"Best" DRM format for conversion?

drwowe · 09-17-2008, 12:13 AM

I'm thinking about buying my first eBook. So far I've only been reading freely available stuff.

The bookstore that sells the book I want has a choice of 4 formats: Adobe, Palm, Msoft, or Mobi. I refuse to be bound by the limitations of DRM, so whichever one I buy I want to strip the copy protection and then convert it to LRF for my Reader. My question is simple: which format should I choose for the best results? From what I know already, Msoft might be a good choice using convertlit and Calibre, but I'd like an opinion from the experts.

(note: I'm not asking specifically how to do the crack or where to find it or anything, I'm sure I can figure that out myself, so I think this question ought to be OK here...)

Catire · 09-17-2008, 12:51 AM

.lit (MSoft) is the easiest i believe. Just Google ConvertLit and DRM and you should find a few sites telling you how to do it.

kovidgoyal · 09-17-2008, 01:04 AM

lit has slightly better ebook quality (it supports more advanced formatting than mobi) but the DRM is slightly harder to crack (requires windows).

HarryT · 09-17-2008, 02:41 AM

Agreed - LIT is the best format to get. It is a matter of literally a few seconds to convert to Sony's LRF format. Simply use "ConvertLIT" to produce a DRM-free LIT file, and then Calibre or Book Designer to convert to LRF.

wallcraft · 09-17-2008, 09:45 AM

Note that LIT, MOBI and eReader DRM has already been cracked, but Adobe DRM has not. So, for this and other reasons, avoid Secure PDF ebooks. Adobe also has Secure ePub ebooks with the same (uncracked) DRM scheme, this is unfortunate because ePub would otherwise be a better "archive" format than LIT.

I agree that LIT is the best single choice, but there are some ebooks only available in MOBI and this format is ok for format shifting in most cases. There are also quite a few ebooks only available as Adobe PDF, these are readable on the PRS-505 (if you don't mind the DRM and the sub-par reflowing) but they are locked down to devices that support Adobe Digital Editions.

GingerTez · 09-17-2008, 11:19 AM

I still don't get it really.... secure PDF works with no cracking required on Sony Readers so why go through the hassle of downloading another format that you have to crack and 'format-shift' when you can just download a format that'll work.

I'm not being deliberately awkward and I'm not pro-DRM... maybe I'm just lazy!

Cheers,
Terry.

DrMoze · 09-17-2008, 11:22 AM

The secure pdf books often have tiny print (think: same text of a regular book page presented on the smaller Reader screen with huge margins!). Increasing font size geneerally messes up formatting completely (half-lines with original line breaks, words broken across lines, figures disappearing, etc.). For instance, I'm reading a physics book in this format, and it requires reading glasses because the extremely tiny print is the only text size that doesn't totally mess up the content.

OTOH, Msoft (.lit) books are formatted nicely when converted to .lrf.

JSWolf · 09-17-2008, 11:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GingerTez

I still don't get it really.... secure PDF works with no cracking required on Sony Readers so why go through the hassle of downloading another format that you have to crack and 'format-shift' when you can just download a format that'll work.

I'm not being deliberately awkward and I'm not pro-DRM... maybe I'm just lazy!

Cheers,
Terry.

Because if you ever switch to a different device other then the 505 (or even Sony), you could possibly lose the ability to read your PDF. But if you purchase a format that you can easily remove the DRM and convert, you'll be able to convert again if need be to your next device.

bmwvan · 09-17-2008, 02:22 PM

Using the ConvertLit GUI, I get errors that result in no file being written. What does DRM=5 mean? The error says that decryption failed due to lack of a key for that file. What do I do next?

Van

HarryT · 09-18-2008, 02:46 AM

Have you run "ReaderKeyRecoveryTool" to get the key file for your activated copy of Reader?

bmwvan · 09-18-2008, 10:10 AM

When I did that, I was told that I needed to open a DRM5 book. I went to Fictionwise and bought one just for this. When I tried to open the book (as instructed in the RecoverKey process), I got an error message saying I did not have the latest version of Reader and my version was not activated. Upon visiting the Microsoft site for the upgrade, their survey of my computer said I had the current version, and that it was activated. The CLIT program disagrees. I have rebooted and tried again with no luck. What do you think I should do next? (I knew I would love having an E-ink reader - now I have new problems to solve!)

gwynevans · 09-18-2008, 11:44 AM

One thing you could try would be to uninstalling MS Reader then reinstalling it from the download on MS site, then see if it works - I seem to recall I needed to do something like that.

bmwvan · 09-18-2008, 01:48 PM

My most gracious thanks to all of you who have helped me. After an hour or so arguing with Microsoft, I was able to get my key installed (thanks to Harry and all for that tip) and have been able to take two DRM5 books and convert them to lrf. Long live the forum!

Van

drwowe · 09-19-2008, 12:02 AM

Well, I went ahead and bought the book in .lit format and it converted perfectly. Thanks for all your responses!

Publishers should take note that when de-DRM tools are available, sales go UP! I've never bought an ebook before but I'll definitely do it again.

JeffElkins · 09-19-2008, 03:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kovidgoyal

lit...DRM is slightly harder to crack (requires windows).

