PRS-650 Sony PRS-650 epub text is ??????????????...mostly for russian.

[melkorbauglir]

Reformatted internal memory,as some files got error,but when i try to open some prc/mobi to epub converted books in russian,might be even some in english...i get text looking like :?????????????????????????????????????.
And some other epub files give me error on page.


Btw..Calibre viewer opens those books perfectly.Any software to check those epubs separately,or i have font issue?
Any solution to this?

[sonyreaderfan]

Unfortunately, Sony Reader can't display Cyrillic alphabets out of the box. You need to install your own custom firmware.

Do a search for "Sony reader russification" or "russify sony reader"

Here's a link I found useful:
http://iheartpaperbacks.com/sony-prs...-the-firmware/

The firmware you need is called Boroda firmware. Here's a link (off that page)
http://translate.google.com/translat...61a576029cd1d6

Follow the instruction to install the firmware. Skip the instruction for custom font.
I used Boroda firmware at first before using PRS+ firmware.

Another alternative firmware is PRS+:
http://code.google.com/p/prs-plus/

The PRS+ firmware is also an alternative firmware. I have installed that now. I believe the PRS+ firmware allows Cyrillic alphabet also. (can anyone confirm is PRS+ displays Russian epubs?) I know Boroda firmware is designed expressly for Cyrillic alphabet. (PRS+ adds features to the OS, Boroda firmware doesn't). If PRS+ also allows for Cyrillic alphabet, I would recommend it over the Boroda firmware.

EDIT: according to the feature chart on the http://code.google.com/p/prs-plus/, PRS+ displays Cyrillic alphabet. Can anyone confirm just to make sure?

[melkorbauglir]

I have latest prs+ beta installed and use russian as main device language.Maybe it has something to do with Calibre decoding options?There is one checkbox under Common options:translite unicode characters to ASCII...i have it unchecked so far

[melkorbauglir]

Ok,seems i need to set right input character encoding under common options.I have lot of .prc/.mobi books,amongst all possible others,fb2,lit,anything.How i find out what encoding those files use?Is there universal tool to find e-book file character encoding type?


Ok,tryed non-unicode characters to ASCII tickbox,result is horrible.Translit and badly done,its not literature anymore.

[Rizla]

Originally Posted by melkorbauglir

Ok,seems i need to set right input character encoding under common options.

Yep, it's a megapain. I have some french books and I cannot for the life of me convert them to a readable format WITH accents.

[readingglasses]

Keep working with your css and look up adding fonts to sony, others have done it without russifying via prs+ firmware. Idk if they managed to get non latin characters, though I do believe they did.

I had no luck.

Calibre isn't supreme. Just b.c. it shows any language on your PC means nothing about what will show up on your gadget. It may be drawing a lot of its capabilities from your OS (fonts, direction of writing, codepages, even styles and graphic display).
Calibre won't save you from having to learn about epub.

[melkorbauglir]

Some,i must check alot of others,books read with Boroda's hacked firmware.It has cyrillic understanding fonts in it,and it understands win 1251 too natively.

[melkorbauglir]

Got cyrillic fixed.Its font issue,one needs extended font to display unusual characters.Also for french-swedish-whatever language might have üäö ect weird characters.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by melkorbauglir

Got cyrillic fixed.Its font issue,one needs extended font to display unusual characters.Also for french-swedish-whatever language might have üäö ect weird characters.

You don't need an extended font to display Western European accented characters - they are all present in the built-in fonts. You just need to ensure that the book specifies the correct character encoding.

[elizilla]

I had this problem with an English-language book that had a lot of Polish person and place names. I fixed it without installing PRS+, by replacing the font with one that included the characters needed. Here's how:

1. Put the font files into a directory called /fonts on the root of the READER drive.
2. In Calibre, right click on the book and select Convert Books > Convert Individually.
3. Click Look & Feel.
4. In the Extra CSS box, paste in the CSS needed to point to the new font. For example:

@font-face { font-family: serif; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; src: url(res:///Data/fonts/LexiaDaMa.otf);}
@font-face { font-family: serif; font-weight: normal; font-style: italic; src: url(res:///Data/fonts/LexiaDaMa-Italic.otf);}
@font-face { font-family: serif; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; src: url(res:///Data/fonts/LexiaDaMa-Bold.otf);}
@font-face { font-family: serif; font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; src: url(res:///Data/fonts/LexiaDaMa-BoldItalic.otf);}

5. Convert the book. In my case it's ePub to ePub conversion.

Being lazy, I added this CSS to my Calibre preferences under Conversion > Common Options > Look & Feel. Now every time I convert a book, it gets this new font automatically.

For what it's worth, because I wondered about this too: When the reader is looking at the directories from its point of view, "res:///Data" is the path to the same spot that looks, from the PC side, like the root of the named drive, READER. Since these paths don't work for the PC, this CSS changes nothing about how the books display on the PC. But makes all the difference to the Sony reader.

It also doesn't do anything for the books on the other devices I have - the Nook reader and the Viewsonic tablet don't seem to see it, even though it's in all my books. That's OK, long as it doesn't break anything I don't mind that these other devices are ignoring it. I don't know how the Polish names render on those devices, haven't tried it.

[melkorbauglir]

I use PRS+ cos it haseasy changeable styles/fonts.Currently GentiumPlus...it displays anything except maybe chinese ect

[melkorbauglir]

I now prefer PRS+,cos i knew how to change fonts in it.Currently using GentiumPlus.http://scripts.sil.org/cms/scripts/p...rsi&id=gentium

[saskir]

Was also using "Gentium" but now I like "Linux Biolinum" and "Linux Libertine". Also a free font.

Besides as I am including this font in some books I edited which filetype would be wiser, OpenTypeFont or TrueTypeFont? I am not putting these fonts on my Reader, as there are some books which I create for the authors responsible and I don't know which readers they have. Dunno if there would be any difference on any given Reader

[melkorbauglir]

I looked those Libertines,seemed readable for me.Might just add another style into PRS+.


What is common name for sutch synergic fonts like Gentium (western/cyrillic/nordic/accented support).?For googleing other possible similar fonts...are they extended or?