MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - Have you EVER wanted to scan that old book?

Demas · 02-13-2010, 12:10 AM

The inability for end consumers to easily digitize most books is the last limitation of the ebook. Comics & periodicals can be digitized on a consumer level in the home. Just about anyone can rip an MP3 and could rip a DVD if they cared to. TV, photographs, etc. are all captured digitally.

Books, however, still can't be converted easily at the consumer level and while this fights piracy, it also limits adoption of the medium. Note that all of the media above, despite suffering piracy, are also ubiquitous and cost-effective at this point.

I think this OPs device is maybe the right step but doesn't clear the hurdle simply because of the man hours it would take to manually flip the pages. Of course, all of the above media was ubiquitous BEFORE becoming digital and books remain a niche market so I'm not sure there will a cost effective consumer scanner for some time.

02-13-2010, 12:10 AM	#41
Demas Connoisseur Posts: 63 Karma: 90 Join Date: Feb 2010 Device: Notion Ink Adam	The inability for end consumers to easily digitize most books is the last limitation of the ebook. Comics & periodicals can be digitized on a consumer level in the home. Just about anyone can rip an MP3 and could rip a DVD if they cared to. TV, photographs, etc. are all captured digitally. Books, however, still can't be converted easily at the consumer level and while this fights piracy, it also limits adoption of the medium. Note that all of the media above, despite suffering piracy, are also ubiquitous and cost-effective at this point. I think this OPs device is maybe the right step but doesn't clear the hurdle simply because of the man hours it would take to manually flip the pages. Of course, all of the above media was ubiquitous BEFORE becoming digital and books remain a niche market so I'm not sure there will a cost effective consumer scanner for some time.