[buckchester]

Is there a substantial advantage to buying a receiver that has an ethernet port for networking capaibilities, as opposed to buying one without?


I can get a great deal on a great receiver that I have had my eye on for a while, but it doesn't have networking capability. So, obviously I would not be able to get online firmware updates with it. Alternatively, I could buy the receiver one level up, pay much more for it, and the only real additional feature that it has is networking capability. None of the other features would do much for my use.


So, keeping in mind the fact that blu-ray is an ever-evolving format, I guess what I'm wondering is if firmware updates ever provide any real performance or feature advantages that I would be left without if I chose to go with the receiver that does not have networking capability?


Thanks.

 

[mjpearce023]

For the most part, firmware updates are just to correct little issues. Denon has done a few that you can buy new features but that's not really the norm. You can usually go to the owner's thread of whatever receiver you are looking at to see what updates have come out. If you get the receiver and you are having an issue you can return it or send it in for the firmware update. If your receiver is working perfectly there really isn't a reason to do a firmware update.


There are other advantages like streaming music or using a computer/phone app to control your receiver. There are better streaming options out there for around $100 than what comes on a networked receiver.