A couple qustions on storing stuff "in the cloud"

carld · 04-12-2012, 05:16 PM

I'm hoping someone has already worked these out, so I'll throw them out there.

1. I'd like to move my Calibre library online to Box, or DropBox, or even Amazon. Has anyone worked out the best way to access such a library with the Fire? As in, the books work, they show up on the carrousel, and you can retrieve them from the cloud as needed.

2. I'm interested in copying a few personal DVDs to my fire. Has anyone figured out a ripping/conversion and compressing routine that produces a good file for use on the KF, and can I store these online and stream them to my Fire?

I should probably already know this, but any info or links to walkthroughs would be greatly appreciated.

Skydog · 04-12-2012, 06:04 PM

1. You can manage your library in DropBox or Box to your liking - just as you would with your other files/folders, i.e., by Author, Genre, etc. However, your files cannot appear on the carousel - they are simply files stored in another location and must be downloaded to the Fire in order to read.

2. I highly recommend DVD Catalyst - it is an all-in-one ripping/conversion program that has presets for the Fire and many other tablets. The developer is very responsive and answers questions/requests quickly. There is a trial version available:

DVD Catalyst 4

Merischino · 04-13-2012, 12:41 AM

Www.plexapp.com

This is a beta but for all that its well developed and well supported by volunteers and developers alike. You can download the media server software as well as desktop media client software for free (windows, Mac and Linux) plus there's a free cloudlike service that makes your server accessible to paid mobile clients (like the $4.99 Plex for Android for kindle fire).

Basically if you leave your server running, you can access your media from anywhere on virtually any device without having to upload your media and pay for cloud storage. The content stays on whatever drive you store it on.

Blossom · 04-13-2012, 01:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by carld

I'm hoping someone has already worked these out, so I'll throw them out there.

1. I'd like to move my Calibre library online to Box, or DropBox, or even Amazon. Has anyone worked out the best way to access such a library with the Fire? As in, the books work, they show up on the carrousel, and you can retrieve them from the cloud as needed.

I should probably already know this, but any info or links to walkthroughs would be greatly appreciated.

Sideload the Dropbox app on the Fire. I use it hold my ebook library then just download to books or documents folder and restart the Fire for them to reappear.

sadievan · 04-13-2012, 11:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blossom

Sideload the Dropbox app on the Fire. I use it hold my ebook library then just download to books or documents folder and restart the Fire for them to reappear.

I use Dropbox for my Calibre Library also.

Carol

carld · 04-14-2012, 05:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blossom

Sideload the Dropbox app on the Fire. I use it hold my ebook library then just download to books or documents folder and restart the Fire for them to reappear.

Thanks, that's what I was wondering. I have Dropbox installed, but I didn't know how well it all worked together.

Edit: another question. When you import a new book into Calibre do you have to upload it yourself, or does Calibre automatically update for you?

carld · 04-14-2012, 05:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Merischino

Www.plexapp.com

This is a beta but for all that its well developed and well supported by volunteers and developers alike. You can download the media server software as well as desktop media client software for free (windows, Mac and Linux) plus there's a free cloudlike service that makes your server accessible to paid mobile clients (like the $4.99 Plex for Android for kindle fire).

Thanks, I'll take a look. I seem to remember having Plex installed at one point, but I think I tried to stream something and couldn't get it to work for some reason.

Blossom · 04-14-2012, 07:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by carld

Thanks, that's what I was wondering. I have Dropbox installed, but I didn't know how well it all worked together.

Edit: another question. When you import a new book into Calibre do you have to upload it yourself, or does Calibre automatically update for you?

Dropbox is sync software. If you have your Calibre library in your Dropbox it auto updates in real time. You will need to export it from your Dropbox to the Fire via the app.

ApK · 04-17-2012, 10:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skydog

2. I highly recommend DVD Catalyst - it is an all-in-one ripping/conversion program that has presets for the Fire and many other tablets. The developer is very responsive and answers questions/requests quickly. There is a trial version available:

DVD Catalyst 4

I second this. I've been using it since version 2, and Mitch, the developer, is a good guy.
He even has a conversion profile specifically for the Fire that accounts for the loss of the few pixels because of the menu bar....but I don't use that one.

DVDFab also works well, but 'Cat is a lot cheaper and the support is great.

And the cat eyes icon is really cool.

ApK

p.s. I'm trying to find a single conversion profile on DVD Catalyst that will work on my Video Ipod, 2nd gen Itouch, 4th Gen iTouch, Fire, and will also look decent on a big TV. Currently I can get good result for any three of the above it seem, but I can't find One Profile To Rule Them All.

ApK

carld · 04-17-2012, 11:18 PM

Well, I was attempting to move my Calibre Library into Dropbox and discovered that I had an additional Calibre Library directory inside my Calibre Library and it was filled with books. I renamed it, and moved it, then re-imported the books, but lost a lot of covers and a few books. So, I'm still sorting that out. Will update once I think I've got it all working correctly.

sadievan · 04-18-2012, 09:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ApK

I second this. I've been using it since version 2, and Mitch, the developer, is a good guy.
He even has a conversion profile specifically for the Fire that accounts for the loss of the few pixels because of the menu bar....but I don't use that one.

