Got off the phone earlier this morning with Outlaw tech help -- many props to them best help I've ever received with any consumer device. I'll answer my own questions for future folks.

(1) The constant clicking noise was the receiver protecting itself from self-destruction. Apparently when I attached the bare speaker wire to the rear of the receiver there were strands of wire that were not completely in the post and touching the rear of the receiver. Word to the wise -- that's bad.

(2) Appears to be a combination of #1 and the already known -'no-audio' issue. Once I dig up an old pc with a serial port I'll use the beta firmware to correct.

(3)Gonk was of course right -- no component OSD -- rather insignificatnt once the receiver is set-up.

-Tim