Problem syncing Calibre with Marvin

Berzelius · 01-26-2016, 03:40 PM

I have Calibre 2.47 running under Win 7 Professional.

I wish to use Calibre to move books from my PC to Marvin on my new iPad Air. I found a neat little WikiHow on the topic and have so far proceeded as follows.

1) Opened Calibre, selected Preferences and then Get Plugins to enhance Calibre.
2) Installed the iOS reader plugin and customised the Preferred iOS reader application as Marvin.
3) Restarted Calibre, connected the iPad to the PC and launched the Marvin app.
4) Tapped the Get books link and the selected Marvin. A box informed me that Calibre connector was ready.

At this point the problems began. I went to Caibre and found no sign of the Marvin icon that was supposed to be on the Calibre toolbar. Also there was no sign of either of the Device or Send from device logos that I always see when sending books to ereaders or android devices.

I then started searching here and on the internet and soon found that the whole subject quickly became almost impenetrably complex, especially when I started reading comments about such things as disabling iTunes sync - agghh, when did I start getting ridiculous complications like this with my Kindle or Android devices and Calibre! To be honest I started feeling like throwing in the towel.

So, can anyone explain where I am obviously going wrong and how do I get out of the mess.

MSWallack · 01-27-2016, 09:14 AM

Sadly, when iOS 9 was introduced (I think that was the version...), Apple made some changes in how apps could interact. I'm not a tech guy that understands the details, but essentially, those changes "broke" the connection between Calibre and Marvin. Apparently, there is a way that Marvin could be fixed, but the developer of Marvin has been (so it seems) focused on other projects. So, for the time being, the best way to get books into Marvin is via the OPDS server instead of directly connecting the iOS device to the computer.

Berzelius · 01-27-2016, 10:00 AM

Thanks for the reply. As I have iOS 9.2.1 that sadly explains that.

Can you amplify on this OPDS server? If it's the same as the Calibre Content Server, then I have successfully used it to connect by wifi to my iPad but, unfortunately, all it seems to want to do is transfer the book to my Kindle app - no mention of Marvin.

MartyTX · 01-27-2016, 10:04 AM

I also lament the loss of the slick calibre/iPad/Marvin sync capability.

I use "home" and "away" manual approaches to get books into Marvin.

Home: I connect my iPad to my PC and use iTunes File Sharing to add books directly from my calibre library to Marvin.

Away: Because I'm neurotic about a major catastrophe wiping out my calibre library, I keep a copy of my entire library in a cloud service (I use BOX). It is very easy to use Marvin's "Get books" and "Picker" tools to download directly from BOX.

jhowell · 01-27-2016, 01:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Berzelius

Can you amplify on this OPDS server? If it's the same as the Calibre Content Server, then I have successfully used it to connect by wifi to my iPad but, unfortunately, all it seems to want to do is transfer the book to my Kindle app - no mention of Marvin.

You need to connect to the server from within the Marvin app. Use: Get Books, OPDS, Tap here to add a new catalog.

Berzelius · 01-28-2016, 09:39 AM

Many thanks for replying to my question.

Unfortunately, having looked into the matter a bit further, I have now discovered that the version of Marvin that I downloaded, despite being described as a free version, is, in fact, only a trial version and is only suitable for assessing the reading quality of the product. It is essentially unusable as an ereader for daily use.

What I'm after is a free epub reader for occasional use to supplement the Kindle app. I've started looking at iBooks that comes installed but any other suggestions would be welcome.

MSWallack · 01-28-2016, 10:28 AM

I'm still a strong proponent of Marvin, even if it costs you a few dollars. That being said, I've recently started experimenting with Bookmaster as a possible replacement for Marvin. Neither is free, but I think it's worth paying a few dollars for decent apps. Less than the cost of a book or a Starbucks.

crashnburn · 02-06-2016, 01:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MSWallack

I'm still a strong proponent of Marvin, even if it costs you a few dollars. That being said, I've recently started experimenting with Bookmaster as a possible replacement for Marvin. Neither is free, but I think it's worth paying a few dollars for decent apps. Less than the cost of a book or a Starbucks.

Looks promising.. How are their CE & SE apps different? Confused!

