I'm curious what you see in the specs that already looks behind. HDMI v1.4a was published last month. Trinnov is still new tech for the consumer market. PLIIz has been available for maybe a little over six months or so (don't recall a specific date).

You may be talking about network support. There's no mention of network connectivity, but even if it's not present that's a philosophical debate. We see folks wanting this sort of support in Blu-ray players and surround receivers. We even see it in HDTV's. Do we really want to own three or four different devices that can all access a DLNA server? Onkyo's been adhering to a "kitchen sink" approach to receiver design for several years now - if they see a feature that they might be able to shoe-horn in there, they add it. They're a bit obsessive that way. That doesn't mean every manufacturer should follow the same formula. Personally, I think that it starts to forget one of the benefits of separates. If I want a good network media appliance, I can get a separate unit - just like I already do for a Blu-ray player, cable/satellite box, and game console.

I've done firmware updates via network and USB. Both have their advantages. Some folks actually prefer the USB approach, as it tends to be faster and you have less chance of a power outage bricking the unit. USB also avoids the conundrum many folks still face of how to get a network connection at their equipment rack. From that standpoint, USB is easier to support. I'm equally content to do either.