"but doesn't the read have to initialize the controler(s) on the removable mem to work with it irregardlees of weather or not it works when pulled."

don't quite understand your question...

The flash has standardized I/O interface.....read....write ...erase(or flash) devised by the manufacturer, that others....such as Sandisk, Lexar, e.Digital...etc must interface their specific controller tech(firmware) to.

i.e Samsung sells their commoditized stupid flash, having the three basics, to Sandisk, Lexar, ...etc where they in turn build modules incorporating their specifics, turning the flash into a smart product.

The differences lie between utilizers firmware as to how the flash is formatted for versatility.

For Sandisk, controller(firmware) schemes that interface the three basic IO functions are.. for CF NOR, they implement FTL(flash translation layer)....for CF NAND they implement NFTL(NAND flash translation layer) It's an address translation between CHS(cylinder head sector ) of harddisk bios and LBA(logical block addressing) of flash, that an OS must recognize to be able to draw on the flash.

Sandisk is specific and on board the module they produce.....Lexar is specific and on board the module they produce.....etc. dedicated efforts only, they are not OS's.

e.Digital is not specific to a module, they do not produce a module, or have to. They bypass the specifics of the others and format the flash module under their own proprietary methods utilizing the three basic I/O(bios) functions.

As to utilizing the READ, WRITE, or ERASE of the commotized flash, others have the ability to interface any of the three at any time. If I understand your question, it's not a matter of how the READ is invoked(initialized), it's a matter of when it is invoked where the bit stream goes and what components it eventually sifts through prior its display destination.

Sandisk, Lexar...etc have the ability to direct or buss a stream in any manner they want, it's what someone else(or they) might put at the end of that output in correlation to it that counts....RAM resource for shadowing files, or a direct caching sequence. One will continue to play, the other will not.

doni