Mobi and EPUB and why would I want to?

el.astrologo · 05-26-2009, 12:22 PM

Hello all...

I have been formatting some ebooks for a while and since I own a SONY PRS700 I have always output it as LRF now I am wondering if I am doing right.

Why is it that one would want to have his ebooks in Mobi or EPUB format? Other than the fact that they could be read in several devices?

Thanks in advance

JSWolf · 05-26-2009, 12:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by el.astrologo

Hello all...

I have been formatting some ebooks for a while and since I own a SONY PRS700 I have always output it as LRF now I am wondering if I am doing right.

Why is it that one would want to have his ebooks in Mobi or EPUB format? Other than the fact that they could be read in several devices?

Thanks in advance

You don't want Mobipocket format as your 700 cannot display them. But you can display ePub. ePub is becoming more universal. LRF is fixed for the Sony Readers. I have been converting to ePub and it's working fine on my 505.

el.astrologo · 05-26-2009, 12:29 PM

I understand the fact that LRF is fixed for Sony Readers, what I would like to know is what other advantage does epub have against LRF?

If it's just being able to read my ebooks in other devices I think I will stick with LRF

HarryT · 05-26-2009, 12:59 PM

ePub is capable of more sophisticated formatting than LRF. Eg, you can have an image with text alongside it, which you can't do with LRF, or drop-capitals, or complex tables.

For straightforward novels, though, there's probably no particular benefit if you're creating stuff for personal use only.

=X= · 05-26-2009, 04:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by el.astrologo

Hello all...

I have been formatting some ebooks for a while and since I own a SONY PRS700 I have always output it as LRF now I am wondering if I am doing right.

Why is it that one would want to have his ebooks in Mobi or EPUB format? Other than the fact that they could be read in several devices?

Thanks in advance

PROs
It's easier to convert ePUB/MOBI from one format to another.
ePUB supports HTML 4.1 so the ePUB layout can be more elaborate than LRF/X
ePUB allows for multilayer TOC.

Con
LRF is faster
LRF supports justification / hyphenation.
ePUB created from calibre have terribly slow TOC

Personally I keep my source files as MS Word documents or MOBI/LIT and convert to LRF when I want to read the book on my PRS-505.

=X=

HarryT · 05-27-2009, 04:54 AM

A minor correction, X; I don't believe that LRF does support hyphenation.

JSWolf · 05-27-2009, 06:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

A minor correction, X; I don't believe that LRF does support hyphenation.

It does not support hyphenation.

=X= · 05-27-2009, 01:16 PM

Ops my mistake that is correct LRF does not support hyphenation.

radius · 05-27-2009, 04:24 PM

One big "pro" for epub is that it is easier to change the displayed font.

For LRFs, you have to either embed a new font (which slows down page turns) or you can re-flash your device with a new font built into the image (intimidating to some users and difficult without support from a forum like Mobileread). In both cases, the reader needs time to re-paginate the first time it displays at any particular font size unless you use Sony's library software.

For epubs, on the other hand, you can embed fonts, but you can also point to fonts on the filesystem of your Sony reader. There is no delay to repaginate when you load a book or change font sizes.

On the con side, my gut feeling right now is that Sony's LRF parser is currently more robust than Adobe's epub parser on the Sony reader.

I've been using epub, but more and more I've been considering rolling my own PDFs.

Note, however, that the only books I buy are DRM free and easily convertible.

HarryT · 05-28-2009, 03:00 AM

A big "downside" for ePub on the Sony at the present time is that it has no support for full justification. I can't stand reading left-justified books!

gwynevans · 05-28-2009, 04:28 AM

The one comment I'd add re ePub is that the "ePUB created from calibre have terribly slow TOC" isn't always apparent - I have seen it, but I've also see other ePubs with no problems, so it's down to the specific ePub (possibly the internal organisation/splitting of the book).

wallcraft · 05-28-2009, 06:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

A big "downside" for ePub on the Sony at the present time is that it has no support for full justification.

The latest mobile ADE has this capability, see The german epub version of the Cybook. However, the default is still always left justification and DRMed ePubs will then be stuck with whatever explicit justification the publisher decides to use. For DRM-free ePubs, Calibre can create a version with whatever justification you want.