Only once

When you have a keys.txt Convertlit works under Linux to remove DRM from .lit

09-17-2008, 12:13 AM	#1
drwowe Enthusiast Posts: 27 Karma: 10 Join Date: Apr 2008 Device: none	"Best" DRM format for conversion? I'm thinking about buying my first eBook. So far I've only been reading freely available stuff. The bookstore that sells the book I want has a choice of 4 formats: Adobe, Palm, Msoft, or Mobi. I refuse to be bound by the limitations of DRM, so whichever one I buy I want to strip the copy protection and then convert it to LRF for my Reader. My question is simple: which format should I choose for the best results? From what I know already, Msoft might be a good choice using convertlit and Calibre, but I'd like an opinion from the experts. (note: I'm not asking specifically how to do the crack or where to find it or anything, I'm sure I can figure that out myself, so I think this question ought to be OK here...)

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09-17-2008, 12:51 AM	#2
Catire Lord of the Universe Posts: 670 Karma: 737849 Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Maturin , Venezuela Device: Sony Reader PRS-505 / PSP	.lit (MSoft) is the easiest i believe. Just Google ConvertLit and DRM and you should find a few sites telling you how to do it.

09-17-2008, 01:04 AM	#3
kovidgoyal creator of calibre Posts: 45,604 Karma: 28548974 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Mumbai, India Device: Various	lit has slightly better ebook quality (it supports more advanced formatting than mobi) but the DRM is slightly harder to crack (requires windows).

09-17-2008, 02:41 AM	#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	Agreed - LIT is the best format to get. It is a matter of literally a few seconds to convert to Sony's LRF format. Simply use "ConvertLIT" to produce a DRM-free LIT file, and then Calibre or Book Designer to convert to LRF.

09-17-2008, 09:45 AM	#5
wallcraft reader Posts: 6,977 Karma: 5183568 Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Mississippi, USA Device: Kindle 3, Kobo Glo HD	Note that LIT, MOBI and eReader DRM has already been cracked, but Adobe DRM has not. So, for this and other reasons, avoid Secure PDF ebooks. Adobe also has Secure ePub ebooks with the same (uncracked) DRM scheme, this is unfortunate because ePub would otherwise be a better "archive" format than LIT. I agree that LIT is the best single choice, but there are some ebooks only available in MOBI and this format is ok for format shifting in most cases. There are also quite a few ebooks only available as Adobe PDF, these are readable on the PRS-505 (if you don't mind the DRM and the sub-par reflowing) but they are locked down to devices that support Adobe Digital Editions.

09-17-2008, 11:19 AM	#6
GingerTez Stroppy Ginger Scotsman Posts: 62 Karma: 284 Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Altrincham, UK Device: Sony PRS-505	I still don't get it really.... secure PDF works with no cracking required on Sony Readers so why go through the hassle of downloading another format that you have to crack and 'format-shift' when you can just download a format that'll work. I'm not being deliberately awkward and I'm not pro-DRM... maybe I'm just lazy! Cheers, Terry.

09-17-2008, 11:22 AM	#7
DrMoze Booknut Posts: 860 Karma: 2852 Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: West Palm Beach, Florida! Device: Sony Reader 500/505/300/350, Nook Glowlight Plus (6")	The secure pdf books often have tiny print (think: same text of a regular book page presented on the smaller Reader screen with huge margins!). Increasing font size geneerally messes up formatting completely (half-lines with original line breaks, words broken across lines, figures disappearing, etc.). For instance, I'm reading a physics book in this format, and it requires reading glasses because the extremely tiny print is the only text size that doesn't totally mess up the content. OTOH, Msoft (.lit) books are formatted nicely when converted to .lrf.

09-17-2008, 02:22 PM	#9
bmwvan Connoisseur Posts: 58 Karma: 57 Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Tunica, MS USA Device: hp iPAQ 4700/Fictionwise reader/Sony 505	Using the ConvertLit GUI, I get errors that result in no file being written. What does DRM=5 mean? The error says that decryption failed due to lack of a key for that file. What do I do next? Van

09-18-2008, 02:46 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	Have you run "ReaderKeyRecoveryTool" to get the key file for your activated copy of Reader?

09-18-2008, 10:10 AM	#11
bmwvan Connoisseur Posts: 58 Karma: 57 Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Tunica, MS USA Device: hp iPAQ 4700/Fictionwise reader/Sony 505	When I did that, I was told that I needed to open a DRM5 book. I went to Fictionwise and bought one just for this. When I tried to open the book (as instructed in the RecoverKey process), I got an error message saying I did not have the latest version of Reader and my version was not activated. Upon visiting the Microsoft site for the upgrade, their survey of my computer said I had the current version, and that it was activated. The CLIT program disagrees. I have rebooted and tried again with no luck. What do you think I should do next? (I knew I would love having an E-ink reader - now I have new problems to solve!)

09-18-2008, 11:44 AM	#12
gwynevans Wizzard Posts: 1,402 Karma: 2000000 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: UK Device: iPad 2, iPhone 6s, Kindle Voyage & Kindle PaperWhite	One thing you could try would be to uninstalling MS Reader then reinstalling it from the download on MS site, then see if it works - I seem to recall I needed to do something like that.

09-18-2008, 01:48 PM	#13
bmwvan Connoisseur Posts: 58 Karma: 57 Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Tunica, MS USA Device: hp iPAQ 4700/Fictionwise reader/Sony 505	My most gracious thanks to all of you who have helped me. After an hour or so arguing with Microsoft, I was able to get my key installed (thanks to Harry and all for that tip) and have been able to take two DRM5 books and convert them to lrf. Long live the forum! Van

09-19-2008, 12:02 AM	#14
drwowe Enthusiast Posts: 27 Karma: 10 Join Date: Apr 2008 Device: none	Well, I went ahead and bought the book in .lit format and it converted perfectly. Thanks for all your responses! Publishers should take note that when de-DRM tools are available, sales go UP! I've never bought an ebook before but I'll definitely do it again.