@danchilcoat,
Looks like you are very frustrated. So much so that you registered today and decided to express your frustration on this music player.
You claim to be a lifelong software developer and yet have these frustrations, while normal audio reviewers are able to configure it. Also tons of videos are available online on how to set it up. I have no horse in the race. But Something does not add up. Maybe you should go into the Jriver site forums and seek help instead of venting it out here. Good luck!