New HD 1000 user - few questions, a few observations

Just got my HD1000 on Friday and I'm enjoying the fun.  Pretty much figured 
everything out by reading the forum, manuals, and guesswork.  

Observations:

(1) Couldn't get the USB wifi to work without WEP enabled.  My normal method 
for adding a new device is to take off WEP and work out any issues, then once 
working enable WEP.  Wouldn't work with the HD1000 - it complained it couldn't 
find DHCP server with WEP disabled.  Wired it into the LAN instead and it 
found the wireless routers DHCP server then.  Turned on WEP, entered the key, 
and then it worked.  Tried two different USB wireless devices (both from the 
list): the netgear MA111 and the DLink DWL122.  Probably the device driver 
isn't happy with my access point, a Belkin 802.11b.  But, just FYI to others 
with problems that having the AP and the HD1000 on WEP worked, just won't work 
with them both open.  So, who wants to run with an open AP anyhow <g>.

(2) Was able to Telnet in via network and look around.  I'm a software 
developer by trade so I've pulled down the SDK and hope to have a chance to 
play around. 

(3) Reason I got the HD1000 is the open source nature, and that it's hdtv.  My 
wife was complaining that she never sees the pictures stored on the PC (even 
though they play on the screen saver), so I've set up the hd1000 with network 
shares and have it set up to play when the cable box is turned off.  However, 
that works fine with the XBox I used for initial testing, but my cable box 
(Motorola DCT6200) doesn't trigger the "no video" when it's turned off!  And, 
when using the Cable box the hd1000 triggers for a split second when the cable 
box is switching from non-hdtv content (480i/p) to HDTV (1080i).  I'm going to 
try and make a small coupler for the composite portion of the component signal 
and put maybe a 100k resister between the signal and ground and see if that 
will pull down the signal when the cable box is turned off.  May also try a 
small capacitor in series with it so see if it can hold a charge long enough 
to fool the hd1000 during mode switches.   (Yes, I do software by day and 
wield a wicked soldering iron by night - haven't pried the cover off the 
HD1000 yet but it's only a question of when it will happen). 


Questions: 

(1) Any way to have photos played back randomly, instead of in order?  Kind of 
boring to see the same beginning pictures.  The MP3 player has a shuffle 
option, but not pictures?

(2) I like to have MP3's playing in shuffle mode and Pictures playing (in a 
shuffle mode) when the bypass mode kicks in.  I can start the mp3 player and 
then the slideshow, and the slideshow restarts when the hd1000 comes out of 
standby, but the mp3 player is paused.  Any ideas?

(3) When using the passthru/bypass options if there is no video input and I 
press the standby button a prompt shows up saying that video bypass is enabled 
and to press the standby button again to turn off.  But, it doesn't turn off.  
Is this a bug/feature?

(4) Any other ways around the "no video bypass" detection not working with my 
cable box?  I've determined that it is the "green" luminance plug of the 
component output that is carrying some "noise" (small voltage from a hum, not 
drawing the output down to ground maybe...). Any ideas before I break out the 
soldering iron?

- Ed