Query: Reader AND Format?

ExiledV20 · 06-29-2009, 12:53 AM

Gentles: I am on the cusp of purchasing an e-reader for the first time. I have been through the matrix and compared/contrasted the models...probably too excessively. Currently my head is so full of information that I am in a quandary as to how to proceed.

I have a library which is full of PDFs for the most part. They are mostly (as far as I am aware) not formatted very well for most e-readers. I have the time to convert them as necessary; the tools for conversion seem readily available depending on the format desired. Here is what I am looking for advice on:

Stipulations
- My budget is not unlimited; the maximum amount affordable is somewhere around a Kindle 2 or Sony PRS-700.
- I'll be doing a helluva lot of conversion.
- I might - MIGHT - want to convert some comics to another format.

Questions
1) Is there a 'best' format for text e-books (mostly novels)?
2) If so, is there a 'best' that would be transferable between a Sony and a Kindle?
3) Should I simply just reformat my PDFs to the dimensions of a 6" screen?
4) Due to cheapness, should I keep the COOL-ER e-reader as an option? If so, how does it handle PDFs and ePub?

I'm sorry if these questions have been handled elsewhere, but I am just feeling a bit overwhelmed with data. Any help provided would be welcome.

dreams · 06-29-2009, 01:08 AM

Welcome to Mr, ExiledV20.

We have all gone through the overwhelming stage as newbies.

I have the Sony 505 and love it. I don't use pdf nor do I do any conversions... I'll wait for a more experienced member to answer that part.

I prefer the lrf and epub formats with the Sony store DRM'd lrx next. I choose pdf very last if I have no choice.

I like the fact that I can download library books to the Sony if I so choose. That way I can read the new releases for free. Many members belong to the NY public library among others and will answer questions about this if you are curious.

I hope you are able to make a decision soon and start enjoying the experience of reading on an e-ink device.

Alisa · 06-29-2009, 02:37 PM

I don't have enough experience to know the best format. I read primarily Mobipocket format which does quite well, in my opinion. Visually it seems quite nice, most readers that use it support dictionary lookup (a surprisingly rare feature), and its DRM has been broken so I can make archive copies of my files that I could potentially convert to use on a different device. I have a Kindle and its .azw format is essentially Mobipocket. They try to obscure the PID (the ID of the device which is used as an encryption key for the DRM) but there is a script which can get you this key so you can archive your files. LIT, ePub and PDF are also similarly convertible. There might be others. I'm not expert. The two I know of that cannot have the DRM removed and are therefore not convertible are .lrx and .tpz/.azw1. The first is Sony's DRMed format. LRF is convertible. That's not DRMed. The second is Topaz which is another format the Amazon carries. It's far less common. This is my least favorite format so far, since it is not only inflexible but it is often unattractive and slow. It's sort of an enhanced scan of a document so the font often isn't as crisp, it's slower to process and sometimes there are visual errors. It's a fast way to get a print book digitized, which is its main attraction to publishers. Fortunately .tpz is pretty rare. I've had the Kindle for over a year and a half, and have only had two Topaz books.

So my advice if you get the Sony is to avoid .lrx if you want to be able to archive or convert your files. There are plenty of other places you can buy books besides the Sony store. If you buy a Kindle, the Topaz files are easy to avoid. Sadly, when a book is available in Topaz, it's usually only available in the Kindle store. It's typically an older book that the publisher didn't want to spend much effort on digitizing. They can get it in the Kindle store fast with Topaz but since that doesn't help them get it out in other formats to other stores. I've heard some people say that they've seen Topaz books replaced later with .azw books so that's heartening.

Lemurion · 07-04-2009, 04:21 PM

Topaz is a format with all the weaknesses of PDF and none of the strengths. At least Sony's LRX looks good on the device.

emellaich · 07-05-2009, 12:39 AM

If you haven't already done this, I would try to test convert some of your doc's. For example, Calibre has built-in book viewers so you could convert a pdf to epub and to mobipocket and see what looks best.

However, I'm recommending this because I'm not sure all pdf's can be converted. Some pdf's are just containers for a series of pictures that are scans of pages. I haven't tried any of these in the conversion programs; however, unless the converters can do OCR there is actually nothing to convert. Anyway, the point is that its pretty simple to test things out to see what can be done.

