Question about the best format(s).

morajelly · 07-14-2009, 01:09 PM

Ok. I know what formats are supported by the PRS-505 from the wiki but I would like to know from people that have used their 505 for a while...

A. Which format is your favorite for the 505

and

B. Which one do you recommend to convert all documents to for optimum viewing capabilities

MickeyC · 07-14-2009, 02:25 PM

I like .lrf well enough. Also ePub. Both display well on the Sony. PDFs in ADE tend not to re-flow very well in my experience.

ShortNCuddlyAm · 07-14-2009, 02:33 PM

I like ePub and lrf

kelly1010 · 07-14-2009, 03:17 PM

I prefer epub, but I will read pdf files (alot of library books are pdf and since they are free, I will live wirh the funky paragraph breaks).

dreams · 07-14-2009, 03:19 PM

I like lrf and ePub. Pdf only if I have no other choice.

ladyjane · 07-14-2009, 03:21 PM

lrf and epub for me also..

Elfwreck · 07-14-2009, 03:27 PM

For optimum viewing options, I'd use ePub. I don't mind ragged right edges, and ePub is more convertable to other filetypes later if I care about it. I consider LRFs to be throwaway files--read and delete; keep something else for long-term use options.

If I had to chose one for a purchase, it'd definitely be ePub.

For a lot of my reading, I'm prone to converting things to custom PDFs sized for the Reader. (For free PDFs from the various publishers that offer them, I tend to add tags, which greatly helps reflow, and bookmarks, after which they're much less painful to read.)

Amalthia · 07-14-2009, 05:20 PM

I use LRF because my husband is using my old PRS-500...and the PRS-500 does not support epub.

I also don't like that epub on the PRS-505 does not support full justification and I can't get rid of the numbers on the right margin. We already have a page number set up built into the PRS, not sure why we need another set of numbers?

Teddman · 07-14-2009, 07:55 PM

I used to like RTF, but I've found that Calibre's default conversion to lrf gives a better formatted page in most cases, with full justification, paragraph indents, and good margins.

As for long-term storage, who cares? LRF is never the source format for my books anyway, it's usually RTF or LIT. What you buy in and what you read in don't need to be the same.

With Calibre, your original format is always retained alongside whatever you convert to, so it's a moot point. And conversion is fast enough that I read almost everyhing in LRF for best performance on the 505. Unless a get a PDF specifically formatted for it, like from feedbooks.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Amalthia

I also don't like that epub on the PRS-505 does not support full justification and I can't get rid of the numbers on the right margin. We already have a page number set up built into the PRS, not sure why we need another set of numbers?

I agree, I don't like ePub as a format or in its implementation on the 505. I wonder why it seems to be so popular...

JSWolf · 07-14-2009, 09:24 PM

I prefer ePub because it's easy to setup the font(s) that I want. And I do find that I like Fontin as a base font in most cases.

Abecedary · 07-14-2009, 09:26 PM

The LRF books I've purchased from Sony are generally formatted pretty well and are quite readable as is (which is good since you can't reformat them if you want).

That said, I prefer to purchase my books in ePub format. About half have been formatted well and I've left alone. The other half I've decrypted, then edited the stylesheets to add better margins, adjust the type size and line spacing, eliminate blank lines after paragraphs, etc. In doing this, I've found a couple that actually have fonts included in the archive, but that aren't properly referenced in the stylesheet. Once those were linked back up, the book looked much better.

As for the non-justification in ePub, I personally prefer it. I deal with layout and text daily, and I'd much rather have ragged right text with proper character and word spacing than unhyphenated fully justified blocks of text with erratic word spacing and huge gaping rivers flowing through them. But that's just me.

LDBoblo · 07-14-2009, 10:18 PM

I use LRF for shorter files or things that I care less about. I can't say I particularly like the design or formatting most folks do with it even on MR. Feels cheap--too cheap for what for me was a $300usd device...

I try to make custom pdfs for any book I want to look nice. I couldn't care less about reflow or resize, or even a table of contents for that matter. I'd much rather focus on making an attractive, enjoyable book with more complete layout and font control.

Renaldo · 07-14-2009, 10:34 PM

I prefer LRF, not really that taken with epub. I'd buy a LIT file and convert it before buying an epub.

Teddman · 07-14-2009, 10:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Abecedary

As for the non-justification in ePub, I personally prefer it. I deal with layout and text daily, and I'd much rather have ragged right text with proper character and word spacing than unhyphenated fully justified blocks of text with erratic word spacing and huge gaping rivers flowing through them. But that's just me.

I agree, it's a matter of personal taste, it's just that I like my books to look like books. I can't remember the last ragged-right paperback I read. Unless you use a big font, I don't find the spacing and hyphenation to be a problem.

I just can't believe ePub is supposed to be the universal e-book format and it didn't even support full justification until a few months ago.

richman · 07-14-2009, 10:44 PM

I agree with everybody else, epub and LRF are the main ones I use.

I just did the font hack that is on this site and replaced the default font with caecilia font. And I like it a lot because it's darker and clearer and I can read smaller font sizes and get more words on screen. And these fonts only work on LRF ebooks. The basic fonts on epub are great too, but since I just did the font hack I am having fun reading my stuff in that font.

Also, the sony 505 has 6 zoom levels, not 3! If you do portrait mode the fonts are bigger than the others, I just found that out. So I'm going to reconvert some of my ebooks to small font size as default , and use portrait modes if I need bigger font sizes. Not sure what I wrote makes sense, but check it out on your 505 and you will see what I mean.