DVDFab also works well, but 'Cat is a lot cheaper and the support is great.

And the cat eyes icon is really cool.

ApK

p.s. I'm trying to find a single conversion profile on DVD Catalyst that will work on my Video Ipod, 2nd gen Itouch, 4th Gen iTouch, Fire, and will also look decent on a big TV. Currently I can get good result for any three of the above it seem, but I can't find One Profile To Rule Them All.

ApK

Cat does not take care of 'infestation' like DVDFab does, correct?

Carol

ApK · 04-18-2012, 09:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sadievan

Cat does not take care of 'infestation' like DVDFab does, correct?

Carol

It does OK.
There is an article on the topic on the web site:
http://www.tools4movies.com/2010/11/...tection-popup/

He actually recommends stuff like one of the DVDFab products to handle the more whacky types.

Personally, my DVD collection is fairly old, so it's rare that I run into something DVDCatalyst can't handle on it's own.

jduck · 04-18-2012, 09:34 AM

I've been emailing my non-amazon books to my me@kindle.com address, so that they show up in the 'cloud' tab of my 'docs' screen. That makes things pretty straightforward as far as keeping them in the cloud, as long as you don't have very many of them (at least with box or dropbox you can create a directory structure to organize your books if you have a lot). Also, it only works with non-drm files.

04-12-2012, 05:16 PM	#1
carld Wizard Posts: 2,650 Karma: 3273499 Join Date: Dec 2007 Device: Kindle Fire HD, Kindle 3, Droid Razr Maxx HD	A couple qustions on storing stuff "in the cloud" I'm hoping someone has already worked these out, so I'll throw them out there. 1. I'd like to move my Calibre library online to Box, or DropBox, or even Amazon. Has anyone worked out the best way to access such a library with the Fire? As in, the books work, they show up on the carrousel, and you can retrieve them from the cloud as needed. 2. I'm interested in copying a few personal DVDs to my fire. Has anyone figured out a ripping/conversion and compressing routine that produces a good file for use on the KF, and can I store these online and stream them to my Fire? I should probably already know this, but any info or links to walkthroughs would be greatly appreciated. Last edited by carld; 04-12-2012 at 05:22 PM.

04-13-2012, 12:41 AM	#3
Merischino Zealot Posts: 100 Karma: 7910 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: somewhere south of the mason dixon line Device: iPhone 3gs, Kindle Fire	might i suggest plex for streaming Www.plexapp.com This is a beta but for all that its well developed and well supported by volunteers and developers alike. You can download the media server software as well as desktop media client software for free (windows, Mac and Linux) plus there's a free cloudlike service that makes your server accessible to paid mobile clients (like the $4.99 Plex for Android for kindle fire). Basically if you leave your server running, you can access your media from anywhere on virtually any device without having to upload your media and pay for cloud storage. The content stays on whatever drive you store it on. __________________ M- Kindle Fire, iPhone 3 GS George R. R. Martin's A Dance With Dragons; Carl Hiaason's Chomp; Suzanne Collins The Hunger Games; John H. Miller & Scott E. Page Complex Adaptive Systems; Lambertson & Page Tipping Points; Scott E. Page The Difference: How the Power of Diversity Creates Better Groups, Firms, Schools & Societies

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04-12-2012, 06:04 PM	#2
Skydog Wizard Posts: 1,340 Karma: 1393126 Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Circling Earth @ Mach .83 Device: Kindle 3/PW/DXG, FireHD 8.9, Nexus 7, 10, Kobo Mini, Aura HD	1. You can manage your library in DropBox or Box to your liking - just as you would with your other files/folders, i.e., by Author, Genre, etc. However, your files cannot appear on the carousel - they are simply files stored in another location and must be downloaded to the Fire in order to read. 2. I highly recommend DVD Catalyst - it is an all-in-one ripping/conversion program that has presets for the Fire and many other tablets. The developer is very responsive and answers questions/requests quickly. There is a trial version available: DVD Catalyst 4

04-17-2012, 11:18 PM	#10
carld Wizard Posts: 2,650 Karma: 3273499 Join Date: Dec 2007 Device: Kindle Fire HD, Kindle 3, Droid Razr Maxx HD	Well, I was attempting to move my Calibre Library into Dropbox and discovered that I had an additional Calibre Library directory inside my Calibre Library and it was filled with books. I renamed it, and moved it, then re-imported the books, but lost a lot of covers and a few books. So, I'm still sorting that out. Will update once I think I've got it all working correctly.

04-18-2012, 09:34 AM	#13
jduck Connoisseur Posts: 61 Karma: 2282 Join Date: Dec 2011 Device: kindle Fire	I've been emailing my non-amazon books to my me@kindle.com address, so that they show up in the 'cloud' tab of my 'docs' screen. That makes things pretty straightforward as far as keeping them in the cloud, as long as you don't have very many of them (at least with box or dropbox you can create a directory structure to organize your books if you have a lot). Also, it only works with non-drm files.


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