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Old 04-19-2015, 05:04 PM   #331
Anak
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Posts: 603
Karma: 641742
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: DE
Device: Kobo Glo
Quote:
Originally Posted by fjtorres View Post
That doesn't sound like a glitch as much as a policy/design decision: "If the publisher sends us epub2, set it up for straighgt download--if they send us epub3, set it up as Kepub."

There must be a business/technical reason for the divide. Kobo proudly proclaims epub3 support but might it be like Amazon's "support" for epub, on the publishing side as feedstock only?

How are the Kobo readers with sideloaded epub3? New ones, old ones...?
No, it is not choice or decision from Kobo it is a glitch.
This is another good example - and I've come across many over the years - that every fault, mistake, bug or other kind of error isn't just that but is justified by many MR members as a deliberate or intentional decision made by Kobo. And that's probably one of the reasons why Kobo doesn't fix them. It seems Kobo doesn't even care. They just want to make sale and it ends right there.


Kobo gets it books delivered straight from the publisher (without DRM) because Kobo host their books on their own servers. Other vendors might to the same (Amazon) but smaller book sellers often use use third-party service to which the publisher uploads it's books (with DRM scheme or other form of DRM protection or even DRM free). The publisher has full control over /access to the books uploaded these servers. Publishers can update their books if they are not error free (ORC mistakes, etc.). They also send the updated version to book sellers that host the books themselves but it is up to the seller to make the updated version available to its customers. That's where it fails often. Kobo still sells "verion 1" books while other sellers sell the latest available version.

It doesn't matter if the format is either epub2 or epub3. Kobo only has to do two things:

The publishers book (epub2/epub3) should be
1. converted to Kobo propietary kepub format and wrap Kobos proprietary DRM scheme around it;
2. add an ADEPT DRM scheme(*) to the publishers book. Kobo does not make any other changes to the book.

Note 2. The epub version that Kobo sells is identical to those sold by other book sellers but the DRM scheme may be different.
Some don't add a DRM scheme but use a watermark as DRM (as this is more customer friendly). In The Netherlands most other online bookstores sell watermarked books and don't use the 'traditional' Adobe DRM scheme anymore.

If Kobo just does 1 and 2 then both formats can be downloaded to Kobo readers and the epubs remain standard epubs. Either in flavor epub2 or epub3.

It is clear that Kobos ebook processing process isn't up-to-date as it can't correctly handle epub3 books. It is capable to convert it to kepub (point 1) but it can't do the 'standard epub route' (point 2) and rejects or aborts further processing.

(*) if there is a different (new or hardened) flavour in ADEPT DRM schemes for epub2 and/or epub3 then Kobo's automated processes should only have to detect the correct format of the book, which is either epub2 or epub3 and add the proper DRM scheme to it.

Last edited by Anak; 04-19-2015 at 05:25 PM.
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