Cover not moved to device

Kumabjorn · 03-13-2012, 04:09 AM

This is a first for me. I moved 13 titles to my Sony PRS-350 after having downloaded some covers (I was ok with 5 or six covers) from the Net. This time however, covers didn't appear on the device, neither those that came with the title nor those I downloaded separately.
I doubt that the latest update is to blame, so why is this suddenly happening?

HarryT · 03-13-2012, 05:14 AM

Do the covers show up in the Calibre book viewer? Not in the library, but in the actual book itself when you open it in Calibre's viewer?

Kumabjorn · 03-13-2012, 06:02 AM

No they don't. I didn't think to check there. Now I'm even more confused (read; incompetent).

HarryT · 03-13-2012, 07:01 AM

Try doing an ePub to ePub conversion on the book (ie a format conversion with both source and destination formats set to "ePub"). This is sometimes necessary in order to make the new cover "stick" to the book.

Kumabjorn · 03-13-2012, 10:42 AM

Excellent advice, thank you.
However, some of the books remain without cover in the viewer and on the Sony. I can live with it, but it kind of puzzles me.

jackie_w · 03-13-2012, 03:37 PM

I'm not sure which 'covers' you mean, but if it is the thumbnail covers, which appears in Sony booklists and Collections, then you should go to Prefs - Plugins - Device Interface - SONY (or SONY PRST1) - Customize. Then check the box labeled 'Update separate cover thumbnails...'.

If you do this, the current Calibre cover will be sent as the Sony thumbnail whenever you send-to-device or save-to-disk your books. It is completely independent of the cover which is page 1 (usually) actually inside the book. It should work for all valid ebook formats for the particular Sony model. It also works for both DRM and non-DRM books.

Kumabjorn · 03-13-2012, 03:46 PM

Have done it now. Will see the result on the next run.
HarryT's advice worked on some but not all the books. Most peculiar. I did the epub to epub conversion and in Calibre's Viewer the covers now appear. However, some appear in the Sony PRS-350, but others don't. Seems odd that the conversion would include cover for some of the books but not others.
Most grateful for all the helpful input.

jackie_w · 03-13-2012, 03:53 PM

...I should have added that it is not necessary to convert epub-to-epub to get the Sony thumbnails to match Calibre.

Kumabjorn · 03-14-2012, 02:39 AM

Thank you, I kind of figured that out. Once it is a parameter in the plug-in it would be automatic. I'll have to wait for the result until the next time I get some books.

Usually I download metadata after I have the book in Calibre, after selecting the metadata Calibre takes me to a screen that previews covers. Most of the time they are similar but some are clearer in color. These tend to look better in b&w so I will download one of those. I've noticed they also come in different sizes, but that doesn't affect anything on the Sony, right?

jackie_w · 03-14-2012, 04:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kumabjorn

I've noticed they also come in different sizes, but that doesn't affect anything on the Sony, right?

The only thing that affects thumbnail size is whether you have also checked the box labeled 'Preserve cover apect ratio when building thumbnails' (on the same Prefs page as the previous setting).

Unchecked - all thumbnails will be exactly the same size, which is the largest possible size for that Sony model (neater IMO).
Checked - size will vary slightly (usually the width, I think) depending on each individual book's Calibre cover shape/size.

Edit: BTW, if you want to test out your new settings, just resend a few books from Calibre to your Sony -- perhaps the ones which didn't work previously.

Kumabjorn · 03-15-2012, 02:35 AM

Before downloading to the SONY I need to remove them first, right? Or will Calibre overwrite? I don't want to clutter up the Reader with doublets.

jackie_w · 03-15-2012, 09:40 AM

A fair question! As long as the filenames will be the same as before you shouldn't run the risk of doubling up, as the books and thumbnails should be overwritten.

The filename on the Sony will depend on 2 things: your 'Save template' (same Prefs page as before) and whether you've changed any of the metadata included in the template, since the initial send.

There is another option you could try which doesn't involve resending any books. You could:

Make sure that Prefs - Sending books to devices - Metadata management is set to Automatic
Reopen the Prefs Device plugin page (used in all the previous posts) and check the box labeled 'Refresh separate covers when using automatic management'
Connect the Sony to Calibre in the normal way and let it do its processing (may take a while with this option set)
When it's finished, do nothing more than disconnect in the normal way
Calibre should have re-synched the thumbnails of every book it knows about on the Sony.
Uncheck the box you checked in step 2.
If this process took very little time you could consider leaving this box checked permanently. However, if you have a lot of books on the Sony it will slow down the process every time you connect to Calibre. Personally, I use this box as a temporary setting for one connection only then I reset it to unchecked after disconnecting. It's a good way of getting all your book thumbnails up-to-date if you've made a lot of cover changes in Calibre. This method should not risk interfering with any bookmarks or notes you may have already made to existing books on the Sony. So you could consider it 'safer but slower'.

Kumabjorn · 03-16-2012, 03:26 PM

It worked without a hitch

Warmest day of the year so far and on top of that I learned a new "trick" in Calibre. Great time to be alive.

03-13-2012, 04:09 AM	#1
Kumabjorn Basculocolpic Posts: 4,356 Karma: 20181319 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Sweden Device: Kindle 3 WiFi, Kindle 4SO, Kindle for Android, Sony PRS-350 and PRS-T1	Cover not moved to device This is a first for me. I moved 13 titles to my Sony PRS-350 after having downloaded some covers (I was ok with 5 or six covers) from the Net. This time however, covers didn't appear on the device, neither those that came with the title nor those I downloaded separately. I doubt that the latest update is to blame, so why is this suddenly happening?

