What format would you use for storage?

JGB · 07-04-2008, 12:21 AM

So I'm sitting here with my shiny new reader and thinking to myself that I don't really want to convert all my files straight away to the sony format, since I'm likely to have a different reader eventually.
However I would like to convert everything to one format that will play nice with caliber, and most ebook readers so that I can delete the source files and have one copy in a format that is only one conversion step away from sony, and readable on whatever I buy in future.
what format should I choose?
I'll be converting some .PDFs, .lit files, .html files and a few .docs

EDIT:
also, what is your format of choice for actuall use in the reader?
I can create PDFs of the right size but I'm not sure if they load slower then the sony proprietary format.

RobbieClarken · 07-04-2008, 04:14 AM

I'd go HTML because it supports text formatting and images and you'll easily be able to convert to other formats if necessary. RTF might be worth looking at but I haven't used it much.

Definately don't go with LRF or PDF.

I convert everything to LRF to put on my reader. But that is because most of my ebooks are initially in PDF format.

Riocaz · 07-04-2008, 10:51 AM

rtf or html

wallcraft · 07-04-2008, 12:23 PM

The best archive formats are the richest in features. So the best in the future will be ePub, but there aren't enough tools for ePub creation or conversion yet.

The best today is OEB, which almost no reader reads directly (the exception is FBReader) but that is what LIT and MOBI are based on. MOBI is not a good archive format, because MobiPocket Creator starts with an OEB ebook and converts it to MOBI - it won't even take a MOBI as a starting point because it is a "reader" format not an "archive/source" format. On the other hand LIT is a very thin wrapper round OEB, and ConvertLIT can explode LIT to OEB. This is why LIT is still the best format for DRMed ebooks, even though MOBI and eReader are both now also crackable. OEB is essentially html, images, and a .opf file. So HTML good too. If you have any multi-format ebooks (e.g. from Baen or FictionWise), I suggest archiving the LIT version (just in case) and then downloading their Sony version.

Absent good ePub tools, I would be inclined to archive your existing ebooks "as is". This definitely looses no information, and perhaps better conversion tools will exist in the future. This is particularly true of PDF, I don't think you loose much by converting RTF and DOC to HTML today.

Ervserver · 07-06-2008, 01:34 AM

I don't use any Sony format if I can help it. In fact I'm happy with txt and html

kovidgoyal · 07-06-2008, 11:58 AM

I would recommend as is now and epub once support for it matures.

JGB · 07-06-2008, 03:05 PM

Ok, thanks.
I think I'll convert what I can to .lit in one big folder, then convert that to sony format, keep both formats with the .lit for storage and organizing, the sony for reading and all the original files as a compressed archive.

whew...
I wish there was one universally happy format.

07-04-2008, 12:21 AM	#1
JGB Groupie Posts: 168 Karma: 1010000 Join Date: Jul 2008 Device: PRS505	What format would you use for storage? So I'm sitting here with my shiny new reader and thinking to myself that I don't really want to convert all my files straight away to the sony format, since I'm likely to have a different reader eventually. However I would like to convert everything to one format that will play nice with caliber, and most ebook readers so that I can delete the source files and have one copy in a format that is only one conversion step away from sony, and readable on whatever I buy in future. what format should I choose? I'll be converting some .PDFs, .lit files, .html files and a few .docs EDIT: also, what is your format of choice for actuall use in the reader? I can create PDFs of the right size but I'm not sure if they load slower then the sony proprietary format. Last edited by JGB; 07-04-2008 at 12:26 AM.

07-04-2008, 04:14 AM	#2
RobbieClarken Addict Posts: 371 Karma: 1002274 Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Australia Device: Kindle	I'd go HTML because it supports text formatting and images and you'll easily be able to convert to other formats if necessary. RTF might be worth looking at but I haven't used it much. Definately don't go with LRF or PDF. I convert everything to LRF to put on my reader. But that is because most of my ebooks are initially in PDF format. Last edited by RobbieClarken; 07-04-2008 at 04:17 AM.

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07-04-2008, 10:51 AM	#3
Riocaz Fulfilled but not by iRex Posts: 932 Karma: 286846 Join Date: May 2006 Location: London Device: Far too many	rtf or html

07-04-2008, 12:23 PM	#4
wallcraft reader Posts: 6,975 Karma: 5183568 Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Mississippi, USA Device: Kindle 3, Kobo Glo HD	The best archive formats are the richest in features. So the best in the future will be ePub, but there aren't enough tools for ePub creation or conversion yet. The best today is OEB, which almost no reader reads directly (the exception is FBReader) but that is what LIT and MOBI are based on. MOBI is not a good archive format, because MobiPocket Creator starts with an OEB ebook and converts it to MOBI - it won't even take a MOBI as a starting point because it is a "reader" format not an "archive/source" format. On the other hand LIT is a very thin wrapper round OEB, and ConvertLIT can explode LIT to OEB. This is why LIT is still the best format for DRMed ebooks, even though MOBI and eReader are both now also crackable. OEB is essentially html, images, and a .opf file. So HTML good too. If you have any multi-format ebooks (e.g. from Baen or FictionWise), I suggest archiving the LIT version (just in case) and then downloading their Sony version. Absent good ePub tools, I would be inclined to archive your existing ebooks "as is". This definitely looses no information, and perhaps better conversion tools will exist in the future. This is particularly true of PDF, I don't think you loose much by converting RTF and DOC to HTML today.

07-06-2008, 01:34 AM	#5
Ervserver Wizard Posts: 2,624 Karma: 1008294 Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Iowa, USA Device: Nook Simple Touch	I don't use any Sony format if I can help it. In fact I'm happy with txt and html

07-06-2008, 11:58 AM	#6
kovidgoyal creator of calibre Posts: 43,843 Karma: 22666666 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Mumbai, India Device: Various	I would recommend as is now and epub once support for it matures.

07-06-2008, 03:05 PM	#7
JGB Groupie Posts: 168 Karma: 1010000 Join Date: Jul 2008 Device: PRS505	Ok, thanks. I think I'll convert what I can to .lit in one big folder, then convert that to sony format, keep both formats with the .lit for storage and organizing, the sony for reading and all the original files as a compressed archive. whew... I wish there was one universally happy format.

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