You are most welcome!
Eventually, you might want to consider using your computer to house the music library for faster access. While my approach requires the use of a home network, I'm able to leverage the power of my i7-860 desktop to perform the library duties using Logitech Media Server (LMS) software. Load time? None! LMS creates indices for accessing the music by artist, genre, year, album, playlist, searching, etc. and caches the album art.
The other advantage to using a central music server is that it is accessible by multiple devices. I use a microRendu player in the main system attached via ethernet. The garage system uses an inexpensive Raspberry PI running piCorePlayer via WiFi. The Oppo 103 in the HT also uses WiFi access. Download and/or rip music once and it is available to all your music systems. I use the iPeng app for control and have it on my phone and two pads. Not only does it serve as remote, but player as well. An iPad can be a pretty decent player when fed lossless hi-rez content, albeit limited to 48/28. It will play 88/24 and 96/24 content, but down samples to either 44 or 48, respectively. I use mine in conjunction with Shure 535se IEMs for listening in the bedroom.
The LMS software is free and you can assemble (quite simply) a Raspberry PI player for just over $100. It's compact and, with a good power supply (I prefer a batter source) can provide excellent performance. You choose either a digital out "HAT" board as I do for use with an external DAC or an integrated DAC. Here's a pic of mine:
Thanks for all the setup suggestions E-Stat and I truly appreciate the suggestion/s
But I leave the 103 on 27/7 plugged into my Pure Sine Wave APC UPS, that also protects the Sony projector`s $ 500.00 lamp as well.
And the 103 uses less current than the business grade SSD HP lap-top dedicated for my previous foray into computer digital music playing.
A e-mail exchange with OPPO support confirmed that the player would be fine in this application running 24/7 because the motor and laser are not running and it`s loafing along in this mode..
I also don`t need nor desire to screw with a music play list and am happy letting OPPO`s RNG in the shuttle mode do it`s "dice throwing" !!
No tablets, smart phones owned or desired in house..
Also no need for interfacing with my dual band Wi Fi, as all 3 bedrooms, sunroom, garage, and workshop are line level hard wired to master living room`s A/V rack for clean hum free audio, and 4 different channels of independent video sources/feeds from composite to 1080P high resolution HDMI with UVGA, S-Video, RGB in between.
So once the 103 is loaded/running with the flash drive, it plays seamlessly from one song to the next all 16~18 hrs. a day, or until I switch over to BRDVD for my background music requirements.. I don`t do playlists, not since the seventies with records to cassettes or reel 2 reel for favorites, genre, ect.
And I think it`s neat to hear Bach then Clapton, Miles, ect. pop up at random.
If what plays is something that strikes me as undesirable for the mood that I`m in a the moment, then I get off my lazy cripple ass and bump it forward to the next song(very rarely !)
And as far as I can see, the only use I will ever use any computer for my music again will be the initial ripping and storage of my digital music files(which at the moment is 3 with SSD`s, plus a music file dedicated 960 Gig external SSD laying around here and a duplicate Corsair 512 Gig. Flash drive) for what I call super redundancy that all get the same updates with new, or at least to me new ripped CD`s as they become available. The SQ I enjoy now readily surpasses any computer, no matter how well beefed up, tweaked, dedicated stripped of all the bullshit background services and clean installs of OS, ect. that I have placed in digital music playback service.. I`ve tasted better now and wished to have started last year when my Sony 400 disc player jumped off the cliff..
Again thank you for the recent suggestions E-Stat Sir.
But this old dog loves this zero electro/mechanical/optical playback system(no cooling fans either to fail
With six thousand songs available on the Flash drive at the moment, not likely to become bored easily even while being home 98% of the time listening to them in the background, like now. Ahh -- a little Joe Walsh playing at the moment never hurt anyone`s soul !!
Kind regards, OKB