DJVU support -- all I want from Kindle.

[alexibm]

Hi !

I bought Kindle 3 couple days ago, made a mistake, should have bought a Kindle DX, but not a big deal.

The only thing I want from this gray plastic thing is direct support for DJVU files. Period !

[daffy4u]

You're still in the 30 day trial period so you can return the K3 and purchase a DX or something that reads your DJVU files (maybe Calibre converts them to mobi).

[eLiNK]

For djvus and pdfs, a 9.7" reader is a must.
your only choice at the moment is DXG (look for doukan firmware, which supports the djvu format among many others).
In a month or so, the Pocketbook 902/903 would most probably be a good alternative.

[just_jeepin]

You mean people actually use DJVU? I've never come across one.

[ProfCrash]

What is DJVU?

All I can think of is a poorly named DJ and would suggest an IPod over a Kindle for listening to music....

[OakIris]

Originally Posted by ProfCrash

What is DJVU?

All I can think of is a poorly named DJ and would suggest an IPod over a Kindle for listening to music....

Here's the definition from the djvu.org site:

DjVu (pronounced "déjà vu") is a digital document format with advanced compression technology and high performance value. DjVu allows for the distribution on the Internet and on DVD of very high resolution images of scanned documents, digital documents, and photographs. DjVu viewers are available for the web browser, the desktop, and PDA devices.

I didn't know what it was either.

Holly

[JeremyR]

Basically it seems to be an alternative to PDF...

[suecsi]

Why do people buy these things and then moan about it not supporting a format it never said it would ........

(feeling grouchy today)

[OakIris]

Originally Posted by JeremyR

Basically it seems to be an alternative to PDF...

From what little I have read about it (since seeing alexibm's post yesterday ) DjVU is supposed to have better image compression than PDF's. Here is some good info about it, if anyone is interested: http://www.djvu.org/resources/whatisdjvu.php

The smaller readers can't do justice to the DjVU format anymore than they can display PDF's, as already stated by eLink. I can't find any information about eReaders that natively support the DjVU format; it seems to be mostly for Web sites and some smart phones with a DjVU reader app. Most sites talk about converting the DjVU eBook into a PDF document, which seems to defeat the purpose of getting an eBook in DjVU format in the first place.

Since Amazon refuses to support ePub, I don't imagine they will every "allow" their eReaders to support DjVU - after all, it is, thus far, a free technology so Amazon won't be able to buy it.

So, alexibm, as daffy4u said, you need to return your Kindle 3 and get the DXG, if you want to stick with Amazon eReaders. Or you could sell your Kindle here and buy some other eReader which fully suports PDFs or buy an iPad!

Holly

[susan_cassidy]

And how would supporting an obscure format benefit Amazon? They don't add features just for fun, there has to be a cost-benefit justification.

[OakIris]

Originally Posted by susan_cassidy

And how would supporting an obscure format benefit Amazon? They don't add features just for fun, there has to be a cost-benefit justification.

I understand that, but still, ePub is certainly not an obscure format, and I would think they would benefit from supporting it. They could certainly sell lots of eBooks in the format to non-Kindle users at the least, (or is there a DRM problem there?) and since that is where the profit lies, selling lots of books..... But, this discussion is about DjVU, a format that very few people seem to know about, myself included.

Oh well, I am very happy with my Kindle and before I chose the Kindle, I knew that it didn't support ePub, wasn't large enough, screen-wise, to make PDFs readable, (I'd never heard of DjVU, so that format was not part of my purchasing decision,) I knew that it didn't allow borrowing from libraries, etc. I bought it after doing lots of research so I really have no regrets about my purchase choice.

Hopefully alexibm will be able to exchange his/her Kindle 3 for something more to his/her liking.

Holly

IMO, if the big three ebook reader companies don't support it, then it is obscure! I wish these stupid scanned document formats would go the way of the dinosaurs, and that includes the worst of them all; Adobe PDF, which should stand for Pathetic Document Format. In 1990 there was a need for Portable Document Format, unfortunately Adobe was the crappy company that designed it and created a bloated POS. In 2010 I can not see a legitimate need for PDF, especially on eInk readers.

[mdovell]

Well pdf can be good..but it depends as to the application.

A friend of mine is a engineer and someone called to say would he like this item to be faxed...faxed! It was huge and could not be faxed (we're talking feet by feet here.

As a result he just had a pdf sent.

In terms of as a ebook I don't think pdf is a good format at all to use..epub is quite a bit better.

djvu is interesting as a open format but it's still rare. It seems to be to pdf's what ogg vorbis is to mp3's..

[whitearrow]

Originally Posted by OakIris

I understand that, but still, ePub is certainly not an obscure format, and I would think they would benefit from supporting it. They could certainly sell lots of eBooks in the format to non-Kindle users at the least, (or is there a DRM problem there?)

Yes, there is. They'd have to license Adobe's DRM to be compatible with the Nook and the Sony, and then there's the issue of delivering books to non-Amazon devices, and the technical support that would be required.

I've said this before, but once more with feeling: adding DRM'd ePub is not going to happen -- Amazon has no interest in paying licensing fees and support costs for someone else's format. And adding non-DRM ePub support would actually add little, since converting DRM-free ePub is easy for the more sophisticated Kindle user that would actually be interested.

[OakIris]

Originally Posted by whitearrow

Yes, there is. They'd have to license Adobe's DRM to be compatible with the Nook and the Sony, and then there's the issue of delivering books to non-Amazon devices, and the technical support that would be required.

I've said this before, but once more with feeling: adding DRM'd ePub is not going to happen -- Amazon has no interest in paying licensing fees and support costs for someone else's format. And adding non-DRM ePub support would actually add little, since converting DRM-free ePub is easy for the more sophisticated Kindle user that would actually be interested.

So, no ePub, ever. As stated, if you want eBooks that aren't available in a Kindle format, just convert via Calibre, or do that "illegal" thing, remove DRM and then convert. See how Amazon forces us all to be criminals? (j/k)

Holly