UK User - is it really this complicated?!

[LesleyJ]

Like others, I was a bit daunted by the conversion process - but being rather disappointed with the selection at Waterstones (I do so hope this improves) I downloaded several books from Fictionwise - hey, most of their books are half the price of Waterstones! Took me a while to get to grips with C Lit and Calibre, but finally the penny dropped and I'm pleased with the whole experience overall.

I'm really chuffed with my Reader. Going on holiday next week, have all the books I need and more .....

[abradburne]

fwiw, PanMac mailed me this morning (and responded on their blog) - they are getting the epub file sorted and have been very pleasant to talk deal with. Yay for nice publishers!

[GingerTez]

Originally Posted by LesleyJ

I downloaded several books from Fictionwise - hey, most of their books are half the price of Waterstones! Took me a while to get to grips with C Lit and Calibre

I've downloaded some books from Fictionwise - all the DRM'd ones I wanted have been available as Secure Adobe Reader 7 which works natively with the Sony Reader PRS-505 - no conversion required!

Have I been lucky that the ones I wanted were available in this format... or is it worth the extra hassle to download the MS format and convert it (and what's the difference)?

Cheers,
Terry.

[wallcraft]

Originally Posted by GingerTez

is it worth the extra hassle to download the MS format and convert it (and what's the difference)?

If Adobe DE on the PRS-505 had been implemented a little bit differently, then Secure Adobe PDFs would have been about as good at the LIT/LRF versions. As it is, ADE honours the page breaks at the end of each "page" in the PDF - so the text on each page reflows to the smaller screen but then there is a hard page break for no logical (content based) reason. The bothers some readers more than others. The other issue is that the Sony only allows 3 font sizes per book, and many of the PDFs were created years ago (so they could not be aware of the limitation) - which means that in some ebooks for some readers the font size they want won't be available.

MS LIT is the best of the older generation of true reflowable ebook formats (ePub is the new generation, but it is still in its infancy), with no extraneous hard page breaks. The Sony still has three font sizes, but Calibre allows you to set these. Also, DRM-free MS LIT is future proof. If you want to switch to a different ebook reader in the future, its is 100% certain that a LIT can be shifted into the format you need.

[garygibsonsf]

It's worth reiterating here what I've been told by someone at Pan directly, since there's still some occasional confusion here and there in the forum; none of the ebooks they sell direct are hampered with DRM. I write for them, so I'm pretty sure they're not fibbing.

[nobicus]

I too am bl***y peeved. I read on the forum about all the wonderful deals on the Sony book store site and indeed can look at the site and drool. When I start the ebook library software the only link I am offered is Waterstones UK where ebooks cost a fortune!! Thank goodness I am used to the good ol' interweb thingy and know how to search.
I bought a 2 gig SD card for my 505 the day after it arrived and so far have about 200 books but I want the rest!!!
Arthur C Clarke stuff at discount!!?? Where's my copy!! I can pay!! My Paypal account is in funds!! Is it really a case of the UK still being looked at by international traders as "Treasure Island"?? Most other things when imported into this country cost in UK pounds what you Americans pay as dollars. It really can't cost that much to import - I know 'cos I've done it. So why the horrendous price hike for stuff being sold in the UK. Remember Gordon's motto - "Pile 'em high and sell 'em cheap!".
Any suggestions as to how I can access the Sony site?

[nobicus]

I love the way I am described as a "Junior Member" - at 68 this is a compliment.

[HarryT]

If you use a Windows PC, the best thing to do is to buy Microsoft Reader (LIT) books from sites such as FictionWise or BooksOnBoard. They have an excellent selection, and very reasonable prices. LIT books can trivially be converted to Sony's LRF format.

[wallcraft]

Originally Posted by nobicus

I read on the forum about all the wonderful deals on the Sony book store site and indeed can look at the site and drool. When I start the ebook library software the only link I am offered is Waters tones UK where ebooks cost a fortune!!

This is an argument for buying the US version of the PRS-505, since it can buy from Sony or Waterstones (right?), although it opens up other hassles for non-US owners.

The LIT approach is very easy for Windows PC owners, and you can buy UK ebooks if you want, e.g. WHSmith eBookShop sells Adobe PDF (readable on the PRS-505) and LIT and MOBI (both can be converted to work on the PRS-505). However, US ebooks are typically cheaper. When Adobe PDF and LIT are offered, I suggest buying the LIT because it reflows better on the PRS-505.

[gwynevans]

Originally Posted by wallcraft

This is an argument for buying the US version of the PRS-505, since it can buy from Sony or Waterstones (right?), although it opens up other hassles for non-US owners.

Strictly, as I understand it, it's not the version of the PRS but the version of the Sony eBook Software bundled with the Reader, and the US package is available for download so should be usable by a UK owner.

[GingerTez]

Originally Posted by wallcraft

If Adobe DE on the PRS-505 had been implemented a little bit differently, then Secure Adobe PDFs would have been about as good at the LIT/LRF versions. As it is, ADE honours the page breaks at the end of each "page" in the PDF - so the text on each page reflows to the smaller screen but then there is a hard page break for no logical (content based) reason. The bothers some readers more than others. The other issue is that the Sony only allows 3 font sizes per book, and many of the PDFs were created years ago (so they could not be aware of the limitation) - which means that in some ebooks for some readers the font size they want won't be available.

I have just finished reading Singularity Sky by Charles Stross which I downloaded to my PRS-505 in ADE format from Waterstones. The pagination worked fine on small, medium, and large fonts. Each page with small font was more than one PDF page and so the page number on the reader said "Page 6-7" and there was a very small "7" on screen at the point page 7 began. The medium font seemed to match the pages okay (I read about 50 pages with the medium font) and the large font didn't have any extra page breaks either.

The only forced "breaks" were at the ends of the chapters.

Does this mean that newer ADE books don't have the reflow/pagination problems that earlier Adobe files have?

Cheers,
Terry.
PS: Just to see how easy it is I tried to download MS Reader and authenticate my PC to then buy one of my 'wishlist' eBooks and convert it to LRF through ConvrtLIT and Calibre. I downloaded the software okay but couldn't authenticate any PC in my house (various OS's) because the MS Authentication service was down "for routine maintenance or due to technical difficulties" all day. So I just downloaded the Adobe files instead!

[gwynevans]

Originally Posted by GingerTez

Does this mean that newer ADE books don't have the reflow/pagination problems that earlier Adobe files have?

Yes - as I understand it, the "newer ADE books" are in ePub format, which is designed as a reflowable format, rather than PDF, which isn't.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by GingerTez

Does this mean that newer ADE books don't have the reflow/pagination problems that earlier Adobe files have?

ADE books can be either PDF or ePub. It's only PDF files which have the issues that you describe.

[GingerTez]

Originally Posted by gwynevans

Yes - as I understand it, the "newer ADE books" are in ePub format, which is designed as a reflowable format, rather than PDF, which isn't.

Originally Posted by HarryT

ADE books can be either PDF or ePub. It's only PDF files which have the issues that you describe.

Ah now that makes perfect sense (and I feel a little bit thick!).

Thank you!

[winspiration]

Originally Posted by gwynevans

Strictly, as I understand it, it's not the version of the PRS but the version of the Sony eBook Software bundled with the Reader, and the US package is available for download so should be usable by a UK owner.

I've done this and it worked fine.

Haven't tried purchasing from Waterstones since. Presumably that should work fine still as I have Adobe DE installed, but if it doesn't, I don't think I'll lose much sleep over it