If you want a clear faceplate that's fine with us, although I personally don't like the look of them.

The issue Patrick raised is totally correct - without an IR filter it is rare that the remote control will operate reliably in sunlight. The filter material is a common optical product which passes only light of the appropriate wavelength. This only applies to Mk.1 players - we switched to a different IR receiver for the Mk.2 which has an integral filter.

Rob