Metadata issues

[Eaque]

Hello everyone !

First of all, i've browsed this forum, hunting for a previous post about my issue... But i couldn't find one... Thus, maybe i'm the only one experiencing this king of problem, or maybe i can't explain it the right way.
English is not my mother tongue, then, i may not use the rights words to describe it !
So forgive me it's a well known problem !

So... i bought a Sony PRS-505 few days ago, and since then, i'm playing with it, trying to figure out all its functionnalities !
I've downloaded Calibre, and really loved it ! Clear, efficient, very useful, especially when you compare it to the Sony Ebook Library...

The only problem i encountered is about metadatas :
I've imported my ebook library from a file folder, and patiently check and fill all the fields (author, title...).
BUT, when i load all my stuff in my reader (which one include a 1go MS card), most of the time, the reader don't recognize the metadata!

For example, Calibre contains the ebook : "Treasure Island" From Stevenson...
and when i transfer it to my reader, this ebook is displayed as "Treasure_Island_-_Stevenson.epub".

Whatever the format (pdf, epub, ...) the problem is !

Please note that i'm using the Calibre functionnality to transfert theses ebooks...

Do anyone already experienced this?

Thanks for your time !!

/Eaque

[gwynevans]

You are using the "Send to device" function to copy, not the "Save to disk" aren't you?

[Eaque]

Yep,
I right click > Send to device > Send to main memory OR right click > Send to device > Send to storage card.

[Waba]

Having the exact same problem. Imported all my books into Calibre, spent a few hours setting the metadata.

Everything looks fantastic. Then I send to device and it's almost as it the Sony505 isn't reading the Calibre metadata at all. I'm getting inconsistent file names, authors that I specifically remember deleting in the Calibre Edit metadata.

Most of these are PDFs.

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by Waba

Having the exact same problem. Imported all my books into Calibre, spent a few hours setting the metadata.

Everything looks fantastic. Then I send to device and it's almost as it the Sony505 isn't reading the Calibre metadata at all. I'm getting inconsistent file names, authors that I specifically remember deleting in the Calibre Edit metadata.

Most of these are PDFs.

Calibre only updates the metadata of certain formats. PDF may be one that it doesn't write metadata to. I think PDF is only a "source" format for calibre. Basically if calibre can convert "to" a format I believe it will re-write the file with the metadata from the database when you do a send to device on those cases.

For files that it can't convert "to" (pdf for one) it will not re-write the file on a send to disk, but only copy the source file that is in your library. This is also true of files with DRM on them. Since it is not able to read a file with DRM it is not able to re-write this file.

BOb

[Waba]

Fantastic, Bob, thanks for your reply. I expected as much...

I found this googling:
Changed 3 weeks ago by kovidgoyal ¶

* status changed from new to closed
* resolution set to duplicate

This is a known bug. calibre doesn't support setting metadata in PDF files and some models/firmwre versions of the Sony reader always overwrite the calibre specified metadata in the database with the original PDF metadata. This wont be fixed until calibre gets the ability to write pdf metadata or SNY fixes their buggy firmware.

It's interesting because the tags actually went from my PDF collection in Calibre into the 505 without issue... I'm wondering if there is no way to get the PDF metadata across without actually renaming it in a way Sony likes.

I will experiment with some other PDF metadata editing. Hopefully there's a trick to get them across without having to reconvert it to another type of file.

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by Waba

It's interesting because the tags actually went from my PDF collection in Calibre into the 505 without issue... I'm wondering if there is no way to get the PDF metadata across without actually renaming it in a way Sony likes.

The tags are not actually written to the PDF file itself. They are stored in a separate file on the Sony. I think it is media.xml.

Originally Posted by Waba

I will experiment with some other PDF metadata editing. Hopefully there's a trick to get them across without having to reconvert it to another type of file.

Yes, a PDF editing tool to modify the metadata in the file is your best bet.

Or have calibre convert the PDF to ePub instead. This is a format that calibre can write metadata too.

BOb

[gwynevans]

Originally Posted by Eaque

Yep,
I right click > Send to device > Send to main memory OR right click > Send to device > Send to storage card.

Hmm... As mentioned, it's expected behaviour for PDF (the simplest workaround is probably to use something like BeCyPDFMetaEdit to change the metadata of the file itself), but not, as far as I'm aware, for EPUB...

[Eaque]

Thanks pilotbob and gwynevans for your replies !
That was correct for me... The Sony Reader overwritte the calibres metadata.
So i did what Gwynevans suggested, directly update the PDF metadata and transfert it through Calibre. And it seems to solve the problem!!

Thanks again and long life to MR !

[Jon Walker]

Originally Posted by Waba

This is a known bug. calibre doesn't support setting metadata in PDF files and some models/firmwre versions of the Sony reader always overwrite the calibre specified metadata in the database with the original PDF metadata. This wont be fixed until calibre gets the ability to write pdf metadata or SNY fixes their buggy firmware.

Thanks for the info. Inability to write PDF embedded Title/Author metadata on the first pass has been driving me crazy. Only solution I have found was to allow corrupted data to be written to the Sony eReader (PRS-300 and/or PRS-600) and then manually post an updated change to the eReader on a second pass with Calibre. Had assumed there was a better way and that I must be doing something wrong in my use of the application.