MSWallack · 02-08-2016, 09:39 AM

From the Bookmaster iTunes page:

Quote:

BookMaster SE has two additional features:
1. Become an OPDS/HTML webserver for your own books to share with others
2. Read PDF files with a viewer like Modern Book, and note highlights as images

01-26-2016, 03:40 PM	#1
Berzelius Connoisseur Posts: 77 Karma: 20414 Join Date: Mar 2012 Device: Kindle 4, Kindle Paperwhite 2 & Sony PRS-T1	Problem syncing Calibre with Marvin I have Calibre 2.47 running under Win 7 Professional. I wish to use Calibre to move books from my PC to Marvin on my new iPad Air. I found a neat little WikiHow on the topic and have so far proceeded as follows. 1) Opened Calibre, selected Preferences and then Get Plugins to enhance Calibre. 2) Installed the iOS reader plugin and customised the Preferred iOS reader application as Marvin. 3) Restarted Calibre, connected the iPad to the PC and launched the Marvin app. 4) Tapped the Get books link and the selected Marvin. A box informed me that Calibre connector was ready. At this point the problems began. I went to Caibre and found no sign of the Marvin icon that was supposed to be on the Calibre toolbar. Also there was no sign of either of the Device or Send from device logos that I always see when sending books to ereaders or android devices. I then started searching here and on the internet and soon found that the whole subject quickly became almost impenetrably complex, especially when I started reading comments about such things as disabling iTunes sync - agghh, when did I start getting ridiculous complications like this with my Kindle or Android devices and Calibre! To be honest I started feeling like throwing in the towel. So, can anyone explain where I am obviously going wrong and how do I get out of the mess.

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01-27-2016, 09:14 AM	#2
MSWallack Right, Except When Wrong Posts: 363 Karma: 4323767 Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Indianapolis Device: Kindle Oasis 3 (sometimes iPad Mini).	Sadly, when iOS 9 was introduced (I think that was the version...), Apple made some changes in how apps could interact. I'm not a tech guy that understands the details, but essentially, those changes "broke" the connection between Calibre and Marvin. Apparently, there is a way that Marvin could be fixed, but the developer of Marvin has been (so it seems) focused on other projects. So, for the time being, the best way to get books into Marvin is via the OPDS server instead of directly connecting the iOS device to the computer.

01-27-2016, 10:00 AM	#3
Berzelius Connoisseur Posts: 77 Karma: 20414 Join Date: Mar 2012 Device: Kindle 4, Kindle Paperwhite 2 & Sony PRS-T1	Thanks for the reply. As I have iOS 9.2.1 that sadly explains that. Can you amplify on this OPDS server? If it's the same as the Calibre Content Server, then I have successfully used it to connect by wifi to my iPad but, unfortunately, all it seems to want to do is transfer the book to my Kindle app - no mention of Marvin.

01-27-2016, 10:04 AM	#4
MartyTX Dedicated Posts: 441 Karma: 11279376 Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Amarillo, TX Device: iPad Mini 1 & 4, Nook ST, Dell 11-3000, iPhone 5s	I also lament the loss of the slick calibre/iPad/Marvin sync capability. I use "home" and "away" manual approaches to get books into Marvin. Home: I connect my iPad to my PC and use iTunes File Sharing to add books directly from my calibre library to Marvin. Away: Because I'm neurotic about a major catastrophe wiping out my calibre library, I keep a copy of my entire library in a cloud service (I use BOX). It is very easy to use Marvin's "Get books" and "Picker" tools to download directly from BOX.

01-28-2016, 09:39 AM	#6
Berzelius Connoisseur Posts: 77 Karma: 20414 Join Date: Mar 2012 Device: Kindle 4, Kindle Paperwhite 2 & Sony PRS-T1	Many thanks for replying to my question. Unfortunately, having looked into the matter a bit further, I have now discovered that the version of Marvin that I downloaded, despite being described as a free version, is, in fact, only a trial version and is only suitable for assessing the reading quality of the product. It is essentially unusable as an ereader for daily use. What I'm after is a free epub reader for occasional use to supplement the Kindle app. I've started looking at iBooks that comes installed but any other suggestions would be welcome.

01-28-2016, 10:28 AM	#7
MSWallack Right, Except When Wrong Posts: 363 Karma: 4323767 Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Indianapolis Device: Kindle Oasis 3 (sometimes iPad Mini).	I'm still a strong proponent of Marvin, even if it costs you a few dollars. That being said, I've recently started experimenting with Bookmaster as a possible replacement for Marvin. Neither is free, but I think it's worth paying a few dollars for decent apps. Less than the cost of a book or a Starbucks.

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