The IR receiver module I've used were unmarked, but work the same. They have gain control built in. Also the plastic case is IR invisible, and can pick up a signal from pretty much any direction. I had some problems on my first build, the emitter and receiver were mounted next to each other. The receiver was getting drowned out, until I put a physical barrier between them, tin foil...
Are you sure the Receiver module is working and hooked up correctly? You can hook an LED to the output pin, and use a TV remote. The LED will be on constantly, then blink when you press a button.