Last time I updated my stereo /home theater amp was 18 years ago. It's a great Yamaha amp but only has rca and optical connectors, no HDMI, BT or network capabilities.

Would like to know what is the use of the NIC and what other benefits are nowadays available?
Currently I run my devices (PC, consoles) to my non smart Tv and from there an optical cable to the amp. My TV is a 7 years old Samsung with a NIC but the buit in media manager is useless.

Due to high import taxes and barriers, my country does not import mid range audio equipment and whatever makes it to the stores has laughable prices.
Been looking for a Yamaha replacemet for years and what is available pre dates the HDMI era. Still insanely expensive. I payed $ 4k for the Yamaha DSP-A1 in 2000 and my previous stuff dated 1987 and evelved around the Yamaha DSP-1.
Been 20 years since I had that kind of money to spend. It was a gift.

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I have a couple of NIC capable receivers. The direct streaming music services no longer work. The services shut off or my (relatively current) receivers are too obsolete to receive services now.

Streaming from device (phone, tablet, PC) works okay but don't really use it anymore. Content source is just something like FireTV.

So, for me, a NIC capable receiver is not necessary. I use content from FireTV which is passed to the receiver via HDMI.

The only benefit for the NIC in my mind is for receiver firmware updates. But even then, after the first year or so, nothing.

Summary: for me, I would not pay extra for NIC capable receiver.

Great.

When I picked my Samsung TVs I did a little research and found that the sets imported, any brand, are always the mid to low end models and already outdated.
I picked Samsung over the others because they came with NIC and hoped updates / upgrades would follow. Never happened.
The built in browser/player will not browse regular drives/folders/subfolders or find supported formats newer than 1955 I guess. Only .avi

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You could port the TV audio out to the amp.
Or from a PC to the amp.
The type of cables used depends on the output of the source unit.
For example > PC with stereo 3.5mm plug to RCA plugs (all one cable) or an adaptor.
TV with RCA output directly to RCA's on the amp.
Could be more ways.

Got all that covered too. But eventually decided running everything through the tv was simpler. TV outputs with fiber optics to amp.

My audio days are long gone now but I used to believe in using every input and output available. A cabling nightmare.
Put a stop to it when my racks reached 12 units (cd and dvd players, twin nakamichi cassette players, open reel , dbx noise reduction, dbx triband compressor expander, turntables, DAT, minidisc, etc. The DSP-1 runs 3 power amps. You name it, I probably owned it at one point or another. The only thingy I remember not buying was elcassette (spelling?), an oversized cassette player fad that lasted probably less than a year.

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