Apple TV remote not working

My remote slowly faded. I assumed it was a bad battery, so I replaced it. Now it does nothing. The white light on the ATV stays lit, no amber, no blinking. I tried the menu << and menu >> presses as described in other threads and the support page. I used my iTouch to unpair the remote and then tried to pair it again. Nothing happened. I tried unpairing the iTouch thinking it might be interfering. That was pretty stupid--now I can't pair the iTouch, because I have nothing to control the ATV with. Any suggestions?