Converting epub to mobi is frustrating! I need an UPGRADE

[syrianrue]

I have a really old Kindle - Model Number: D00901 that was released back in 2010. https://wikidevi.com/wiki/Amazon_Kin..._Wi-Fi_(D00901)

Thinking of getting a new ebook reader right now. What are some of the improvements that have been made with the recent kindle or other ebook readers? Are these changes worth getting a new one for?

One thing that really irritates me with my old kindle is of course because it doesn't support epub, and I do have a lot of epubs which I would have to convert them with calibre (and this converting process is not always perfect) so juggling between the three big formats: mobi, pdf, epub and having to convert pdf and epub to mobi each time and not necessarily getting the best result from the conversion has been really bothering me for quite some time

Does the new kindle support epub now? or has there been better ways of converting pdf and epub into mobi in recent years that I'm not aware of?

Lastly, would an upgrade be worth it? has kindle improved much at all? or should i just try a different ebook reader?

kindle is the only one that supports mobi right?
and kindle still does not support epub?

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by syrianrue

Does the new kindle support epub now? or has there been better ways of converting pdf and epub into mobi in recent years that I'm not aware of?

Lastly, would an upgrade be worth it? has kindle improved much at all? or should i just try a different ebook reader?

kindle is the only one that supports mobi right?
and kindle still does not support epub?

The current Kindle have touch screens, and most of them have front-lights built-in to the screen. Most also have higher resolution screens.

But none support ePub directly.

Using calibre to convert and load onto the Kindle should be fairly seamless, even with your Kindle Keyboard. It isn't any simpler with the newer Kindles.

[Deskisamess]

Why convert your books one at a time? You can do bulk converts with Calibre. Set it up, then go do something else while you’re waiting.

Current Kindles are vastly improved over the older models. For the money, the Paperwhite is a terrific device. The new Oasis is top flight IMO. The front lighting on the Oasis, Voyage, and Paperwhite make reading easy regardless of ambient light.

The Oasis is waterproof, has more storage, a 7” screen, it’s a really nice reader.

I’ve had several Kindles, starting with the K2, the first Paperwhite, the 2nd gen Paperwhite. The 2017 Oasis is my new favorite.

[syrianrue]

Originally Posted by Deskisamess

Why convert your books one at a time? You can do bulk converts with Calibre. Set it up, then go do something else while you’re waiting.

Current Kindles are vastly improved over the older models. For the money, the Paperwhite is a terrific device. The new Oasis is top flight IMO. The front lighting on the Oasis, Voyage, and Paperwhite make reading easy regardless of ambient light.

The Oasis is waterproof, has more storage, a 7” screen, it’s a really nice reader.

I’ve had several Kindles, starting with the K2, the first Paperwhite, the 2nd gen Paperwhite. The 2017 Oasis is my new favorite.

it's not doing it one at a time that bothered me.
i just remember the conversions being very inconsistent a lot of times when converting pdf and epub into mobi with calibre. perhaps it's gotten better over the years.

>> how do you like your kobo? I find that most of what i read are either in epub or pdf.

so i guess my deciding factor largely depends on:
1) how good and "consistent" is conversion these days for
PDF, EPUB => MOBI or
MOBI => EPUB

if it's extremely good and consistent and the paragraphs, margin, spacing never get messed up, then it just comes down to the technology between kindle, kobo, sony, etc.

but if conversion are like what it used to (which isn't very reliable) then i would probably just get a kobo or a reader that supports epub as most of my contents are in epub and wont require me to convert.

[PeterT]

I hate to say but PDF to anything is a highly problematic conversion.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by PeterT

I hate to say but PDF to anything is a highly problematic conversion.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

This.

[robko]

Originally Posted by syrianrue

... but if conversion are like what it used to (which isn't very reliable) then i would probably just get a kobo or a reader that supports epub as most of my contents are in epub and wont require me to convert.

As an FYI, and it sounds like this is would be a minor thing for you, but if you do look at Kobo you may notice it claims support for MOBI format. While that's technically true, the usage apparently leaves a lot be desired so you likely will want to convert them to EPUB. Sorry, can't help you on the other questions.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by syrianrue

i1) how good and "consistent" is conversion these days for
PDF, EPUB => MOBI or
MOBI => EPUB

As other have said, PDF to anything is usually poor.

For conversions to MOBI conversions, it's necessary to specify which MOBI format we're talking about. There's the original MOBI, then there's KF8 (aka AZW3).

ePub -> Original MOBI may well lose some formatting, depending on the formatting of the original ePub.

ePub -> KF8 is effectively perfect. No doubt it would be possible to craft an ePub that would not convert well, but in the real world you won't notice any difference.

Even your Kindle Keyboard can display KF8 formatting, if it has the latest firmware. All the current Kindles support it.

MOBI or AZW3 -> ePub is effectively perfect.

[dwig]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

...

For conversions to MOBI conversions, it's necessary to specify which MOBI format we're talking about. There's the original MOBI, then there's KF8 (aka AZW3).

ePub -> Original MOBI may well lose some formatting, depending on the formatting of the original ePub.
...

Exactly.

The OP's conversion issues are almost certainly related to his "really old Kindle" and the need to convert to the equally old classic MOBI format. Much of what is seen in ePubs today involves formatting and tags not supported in the now somewhat antique MOBI format.

While the newer Kindles don't support ePub directly, the new Amazon format AZW3 is a near 1:1 equivalent. Conversions are almost always excellent. To date, all of the flaws I've seen in AZW3s converted from ePub trace to flaws in the original ePub.

[barryem]

I convert epub to plain mobi files all the time and I rarely have a problem. I use Calibre. I occasionally convert from PDF to mobi and again, usually not a problem although that fails at times.

Maybe I'm just not fussy about the outcome but I don't see the issue.

Barry

[mobama]

My recommendation: Convert file formats as little as possible. Instead, install additional apps that display the file formats you need, such as Koreader or Coolreader.

[dwig]

Originally Posted by barryem

I convert epub to plain mobi files all the time and I rarely have a problem. I use Calibre. I occasionally convert from PDF to mobi and again, usually not a problem although that fails at times.

Maybe I'm just not fussy about the outcome but I don't see the issue.

Barry

Historically, I've generally had good conversions, but then I read fiction that requires very little special formatting. If the ePub follows a KISS formatting philosophy then the conversions to the old MOBI will go well.

That said, I've seen many recent ePubs, released by commercial publishers, that run counter to the KISS philosophy and have very complex, but unnecessary, formatting and heavy use of embedded fonts. These seem to be either poorly though out designs or cases of lazy "export the file for the print version without any design changes". These will rarely look decent when converted to MOBI.

These days, I no longer convert to the old MOBI. I either read ePubs on my tablet or AZW3 on my Kindle. Still, I find I need to edit the ePub before reading or conversion to remove most of the formatting. This is often as simple as:

1. open the ePub in calibre's Editor
2. delete all of the CSS files
3. delete all fonts, if any
4. run Editor's "remove unused CSS" tool
5. import my "house" default CSS file
6. assign my CSS to each xHTML file

I usually end up replacing the cover image and cover page as well, but that's usually because I'm a Photographer/Photo Technician and a bit anal about images.

[HarryT]

I've converted literally hundreds of books from ePub to AZW3. Don't recall ever having had a problem.

[JSWolf]

Since you have ePub, why not get a Reader that handles ePub directly instead of having to convert?

[dwig]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I've converted literally hundreds of books from ePub to AZW3. Don't recall ever having had a problem.

I've generally not had problems ePub>AZW3 other than issues with formatting that was equally bad in the ePub. It's the old Garbage in = Garbage out.