I remember something like that (is that because of a proprietary decoding scheme?). So if I save it as a file first, does that mean it is no longer a SACD format and something else?
SACD is the physical format, like CD. DSD is the file format that SACD contains, like wav. The DSD file can be streamed from SACD, hard drive, internet, whatever can deliver the data fast enough.
There are all kinds of security measures in SACD standard. The fast sampling rate is one of them, since normal DAC chips can't convert 1 bit words. No digital output on consumer players is another, to prevent easy conversion to PCM. Continually variable pit width by encoded formula on the physical layer is another which prevents end users from burning their own SACDs, or even playing them without Sony licensed decoder. It's too bad it failed, it might have helped artists make more money if the technology was allowed to proliferate, but helping other people make money was not part of Sony's plan, so pro-audio and publishers rejected it.
You can rip the DSD file from SACD to hard drive, then stream the DSD file to a DSD-capable DAC via USB. Ted_B has written about ripping DSD from SACDs over on AC.
You can also rip the redbook wavs from SACD using any normal ripping software, if the SACD has a PCM layer.
