
The problem comes when trying to download already working remotes as they use the irtrans backend which is not supported yet. You can build your own remote specifying the internal lirc as source but it is a little hit and miss with the model types. I have successfully changed channels and turned off mky Sony Bravia 32500s model. I am just trying to fine tune it into working with all the buttons as I cannot find a way to incorporate buttons from different models which work.