07-14-2009, 01:09 PM	#1
morajelly Junior Member Posts: 4 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jul 2009 Device: PRS-505	Question about the best format(s). Ok. I know what formats are supported by the PRS-505 from the wiki but I would like to know from people that have used their 505 for a while... A. Which format is your favorite for the 505 and B. Which one do you recommend to convert all documents to for optimum viewing capabilities

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07-14-2009, 02:25 PM	#2
MickeyC Grand Sorcerer Posts: 16,732 Karma: 12185114 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Florida Device: iPhone 6 plus, Sony T1, iPad 3	I like .lrf well enough. Also ePub. Both display well on the Sony. PDFs in ADE tend not to re-flow very well in my experience.

07-14-2009, 02:33 PM	#3
ShortNCuddlyAm WWHALD Posts: 7,879 Karma: 337114 Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Mitcham, Surrey, UK Device: iPad. Selling my silver 505 here	I like ePub and lrf

07-14-2009, 03:17 PM	#4
kelly1010 Book Addict! Posts: 533 Karma: 1070 Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: CA Device: Sony PRS-505, iPod Touch, Kindle 3G + Wi-Fi	I prefer epub, but I will read pdf files (alot of library books are pdf and since they are free, I will live wirh the funky paragraph breaks).

07-14-2009, 03:19 PM	#5
dreams It's about the umbrella Posts: 25,112 Karma: 56250158 Join Date: Jan 2009 Device: Sony 505\| K Fire \| KK 3G+Wi-Fi \| iPhone 3Gs \|Vista 32-bit Hm Prem w/FF	I like lrf and ePub. Pdf only if I have no other choice.

07-14-2009, 03:21 PM	#6
ladyjane I hate to clean Posts: 125 Karma: 1155 Join Date: May 2009 Location: Burlington, ontario Device: Sony PRS-505, Acer NetBook	lrf and epub for me also..

07-14-2009, 03:27 PM	#7
Elfwreck Grand Sorcerer Posts: 5,185 Karma: 25133758 Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: SF Bay Area, California, USA Device: Pocketbook Touch HD3 (Past: Kobo Mini, PEZ, PRS-505, Clié)	For optimum viewing options, I'd use ePub. I don't mind ragged right edges, and ePub is more convertable to other filetypes later if I care about it. I consider LRFs to be throwaway files--read and delete; keep something else for long-term use options. If I had to chose one for a purchase, it'd definitely be ePub. For a lot of my reading, I'm prone to converting things to custom PDFs sized for the Reader. (For free PDFs from the various publishers that offer them, I tend to add tags, which greatly helps reflow, and bookmarks, after which they're much less painful to read.)

07-14-2009, 05:20 PM	#8
Amalthia Wizard Posts: 1,158 Karma: 32196 Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Anchorage, AK Device: Sony Reader PRS-505, PRS-650, PRS-T3, Pocketbook HD2	I use LRF because my husband is using my old PRS-500...and the PRS-500 does not support epub. I also don't like that epub on the PRS-505 does not support full justification and I can't get rid of the numbers on the right margin. We already have a page number set up built into the PRS, not sure why we need another set of numbers?

07-14-2009, 09:24 PM	#10
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 73,941 Karma: 128903250 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	I prefer ePub because it's easy to setup the font(s) that I want. And I do find that I like Fontin as a base font in most cases.

07-14-2009, 09:26 PM	#11
Abecedary Exwyzeeologist Posts: 535 Karma: 3261 Join Date: Jun 2009 Device: :PRS-505::iPod touch:	The LRF books I've purchased from Sony are generally formatted pretty well and are quite readable as is (which is good since you can't reformat them if you want). That said, I prefer to purchase my books in ePub format. About half have been formatted well and I've left alone. The other half I've decrypted, then edited the stylesheets to add better margins, adjust the type size and line spacing, eliminate blank lines after paragraphs, etc. In doing this, I've found a couple that actually have fonts included in the archive, but that aren't properly referenced in the stylesheet. Once those were linked back up, the book looked much better. As for the non-justification in ePub, I personally prefer it. I deal with layout and text daily, and I'd much rather have ragged right text with proper character and word spacing than unhyphenated fully justified blocks of text with erratic word spacing and huge gaping rivers flowing through them. But that's just me.

07-14-2009, 10:18 PM	#12
LDBoblo Wizard Posts: 1,385 Karma: 16056 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Asia Device: Kindle 3 WiFi, Sony PRS-505	I use LRF for shorter files or things that I care less about. I can't say I particularly like the design or formatting most folks do with it even on MR. Feels cheap--too cheap for what for me was a $300usd device... I try to make custom pdfs for any book I want to look nice. I couldn't care less about reflow or resize, or even a table of contents for that matter. I'd much rather focus on making an attractive, enjoyable book with more complete layout and font control.

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07-14-2009, 10:34 PM	#13
Renaldo Addict Posts: 294 Karma: 250590 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: The Great Pacific Northwest Device: Kindle 3G + WiFi	I prefer LRF, not really that taken with epub. I'd buy a LIT file and convert it before buying an epub.

07-14-2009, 10:44 PM	#15
richman Addict Posts: 269 Karma: 58 Join Date: Jul 2009 Device: sony prs-505 BLUE,itouch,netbook	I agree with everybody else, epub and LRF are the main ones I use. I just did the font hack that is on this site and replaced the default font with caecilia font. And I like it a lot because it's darker and clearer and I can read smaller font sizes and get more words on screen. And these fonts only work on LRF ebooks. The basic fonts on epub are great too, but since I just did the font hack I am having fun reading my stuff in that font. Also, the sony 505 has 6 zoom levels, not 3! If you do portrait mode the fonts are bigger than the others, I just found that out. So I'm going to reconvert some of my ebooks to small font size as default , and use portrait modes if I need bigger font sizes. Not sure what I wrote makes sense, but check it out on your 505 and you will see what I mean.