What I need in a receiver... suggestions ?

1) I would shoot for midrange receivers, such as the Yamaha RX-V667. Cheap receivers will have the most compromised power supplies, IMO
2) That's a good budget, don't pay MSRP to extend your buying power
3) Many receiver do that now
4) I have had good luck with Yamaha. Some people think Denon is pretty reliable
5) Standard

I would suggest you look at the 767, essentially identicle to the 667 but with 1 extra HDMI output port a little more power than the 667. The 767 will fit your budget.

The 767 is also only sold in Europe. No U.S. model yet.

I thought there was a HTR badged of the 767 which was available but it appears as though there isn't yet.

No problem. You may have been thinking of last years 765. The next model up from Yamaha for U.S. sales is the 867. May be a 767 later but kind of doubt it.

The Pio 1120 is a good time.

All are good from that list, with various things to consider:

Onkyo RC180:
Probably the most feature rich of the bunch, big and heavy (38 or 39lbs I think), probably the most powerful amp of the bunch based on weight and power consumption. Doesn't do HDMI 1.4, nor does it have analog inputs I believe for a decoded source, but with HDMI/digital you're unlikely to go that route. Eseentially an SR807 missing a few minor features. I believe it's fully DLNA compliant.

Pioneer 1120: Also pretty heavy (29 lbs maybe). Marvell upscaling chip, I believe it includes iPod/iPhone dock. Power consumption is 400W. Has an Ethernet port, but I believe only for internet radio and doesn't stream files over the network. HDMI 1.4 compliant if you're planning on 3D anytime soon.

Yamaha 667: 400w power consumption. Lighter than the others (23lbs). Good choice if you can get it for significantly less money (perhaps nearly $100 less). No ethernet port. While the 867 adds Ethernet/DLNA it's significantly pricier and has the same power consumption, so I wouldn't expect more "real" power from the amp section.

I think it's a crapshoot between the RC180 (from Onecall i'm assuming) and the Pioneer as pricing is similar. You sacrifice HDMI 1.4, but get more networking fucntionality and more weight with the RC180.

If you don't need/care about those features, the 667 has the same rated power consumption as the 1120 (not sure how relevant this is, but with solid state amps, I feel it's more accurate to measure amp power this way vs. 100Wx7 or whatever since there are too many factors to consider in the meaurement). You should be able to get it for about $100 less than the other two, so if you don't need those features, you can put that portion of your budget elsewhere. If pricing is similar, then I feel that the 667 is lacking features that the other two have.

Yamaha's lineup is also a bit weird. 667 is missing networking features. A700 appears to be a 667 clone. RX-V867 adds networking, while A800 adds an extra HDMI out I believe and HD Radio. Very weird combination in their lineup with overlapping pricepoints.

Look for a receiver that has the processing needs you want/need AND pre-outputs. Then pair it with the very affordable (especially at its current and very attractive sale price) Emotiva UPA-5 amplifier.

You'll have all the features and all the power you need.

Good advice. Receiver technology will change often. If I look back at the receivers i've owned in the past, it would have made more sense to invest in a good amp, and then buy the most affordable receiver with pre-outs and the processing I wanted.