Elfwreck · 07-05-2009, 12:57 AM

The PRS-505 has decent PDF support; if they're well-made to begin with, the reflow ability makes them nicely readable. I like the 505 for conversion projects; if I've got energy, I can use BookDesigner to make nice-looking LRF files (could presumably make good ePubs, but I'm worthless at CSS); if I've got less energy, I can create custom PDFs that fit the screen exactly; if I've got less than that, RTFs with the fonts set to about 16 pt read nicely on their own.

"Best" format for novels is... there isn't one. Novels are a simple format; they look good in customized PDF, in LRF, in RTF, in Mobi, in eReader (which AFAIK no e-ink reader supports), in ePub, and so on. (Sony's ePub support has some issues, which bother some people and not others. Kindle has no ePub support.)

Best formats come in with files that have pictures, or charts, or lots of internal links. (I don't know what format that would be; I read a lot of novels, and I make a lot of custom PDFs to my preferences.)

Reformatting PDFs to the 6" screen can be troublesome; a lot depends on how the doc was originally made. Some convert very well; some are hellish. (They do not, however, get easier to deal with for the Kindle.) The Sony has the chance to read the PDFs directly, without conversion; some of the work that way. The (non-DX) Kindle has to convert them.

I'd not suggest the Cool-ER; Fry's has Sony Readers (505) cheaper than the Cool-ER. There are often sales that will get the Sony Reader at the Cool-ER price.

06-29-2009, 12:53 AM	#1
ExiledV20 Dieselgoth Posts: 2 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Atlanta, GA Device: None	Query: Reader AND Format? Gentles: I am on the cusp of purchasing an e-reader for the first time. I have been through the matrix and compared/contrasted the models...probably too excessively. Currently my head is so full of information that I am in a quandary as to how to proceed. I have a library which is full of PDFs for the most part. They are mostly (as far as I am aware) not formatted very well for most e-readers. I have the time to convert them as necessary; the tools for conversion seem readily available depending on the format desired. Here is what I am looking for advice on: Stipulations - My budget is not unlimited; the maximum amount affordable is somewhere around a Kindle 2 or Sony PRS-700. - I'll be doing a helluva lot of conversion. - I might - MIGHT - want to convert some comics to another format. Questions 1) Is there a 'best' format for text e-books (mostly novels)? 2) If so, is there a 'best' that would be transferable between a Sony and a Kindle? 3) Should I simply just reformat my PDFs to the dimensions of a 6" screen? 4) Due to cheapness, should I keep the COOL-ER e-reader as an option? If so, how does it handle PDFs and ePub? I'm sorry if these questions have been handled elsewhere, but I am just feeling a bit overwhelmed with data. Any help provided would be welcome.

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06-29-2009, 01:08 AM	#2
dreams It's about the umbrella Posts: 25,110 Karma: 56250158 Join Date: Jan 2009 Device: Sony 505\| K Fire \| KK 3G+Wi-Fi \| iPhone 3Gs \|Vista 32-bit Hm Prem w/FF	Welcome to Mr, ExiledV20. We have all gone through the overwhelming stage as newbies. I have the Sony 505 and love it. I don't use pdf nor do I do any conversions... I'll wait for a more experienced member to answer that part. I prefer the lrf and epub formats with the Sony store DRM'd lrx next. I choose pdf very last if I have no choice. I like the fact that I can download library books to the Sony if I so choose. That way I can read the new releases for free. Many members belong to the NY public library among others and will answer questions about this if you are curious. I hope you are able to make a decision soon and start enjoying the experience of reading on an e-ink device.

