Back on March 15th I tested a new SACD ripping technique called AutoRip on a couple of different Sony model Blu-ray players.
AutoRip is a script that runs on a USB thumb drive which allows for a self-contained SACD rip, the only thing needed is that thumb drive. With AutoRip, there is no computer, network, Java, or other GUI needed to make the rip happen. On an Oppo Blu-ray player, after the A5 script variant is inserted into the unit via USB thumb drive, the disc tray opens and you have 10 seconds to load a disc before the tray closes automatically, then a full ISO archival back-up of the disc is written to that very same thumb drive.
This morning I made a video showing what using A5 looks like on the Oppo BDP-103:
Of course, you still need a computer to extract DSF tracks from the ISO, or to split out stereo content from the multichannel content. However that is a local process in which the thumb drive is simply connected to a computer, and that DSF extraction happens very fast because there is no optical disc drive nor any network variables putting a bottleneck on the extraction speed. There is also the option of just playing the ISO itself with certain media players that are ISO compatible, in which case no DSF extraction is necessary at all.
But the potential benefit and full implications of AutoRip actually go well beyond any simplification of the rip process on currently compatible Blu-ray players. The fact that the network connection can be eliminated opens all new possibilities in terms of potentially bypassing certain obstacles that prevent SACD ripping on various other Blu-ray player models, for instance the longstanding stubborn refusal of units like the Oppo BDP-93/5, or Pioneer LX-58/88 on the higher end of things, as well as certain pre-2012 Sony and Pioneer models in the realm of the inexpensive.
As usual, special thanks go out to @Nexus3 for his valuable time and effort on this new development.
Wow, just when you thought it can‘t get any better than this, it does!
Super Kudos to the team!