Integration with external hard drive


I currently own a Marantz SR8200 receiver and while I am happy with my overall setup for listening to CDs, I would like to upgrade to a receiver that has HDMI and computer connectivity. I recently purchased an external wireless, hard drive (also has usb connectivity, and ethernet connectivity to my wireless router), so I would like to have some way to connect my stored and ripped media to my stereo and video system.

I'm at the very beginning of research on this, and I see that receivers like the Marantz7500 offer ethernet connectivity, I'm not sure that would work in my case, as the ethernet port on my external hard disk is already used for wireless connectivity to my pc.

Can someone help explain where I can get started with this venture, as I am not sure what the current level of technology is in this regard.
manbehindthcurtain
Maybe start w the tutorial at computeraudiophile.com? As far as I know, you will need a network player of some kind, but there are much more knowledgeable people over there. BTW, there are significant improvements to be gained in overall sound as well as major improvements on the convenience side.