06-29-2009, 02:37 PM	#3
Alisa Gadget Geek Posts: 2,324 Karma: 22221 Join Date: Aug 2007 Device: Paperwhite, Kindle 3 (retired), Skindle 1.2 (retired)	I don't have enough experience to know the best format. I read primarily Mobipocket format which does quite well, in my opinion. Visually it seems quite nice, most readers that use it support dictionary lookup (a surprisingly rare feature), and its DRM has been broken so I can make archive copies of my files that I could potentially convert to use on a different device. I have a Kindle and its .azw format is essentially Mobipocket. They try to obscure the PID (the ID of the device which is used as an encryption key for the DRM) but there is a script which can get you this key so you can archive your files. LIT, ePub and PDF are also similarly convertible. There might be others. I'm not expert. The two I know of that cannot have the DRM removed and are therefore not convertible are .lrx and .tpz/.azw1. The first is Sony's DRMed format. LRF is convertible. That's not DRMed. The second is Topaz which is another format the Amazon carries. It's far less common. This is my least favorite format so far, since it is not only inflexible but it is often unattractive and slow. It's sort of an enhanced scan of a document so the font often isn't as crisp, it's slower to process and sometimes there are visual errors. It's a fast way to get a print book digitized, which is its main attraction to publishers. Fortunately .tpz is pretty rare. I've had the Kindle for over a year and a half, and have only had two Topaz books. So my advice if you get the Sony is to avoid .lrx if you want to be able to archive or convert your files. There are plenty of other places you can buy books besides the Sony store. If you buy a Kindle, the Topaz files are easy to avoid. Sadly, when a book is available in Topaz, it's usually only available in the Kindle store. It's typically an older book that the publisher didn't want to spend much effort on digitizing. They can get it in the Kindle store fast with Topaz but since that doesn't help them get it out in other formats to other stores. I've heard some people say that they've seen Topaz books replaced later with .azw books so that's heartening.

07-04-2009, 04:21 PM	#4
Lemurion eReader Posts: 2,750 Karma: 4968470 Join Date: Aug 2007 Device: Note 5; PW3; Nook HD+; ChuWi Hi12; iPad	Topaz is a format with all the weaknesses of PDF and none of the strengths. At least Sony's LRX looks good on the device.

07-05-2009, 12:39 AM	#5
emellaich Wizard Posts: 1,101 Karma: 4388403 Join Date: Oct 2007 Device: Palm>Ebookman>IPaq>Axim>Cybook>Kndl2>IPAD>Kndl3SO>Voyager>Oasis	If you haven't already done this, I would try to test convert some of your doc's. For example, Calibre has built-in book viewers so you could convert a pdf to epub and to mobipocket and see what looks best. However, I'm recommending this because I'm not sure all pdf's can be converted. Some pdf's are just containers for a series of pictures that are scans of pages. I haven't tried any of these in the conversion programs; however, unless the converters can do OCR there is actually nothing to convert. Anyway, the point is that its pretty simple to test things out to see what can be done.

07-05-2009, 12:57 AM	#6
Elfwreck Grand Sorcerer Posts: 5,187 Karma: 25133758 Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: SF Bay Area, California, USA Device: Pocketbook Touch HD3 (Past: Kobo Mini, PEZ, PRS-505, Clié)	The PRS-505 has decent PDF support; if they're well-made to begin with, the reflow ability makes them nicely readable. I like the 505 for conversion projects; if I've got energy, I can use BookDesigner to make nice-looking LRF files (could presumably make good ePubs, but I'm worthless at CSS); if I've got less energy, I can create custom PDFs that fit the screen exactly; if I've got less than that, RTFs with the fonts set to about 16 pt read nicely on their own. "Best" format for novels is... there isn't one. Novels are a simple format; they look good in customized PDF, in LRF, in RTF, in Mobi, in eReader (which AFAIK no e-ink reader supports), in ePub, and so on. (Sony's ePub support has some issues, which bother some people and not others. Kindle has no ePub support.) Best formats come in with files that have pictures, or charts, or lots of internal links. (I don't know what format that would be; I read a lot of novels, and I make a lot of custom PDFs to my preferences.) Reformatting PDFs to the 6" screen can be troublesome; a lot depends on how the doc was originally made. Some convert very well; some are hellish. (They do not, however, get easier to deal with for the Kindle.) The Sony has the chance to read the PDFs directly, without conversion; some of the work that way. The (non-DX) Kindle has to convert them. I'd not suggest the Cool-ER; Fry's has Sony Readers (505) cheaper than the Cool-ER. There are often sales that will get the Sony Reader at the Cool-ER price.

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