Another angle is to forget about troubleshooting and use a good programmable remote control. Simply program the extra few button presses into the macro for switching to the cable box and you never have to worry about it again.

Harmonies are the easiest to use but for added customization, I prefer the URC universal remotes. Either should solve your problem above and turn all your actions into just a single button press.

With great power comes Awesome irresponsibility.