mCubed's RipNAS Combines CD Ripper And NAS
Here it is, the box you've always wanted. The one with a NAS and a
built-in CP ripper, all tightly integrated into a single, convenient
box. Okay, so maybe there won't be a huge market for this, but it's
still pretty unique in the wide world of "me-too" network-attached storage devices.
Designed by mCubed, the RipNAS is described as the world's "smallest,
quietest and easiest to use Ripper with NAS." So far as we can tell,
that's pretty accurate.
Essentially, this NAS works like any
other. It provides network-accessible storage, and can double as an FTP
server, a media server or play nice with Sonos, Logitech Squeezebox,
uPNP/DLNA compatible players and Windows Home Server. Unlike most NAS
devices, however, this one also includes an optical drive with one main
purpose: to rip your audio CDs. When connected to a live Internet
connection, the RipNAS can inhale an audio CD, rip it (while making
sure no errors are introduced) and then attach all the proper metadata
so that everything is searchable. The box taps four metadata providers
(AMG, GD3, MusicBrainz, freedb) in order to pull down and attach album
art, artists, album name, song title, etc. The actual CD ripping is
done by the Bpoweramp ripping engine to a lossless format of choice,
and after a disc is copied in around three to four minutes, all of the
tracks automatically become viewable for streaming.
RipNAS gets powered by an Intel Atom processor and is available with 640GB of internal storage space. Those who need a bit more can attach a couple of USB hard drives externally. The unit can be purchased right now if you're willing to hand over 1095 Euros ($1412), but with a price like that, you may think twice about just how novel this little accessory is.
Essentially, this NAS works like any
other. It provides network-accessible storage, and can double as an FTP
server, a media server or play nice with Sonos, Logitech Squeezebox,
uPNP/DLNA compatible players and Windows Home Server. Unlike most NAS
devices, however, this one also includes an optical drive with one main
purpose: to rip your audio CDs. When connected to a live Internet
connection, the RipNAS can inhale an audio CD, rip it (while making
sure no errors are introduced) and then attach all the proper metadata
so that everything is searchable. The box taps four metadata providers
(AMG, GD3, MusicBrainz, freedb) in order to pull down and attach album
art, artists, album name, song title, etc. The actual CD ripping is
done by the Bpoweramp ripping engine to a lossless format of choice,
and after a disc is copied in around three to four minutes, all of the
tracks automatically become viewable for streaming. RipNAS gets powered by an Intel Atom processor and is available with 640GB of internal storage space. Those who need a bit more can attach a couple of USB hard drives externally. The unit can be purchased right now if you're willing to hand over 1095 Euros ($1412), but with a price like that, you may think twice about just how novel this little accessory is.
