B
I actually wish AVR makers would stop including all this extra shiny marketing crap and just sell me a quality AVR. I like keeping my sources separate. Let my FireTV deal with all the apps, it's what its designed for. I just want my AVR switching inputs and amplifying whatever signal gets sent to it.
I get it that you want a "functional high quality" AVR. The problem is they don't sell, or at least don't sell well. Even reviews in an "audiophile" site like this contain "cons" when an AVR leaves out this feature or that (eg, Anthem AVRs).
These devices are complex, and jargon filled feature lists don't help. Again, even on a site like this many posts from knowledgable entusiasts are about some feature and how to properly use it, sometimes it's about a feature that doesn't seem to work, at least in a way the user can figure out.
Now imagine the average consumer who are not audio hobbyists when faced with a purchasing decision. The don't understand the feature list (who really does?) and as always, fear sells. The fear is that some important but poorly understood feature will be left out, and they will have bought an inferior product.
So they load up the machines with "bells and whistles", as it used to be called by sales staff, privately, and that's what goes out the door faster and more often. These manufacturers are in it to make money, and sales numbers can get you fired or put a bonus in your paycheck, from the reps right down to the floor staff.
Occasionally you might see one or three products available that meet your criteria, but they will be up against a swarm of "latest this" and "everything that" products, and those are the ones that sell. Fear works ... it's the oldest and most reliable means to advertise a product (whether it's cold meds, or cleaning supplies, or HiFi) and that's the sum of it, basically.
