Firstly, you can't expect the bolded, you just can't. 343 have done little to assuage the sense that the franchise isn't in stable hands, so assuming Halo 5 is going to be killer is a little over optimistic from where I'm sitting.
I haven't assumed it will be killer, I'm assuming they'll try to make it play like a Halo game. If I didn't expect at least this from them, I wouldn't be asking for a server browser because I'd already have abandoned the series.
I agree that Spartan Ops fell flat on its face, and I'd concur that it was the only feature introduced in Halo 4 that even threatened to shift a paradigm. However, in terms of pushing the envelope for Halo 5, I don't think a server browser is popular enough within Halo players and console gamers in general to generate the buzz you're talking about, and renovating that sense of Halo being a driving force of originality within the genre.
What an absolute tragic counter argument to make. There has never intended to be 'massive buzz' over a server browser, but that doesn't undermine its importance, it's a fundamental system that'd improve Halo's multiplayer across the board with absolute subtlety.
What I'd rather they focussed on, alongside a sublime matchmaking system on a par with Starcraft, or DOTA 2, or League of Legends, is to push the envelope with Theatre, and Forge in a genuinely exciting way. Terrain deformation, video editing capabilities, push to Youtube, etc. I believe that those features should take priority over a server browser because a wider portion of the community will feel their effects, and take advantage of them.
I cannot think of a section of the community that would not benefit from a server browser. It's clear to see that the competitive, creative and casual communities would all benefit infinitely, certainly not just a 'small group of players', like you somehow think despite having 'apparently' been a huge PC gamer.
Believe it or not, players don't like accepting that they're shit. They don't relish sitting in a baby seat, or strapping on a bib to eat. If dropping into games and getting destroyed almost immediately doesn't frustrate them to the point of abandoning the game altogether, asking them to play in a server titled 'Shit Players Only' will push them over the edge.
Disregarded as anecdotal.
But the original trilogy didn't have a server browser either, so why's it suddenly imperative (which is how you're suggesting it) to build one?
Because it was understandable with Halo 1/2 as they were amongst the first proper online FPS titles, I had expected one for Halo 3, and I've expected one since. Considering
A| You have to pay to play Halo
B| Titles like BF3, CSS & TF2 (which are free online) provide a vastly better online service.