If you can restore to 'as-new' from the CD then this presumably includes the CDDB database [which is presumably on the 'restoration' CD somewhere?]. Which you then need to update to bring it to the latest version via downloaded updates.

It doesn't work that way.

The CDDB is whatever the latest one was when they burned that CD for production, true. But you don't have to download a whole new CDDB in order to get the player to work.

If you insert a new music CD into the HSX-109, and the CD isn't in its internal CDDB database, it simply connects to the internet to grab the data for that CD only, just like any other CDDB-enabled application. This connection can happen via a dial-up line or via one of its broadband connections (depending on how you configure the player).

The scenario above counts for any unrecognized CD at any time in the player's lifespan, not just for when you format the disk drive. It's not a problem, it simply works.

I can't see any mention anywhere what the supported USB to Ethernet adapters are.

There are a couple of officially supported ones, and some unofficially supported ones which happen to run the same chipset as the official ones. I'm using a Linksys USB10T. In fact, during the beta period, I had to send it in to Hugo so he could crack it open and discover that they changed the chipset without changing its identifier code on the USB port (bad Linksys!).

If I recall correctly, the supported adapters are the ones with the Pegasus chipset. There might be one other supported chipset, I don't remember. Details, Hugo?