03-15-2012, 09:40 AM	#12
jackie_w Grand Sorcerer Posts: 6,212 Karma: 16534894 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: UK Device: Kobo: KA1, ClaraHD, Forma, Libra2, Clara2E. PocketBook: TouchHD3	A fair question! As long as the filenames will be the same as before you shouldn't run the risk of doubling up, as the books and thumbnails should be overwritten. The filename on the Sony will depend on 2 things: your 'Save template' (same Prefs page as before) and whether you've changed any of the metadata included in the template, since the initial send. There is another option you could try which doesn't involve resending any books. You could: Make sure that Prefs - Sending books to devices - Metadata management is set to Automatic Reopen the Prefs Device plugin page (used in all the previous posts) and check the box labeled 'Refresh separate covers when using automatic management' Connect the Sony to Calibre in the normal way and let it do its processing (may take a while with this option set) When it's finished, do nothing more than disconnect in the normal way Calibre should have re-synched the thumbnails of every book it knows about on the Sony. Uncheck the box you checked in step 2. If this process took very little time you could consider leaving this box checked permanently. However, if you have a lot of books on the Sony it will slow down the process every time you connect to Calibre. Personally, I use this box as a temporary setting for one connection only then I reset it to unchecked after disconnecting. It's a good way of getting all your book thumbnails up-to-date if you've made a lot of cover changes in Calibre. This method should not risk interfering with any bookmarks or notes you may have already made to existing books on the Sony. So you could consider it 'safer but slower'.

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03-13-2012, 05:14 AM	#2
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	Do the covers show up in the Calibre book viewer? Not in the library, but in the actual book itself when you open it in Calibre's viewer?

03-13-2012, 06:02 AM	#3
Kumabjorn Basculocolpic Posts: 4,356 Karma: 20181319 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Sweden Device: Kindle 3 WiFi, Kindle 4SO, Kindle for Android, Sony PRS-350 and PRS-T1	No they don't. I didn't think to check there. Now I'm even more confused (read; incompetent).

03-13-2012, 07:01 AM	#4
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	Try doing an ePub to ePub conversion on the book (ie a format conversion with both source and destination formats set to "ePub"). This is sometimes necessary in order to make the new cover "stick" to the book.

03-13-2012, 10:42 AM	#5
Kumabjorn Basculocolpic Posts: 4,356 Karma: 20181319 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Sweden Device: Kindle 3 WiFi, Kindle 4SO, Kindle for Android, Sony PRS-350 and PRS-T1	Excellent advice, thank you. However, some of the books remain without cover in the viewer and on the Sony. I can live with it, but it kind of puzzles me.

03-13-2012, 03:37 PM	#6
jackie_w Grand Sorcerer Posts: 6,212 Karma: 16534894 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: UK Device: Kobo: KA1, ClaraHD, Forma, Libra2, Clara2E. PocketBook: TouchHD3	I'm not sure which 'covers' you mean, but if it is the thumbnail covers, which appears in Sony booklists and Collections, then you should go to Prefs - Plugins - Device Interface - SONY (or SONY PRST1) - Customize. Then check the box labeled 'Update separate cover thumbnails...'. If you do this, the current Calibre cover will be sent as the Sony thumbnail whenever you send-to-device or save-to-disk your books. It is completely independent of the cover which is page 1 (usually) actually inside the book. It should work for all valid ebook formats for the particular Sony model. It also works for both DRM and non-DRM books.

03-13-2012, 03:46 PM	#7
Kumabjorn Basculocolpic Posts: 4,356 Karma: 20181319 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Sweden Device: Kindle 3 WiFi, Kindle 4SO, Kindle for Android, Sony PRS-350 and PRS-T1	Have done it now. Will see the result on the next run. HarryT's advice worked on some but not all the books. Most peculiar. I did the epub to epub conversion and in Calibre's Viewer the covers now appear. However, some appear in the Sony PRS-350, but others don't. Seems odd that the conversion would include cover for some of the books but not others. Most grateful for all the helpful input.

03-13-2012, 03:53 PM	#8
jackie_w Grand Sorcerer Posts: 6,212 Karma: 16534894 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: UK Device: Kobo: KA1, ClaraHD, Forma, Libra2, Clara2E. PocketBook: TouchHD3	...I should have added that it is not necessary to convert epub-to-epub to get the Sony thumbnails to match Calibre.

03-14-2012, 02:39 AM	#9
Kumabjorn Basculocolpic Posts: 4,356 Karma: 20181319 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Sweden Device: Kindle 3 WiFi, Kindle 4SO, Kindle for Android, Sony PRS-350 and PRS-T1	Thank you, I kind of figured that out. Once it is a parameter in the plug-in it would be automatic. I'll have to wait for the result until the next time I get some books. Usually I download metadata after I have the book in Calibre, after selecting the metadata Calibre takes me to a screen that previews covers. Most of the time they are similar but some are clearer in color. These tend to look better in b&w so I will download one of those. I've noticed they also come in different sizes, but that doesn't affect anything on the Sony, right?

03-15-2012, 02:35 AM	#11
Kumabjorn Basculocolpic Posts: 4,356 Karma: 20181319 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Sweden Device: Kindle 3 WiFi, Kindle 4SO, Kindle for Android, Sony PRS-350 and PRS-T1	Before downloading to the SONY I need to remove them first, right? Or will Calibre overwrite? I don't want to clutter up the Reader with doublets.

03-16-2012, 03:26 PM	#13
Kumabjorn Basculocolpic Posts: 4,356 Karma: 20181319 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Sweden Device: Kindle 3 WiFi, Kindle 4SO, Kindle for Android, Sony PRS-350 and PRS-T1	It worked without a hitch Warmest day of the year so far and on top of that I learned a new "trick" in Calibre. Great time to be alive.