As for the remote speakers...How about using a couple of these as zone amps? They should have plenty of power for his needs, and if he sources the amps into/near the remote areas, the addition of a volume control could be quite handy.
http://shop.emotiva.com/collections/amplifiers/products/a100
As for the 5.1 speaker system...If I were building one today, I would go pre/pro to active speakers. And I'd strongly consider the Emotiva Stealth 8 for Front LRC, and maybe Stealth 6 for rear or sides. Add an active sub and call it a day.
http://shop.emotiva.com/collections/pro-series/products/stealth-8
http://shop.emotiva.com/collections/pro-series/products/stealth-6
http://www.outlawaudio.com/products/lfmEX.html
http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?partnumber=300-766
There is a plethora of pre/pro options to choose from, and I'm not that well versed on them, but I'd have to consider these two options closely...
http://shop.emotiva.com/collections/processors/products/umc200
http://www.outlawaudio.com/products/975.html
For the universal disc player w/DAC inputs, I'd have to consider the budget friendly Oppo 105-BDP...
http://www.oppodigital.com/blu-ray-bdp-105/.
I happen to really like the JVC QL-Y55F, and was actively looking for one a few years back. I also remember really liking the Dahlquist DQ-8's back in the day.
Considering the JVC, I'd recommend the Parasound Zphono...
http://www.parasound.com/ParasoundZ/zphono.php
I really like the Harmony remotes...
http://www.logitech.com/en-us/harmony-remotes