This is not to criticize, but the ability to center a picture is a simple process that I explained before in an earlier post about the setup menu. Depending on how your TV/projector is set up and/or aligned, you may require such an adjustment. In my case, niether the HR20 HD DVR or H20 HD receiver required this, but the reason they include this adjustment capability is that in certain cases, some may need it.
Some of the other symptoms you describe indicate that you may not have the most recent firmware on your unit - version oxcc. Perhaps a cold reboot (red button) may force a download and fix your problems.
My unit was installed in 35 minutes total, automatically downloaded the firmware update, and has worked flawlessly. I know of 3 others that have the HR20 so far, and they had similar install experiences and have had 0 problems. If the reboot doesn't cure your woes, perhaps you may want to call D* for their help.