HarryT · 05-28-2009, 06:59 AM

Yes, I know. That's why I said "at the present time"

. Hopefully Sony will update their firmware to add this capability.

el.astrologo · 05-28-2009, 07:53 AM

I see, thanks a lot guys!

el.astrologo · 05-28-2009, 08:10 AM

double post

05-26-2009, 12:22 PM	#1
el.astrologo Groupie Posts: 164 Karma: 462 Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Buenos Aires, Argentina Device: PRS-700BC	Mobi and EPUB and why would I want to? Hello all... I have been formatting some ebooks for a while and since I own a SONY PRS700 I have always output it as LRF now I am wondering if I am doing right. Why is it that one would want to have his ebooks in Mobi or EPUB format? Other than the fact that they could be read in several devices? Thanks in advance

05-28-2009, 08:10 AM	#15
el.astrologo Groupie Posts: 164 Karma: 462 Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Buenos Aires, Argentina Device: PRS-700BC	double post Last edited by el.astrologo; 05-28-2009 at 01:30 PM. Reason: double post

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05-26-2009, 12:29 PM	#3
el.astrologo Groupie Posts: 164 Karma: 462 Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Buenos Aires, Argentina Device: PRS-700BC	I understand the fact that LRF is fixed for Sony Readers, what I would like to know is what other advantage does epub have against LRF? If it's just being able to read my ebooks in other devices I think I will stick with LRF

05-26-2009, 12:59 PM	#4
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,560 Karma: 93980341 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	ePub is capable of more sophisticated formatting than LRF. Eg, you can have an image with text alongside it, which you can't do with LRF, or drop-capitals, or complex tables. For straightforward novels, though, there's probably no particular benefit if you're creating stuff for personal use only.

05-27-2009, 04:54 AM	#6
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,560 Karma: 93980341 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	A minor correction, X; I don't believe that LRF does support hyphenation.

05-27-2009, 01:16 PM	#8
=X= Wizard Posts: 3,671 Karma: 12205348 Join Date: Mar 2008 Device: Galaxy S, Nook w/CM7	Ops my mistake that is correct LRF does not support hyphenation.

05-27-2009, 04:24 PM	#9
radius Lector minore Posts: 660 Karma: 1738720 Join Date: Jan 2008 Device: Aura One, Paperwhite Signature	One big "pro" for epub is that it is easier to change the displayed font. For LRFs, you have to either embed a new font (which slows down page turns) or you can re-flash your device with a new font built into the image (intimidating to some users and difficult without support from a forum like Mobileread). In both cases, the reader needs time to re-paginate the first time it displays at any particular font size unless you use Sony's library software. For epubs, on the other hand, you can embed fonts, but you can also point to fonts on the filesystem of your Sony reader. There is no delay to repaginate when you load a book or change font sizes. On the con side, my gut feeling right now is that Sony's LRF parser is currently more robust than Adobe's epub parser on the Sony reader. I've been using epub, but more and more I've been considering rolling my own PDFs. Note, however, that the only books I buy are DRM free and easily convertible.

05-28-2009, 03:00 AM	#10
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,560 Karma: 93980341 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	A big "downside" for ePub on the Sony at the present time is that it has no support for full justification. I can't stand reading left-justified books!

05-28-2009, 04:28 AM	#11
gwynevans Wizzard Posts: 1,402 Karma: 2000000 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: UK Device: iPad 2, iPhone 6s, Kindle Voyage & Kindle PaperWhite	The one comment I'd add re ePub is that the "ePUB created from calibre have terribly slow TOC" isn't always apparent - I have seen it, but I've also see other ePubs with no problems, so it's down to the specific ePub (possibly the internal organisation/splitting of the book).

05-28-2009, 06:59 AM	#13
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,560 Karma: 93980341 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	Yes, I know. That's why I said "at the present time" . Hopefully Sony will update their firmware to add this capability.

05-28-2009, 07:53 AM	#14
el.astrologo Groupie Posts: 164 Karma: 462 Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Buenos Aires, Argentina Device: PRS-700BC	I see, thanks a lot guys!