Which DRMd format do you prefer to buy?

[bbusybookworm]

Like many others said, My first preference is to get the book with DRM is possible. If not and I really want it I'll consider gettiing a DRM'd Version.

Earlier I used to Get Secure Mobipocket as I mainly used a GEn3 so even if I did not DeDRM it I could Still use the file. I so still occasionally get Mobi formatted ooks, if they are not available in my preferred format, namely eReader.

Currently When Buying Secure ebooks I usually prefer to buy in eReader format for a coiuple of reasons. One, it does not require syncing to a server so if eReader went away, as long as I remembered which Credit Card I used, they will still be available to me. Second the eReader and Stanza Apps on the iPhone make it very easy to download and read the books on them. Thirdly it is very easy to DeDRM and convert into either Mobi or ePub, the format I'm slowly switching to.

I've considered switching buying to ePub, but until I'm comfortable with DeDRM it, I waiting to make the switch, though I may not have much time if B&N rolls their eReader EpUB Drm across all the stores.

[mgmueller]

Originally Posted by ficbot

I know most of us prefer books which do not have DRM. But let's say a book you want to read is only available in a DRMd format. Assume all other things are roughly equal: price, accessibility etc. There is no compelling reason to choose one over the other (i.e. no 'I must buy secure eReader to get a micropay credit' or anything like that). Assume also that you have the software to decrypt the book should you wish to. So, with that in mind, which format do you choose?

If you don't mind explaining why, that would be great. I am realizing that secure eReader, my format of choice in the past, is not the best for converting, but I am nervous about jumping ship from plain old HTML...

For me, it all depends on which gadget I prefer for the moment.
nook is my newest reader, so I've bought some PDBs from B&N.
Usually, I go for ePUB, as they're processable on most of my readers.
I strip most of my eBooks from DRM. But still I prefer, not converting them, to keep the "original structure". If it's not ePUB, it's AZW, as I still like my Kindles and easily can use this (= Mobipocket) on my other readers.

[dmikov]

Originally Posted by ficbot

<snip>
But let's say a book you want to read is only available in a DRMd format.
<snip>
Assume also that you have the software to decrypt the book should you wish to. So, with that in mind, which format do you choose?
<snip>

Then what is the point of this poll? It's any format and stripping it after.
Why didn't you also put "and if you life depended on it" to make it even more unscientific.
Unless you just wanted to see, which format is most commonly used on devices.
I would then say, kindle azw slowly overtaken by epub.

[GlenBarrington]

That's why I voted 'other'. As long as it fits my Sony, I'm resonably content.

[KevinH]

Hi,

They can all be liberated (yes even secure PDF) with the right python script and now there exists gui front-ends for almost all of these DRM removal tools so simplicity is not even an issue.

The key is which format does the most to keep the original formatting the way it was intended to be while still allowing device scaling (after all this is the Mobile Read forum!)

1. PDF is really not an e-book reader format as far as I am concerned as it doesn't reflow and scale well and really is just a full-screen size format. Its file sizes are also typically too big to work well with mobile devices.

2. Embedding fonts in ereader and mobi is not really doable (and Topaz does not embed fonts, it creates a set of glyphs that are not related or organized in any way like a font) and can't be adjusted by the end user.

3. ereader pdb / pml markup is simply not up to snuff for the more complicated things (drop caps, line spacing, paragraph spacing, etc)

4. mobi internal format is not real html (not even html 3.2) and the file format mobi uses is proprietary and not fully documented (but pretty well-reversed engineered).

So I think epub wins hands down there with the ability to embed fonts if needed - its file format is zip which can easily be opened and the xhtml files are most likely pure html 4.0 with ending tags which can be read in any browser with no changes - so archiving it for the long term is a no brainer as well.

I just wish ADE better supported full justification in the devices which support it.

So epub is superior as an ebook format, the only problem is that Kindle and Mobipocket and others do not support it so if you own one of those devices, you end up having to buy those formats for ease of use (not for their technical merit).

So find those drm removal scripts and use them, and then convert the book to epub / html for long term archiving and then use Sigil and Calibre, and Dropbook, and whatever to get it to the format your ereader likes until some semblance of common sense reaches the book industry and the DRM goes away and a free and open format is then available for all e-readers to use.

[bookfanmd]

MS Reader - so easy with convertlit.

[4-eyes]

I generally buy secure mobipocket because it seems to be easier to circumvent DRM measures on this format, than others.

If I couldn't get rid of the restrictions on what I read the book on then I simply wouldn't buy it at all.

[TallMomof2]

Adobe Adept is my first choice because it converts better than eReader once the DRm is stripped. AZW is second because it's easily stripped but frequently the AZW/Mobi file isn't formatted as nicely as the same ePub file.

I would far prefer no DRM but nowadays I view it as an annoyance rather than an insurmountable obstacle to my personal use of digital files.

[0utis]

I agree with KevinH's post, that's my experience too. I try to find no drm books but if I can't find them, I'll buy whatever format is cheaper and strip the drm. It makes sense for me, I always end up converting my books first to html and then to lrf, even the epubs my Sony can read because I like them formatted 'just so'.

[Kris777]

I voted for Secure eReader. It looks nice on my jetBook-Lite.

[Dylrob]

I general buy ebooks in the Microsoft Reader format. Since they're not difficult to liberate.

[EowynCarter]

The Adobe workflow seems unnecessarily complicated to me. But as I said, I'll probably have to get used to it soon.

Tell me if you need inept 101

[GeoffC]

I chose Mobi, because that's what my reader allows me to read. However my DRM'd books are getting fewer (at the moment) because these are also increasingly likely to be those that are, also, geographically restricted.

Yes, I could have picked ePub for my Gen3; but I currently chose to keep the dictionary lookup facility - and see no benefit (to me) in continually swapping firmware.....

[FlorenceArt]

Originally Posted by EowynCarter

Tell me if you need inept 101

The problem is getting to install all the bits to get it to work on a Mac. And a total lack of motivation on my part. I want to read, not learn command lines. That's why I have a Mac. Well, not to read, but because I don't much need to look under the hood.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by ficbot

I know most of us prefer books which do not have DRM. But let's say a book you want to read is only available in a DRMd format. Assume all other things are roughly equal: price, accessibility etc. There is no compelling reason to choose one over the other (i.e. no 'I must buy secure eReader to get a micropay credit' or anything like that). Assume also that you have the software to decrypt the book should you wish to. So, with that in mind, which format do you choose?

If you don't mind explaining why, that would be great. I am realizing that secure eReader, my format of choice in the past, is not the best for converting, but I am nervous about jumping ship from plain old HTML...

I cannot vote as the poll is not allowing for multiple entries. I do buy in different formats and convert if needed. So really, my answer isn't good for this poll.