Aura HD Manga reader

[tacchan23]

Hello,
I'm looking for an ebook reader mostly for Manga. (I plan to use it for normal books too, but I would only buy it if I can also use it for Manga)

So from my limited research, the Aura HD seems the best choice for the larger and higher resolution screen. And for the extra SD card over any Kindle too.

My questions:
1) is the Aura HD the best choice for me? any better devices for my usage?
2) can I just rename my zip/rar files to cbz/cbr and use them without any other operation? (no resizing, optimization, etc). I never owned an ebook reader before, but I read of such operations needed for other devices to read manga properly (and honestly I don't think I'd be willingly to do it).

Thanks in advance!

[Canuck_in_Japan]

If you are using it for just manga which tends to be black and white and the size of a small paperback then yes the Aura HD is the way to go thanks to its high resolution large screen. If you like to read comics then you're probably better off with a tablet.
Also yes you can just rename the file extensions.

[Angemon]

Originally Posted by tacchan23

1) is the Aura HD the best choice for me? any better devices for my usage?
2) can I just rename my zip/rar files to cbz/cbr and use them without any other operation? (no resizing, optimization, etc). I never owned an ebook reader before, but I read of such operations needed for other devices to read manga properly (and honestly I don't think I'd be willingly to do it).

1) - If it's not the best it certainly is among the best choices. I prefer to read manga on my Aura HD than on my Kindle DX, tablet or PC.

2) - You can, but you might run into issues (like the volume suddenly ending before reaching the last page) if there's a text or thumbs file somewhere in the zip/rar. And if the zip has a folder for each chapter and they all follow the same file naming method (for example, 01.jpg, 02.jpg, etc) it's very likely you'll read them out of order. Also, it shows landscape pictures in portrait mode, you'll need to manually rotate them (on the reader) to be able to read the text.

What i usually do is unpack all volumes to separate folders, delete all non-image files (including the "thumbs.db" files, who are hidden by default), use Photoshop to scan all folders and conditionally rotate landscape images 90º, then i use Renamer to batch rename images to an 6-digit sequence (00001.jpg, 000002.jpg, etc), repack all volumes and finally use Renamer again to change extensions to cbr (cbz if you compress them as zip files).

Certainly overkill if you're just reading the latest released chapter, in which case you just need to change the extension and copy it to the reader, but i'd strongly recommend that before copying a 30-volume manga that you plan on reading during a trip or somewhere else where you can't access your computer if you come across an issue.

[tacchan23]

Thanks a lot for the replies!
The problem with the file names is putting me off a little bit honestly
A lot of my manga zip/rar has folders inside so if this would force me to do a lot of renaming and moving stuff it makes me not so sure anymore T_T

[AcidWeb]

You can easily repackage/optimize your archives with our software - check my signature.

KCC was create mostly for Kindles but I know people who use it with other readers. I never used Aura HD but let me share probably the best settings - Aura HD users feel free to correct me. I would love to add Aura HD settings to our wiki.

http://aw.cap.vulturis.eu/2013-11-13_0803.png

[Angemon]

Originally Posted by tacchan23

Thanks a lot for the replies!
The problem with the file names is putting me off a little bit honestly
A lot of my manga zip/rar has folders inside so if this would force me to do a lot of renaming and moving stuff it makes me not so sure anymore T_T

Ha ha, sorry if i made it look like it requires a lot of work or expert knowledge to read manga on the Aura HD. The steps i suggested are not mandatory, just a "better safe than sorry" kind of approach and to be fair, i would recommend taking those steps if you're planning reading manga in anything that's not a tablet or a PC. You don't need to worry about moving and renaming folders or individual images. I use two programs freely available: Renamer and Winrar (well, i also use photoshop, but it's more of an optional step). Renamer lets me batch rename all the unpacked files to a 6-digits sequence (000001.jpg, 000002, jpg, etc) while going through sub-folders in the correct way. When repacking volumes with winrar i choose the "do not store filepaths" option. All automated and done in a little more than a dozen of mouse clicks and less than 10 minutes for a 30-volume manga. If you're unsure, i can put a step-by-step guide so you can judge for yourself.

[tacchan23]

Thanks again, I'll have a look at KCC.
Also if you could post a step by step guide about the renaming process it would be very appreciated! So I could try it myself first and see how I feel about it^^

[Ken Maltby]

Originally Posted by tacchan23

Thanks again, I'll have a look at KCC.
Also if you could post a step by step guide about the renaming process it would be very appreciated! So I could try it myself first and see how I feel about it^^

Here is a renamer that I have used for a number of things: http://www.mediachance.com/free/renamer.htm There is a Free version that works for most things, but the Pro version is only $15.

Luck;
Ken

[Angemon]

Here's a quick step-by-step guide:

https://sites.google.com/site/mangao.../home/tutorial


It's quicker than it looks after you do it a couple of times and get the hang of it, i swear it >_>

Like i said, it's completely optional, you could simply rename your files to cbr/cbz and be done with it, but better safe than sorry, IMO. That method doesn't changes the image files in any way, the Aura HD handles images splendidly, there's no need to resize or alter quality. I do like to rotate all landscape images before creating the cbr/cbz but that's because i'm lazy and it's handier to rotate the Aura than going through the menu to rotate an image.