PRS-T1 Returning the T1

atomheart · 10-10-2011, 06:13 AM

I purchased the T1 yesterday hoping its pdf zooming/cropping features were actually usable compared to the 650, but alas it is not so. It’s unfortunate Sony ereaders (and ereaders in general) do not have a zooming feature akin to run-of-the-mill pdf viewing software, i.e. continuous scrolling at an arbitrary width that does not mangle the pdf to a fixed viewing ratio. Is anyone else miffed about ereader pdf handling? The lack of functional pdf zooming coupled with the T1 randomly not allowing full pdf (raster pdf) page width in landscape mode is a deal breaker. The 650 is less than ideal pdf wise, yet it has never flaked and not displayed a pdf in landscape when selected. I also noticed using the T1's landscape orientation the pdf contents were displayed in portrait layout: the 650 on the other hand retains the landscape format for menus and lists while in landscape. I did like the T1’s menu layout, button functionality, wifi and nicely implemented web browser: however, these merits were eclipsed by the previously mentioned defects.

sabredog · 10-10-2011, 08:54 AM

Not at all. An ereader is primarily designed to read ebooks, not documents.

If PDF viewing is critical to you then I would recommend you purchase a tablet for that purpose.

atomheart · 10-10-2011, 10:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sabredog

Not at all. An ereader is primarily designed to read ebooks, not documents.

If PDF viewing is critical to you then I would recommend you purchase a tablet for that purpose.

Define ebook. Is the definition restricted to .ebub, .mobi, or packaged html? Many ‘ebooks’ are sold and distributed as .pdf. There is no strict differentiation between an ‘ebook’ and ‘document’ with respect to .pdf. Regarding tablets, the line is arbitrary between an ereader and a tablet software/hardware wise. More sensible pdf handling would be a trival software/firmware update by Sony.

sabredog · 10-10-2011, 11:16 AM

A PDF is a document, primarily designed around the A4 paper size. The format is not designed to be read on a 5-6" screen.

In defense of Sony, no ereader is capable of displaying PDF really well. A tablet can, in comparison, be able to display a PDF quite well due to larger screen size.

atomheart · 10-10-2011, 11:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sabredog

A PDF is a document, primarily designed around the A4 paper size. The format is not designed to be read on a 5-6" screen.

Pdf can output a myriad of predefined formats as well as custom formats: I fail to see how it is designed around A4. For instance, the Sony supplied PRS 650 user manual is a pdf formated for the 6" screen.

log · 10-10-2011, 11:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by atomheart

Pdf can output a myriad of predefined formats as well as custom formats: I fail to see how it is designed around A4. For instance, the Sony supplied PRS 650 user manual is a pdf formated for the 6" screen.

Main purpose in epub format is support reflowable text for various screen size devices. The content typically used in this format is not dependent on a particular page size to look good, like a novel for example.

Main purpose pdf is preserve the printed page exactly how it is, works good for technical documents or brochures where you very well might need a diagram or picture to be display on the same page as the text for it make sense.

Not sure about the 650, but the provided user manual included on the T1 is actually epub FWIW.

mrmls · 10-10-2011, 12:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by atomheart

Pdf can output a myriad of predefined formats as well as custom formats: I fail to see how it is designed around A4. For instance, the Sony supplied PRS 650 user manual is a pdf formated for the 6" screen.

Yeah, but because it is made for 6", but the problem with the rest of PDFs are that they are mostly created for A4 and a user cannot change it (by design!).

atomheart · 10-10-2011, 12:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by log

Main purpose pdf is preserve the printed page exactly how it is, works good for technical documents or brochures where you very well might need a diagram or picture to be display on the same page as the text for it make sense.

Absolutely. And many technical books with equations and graph content do not translate well to html/epub which is why they are distributed as pdf. Busy pdf formatting does not lend itself to reflow which is were 'zooming' is applicable. However, Sony's pdf croping, page layout, and zooming implementation does not capitalize on available screen space.

pj123 · 10-10-2011, 12:56 PM

Frankly speaking, regarding PDF reading, I don't think it's just the issue of screen size, it's more about firmware. For instance, issues such as excessive flashing and a landscape mode disallowing annotation or 2-col view might be solvable easily with a better firmware that cares PDF reading.

anthoreader · 10-10-2011, 05:52 PM

Isnt a Kindle DX more suited to PDF reading (tech docs, journal articles, etc.) because that has a 9.7 inch screen.

JSWolf · 10-10-2011, 05:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by anthoreader

Isnt a Kindle DX more suited to PDF reading (tech docs, journal articles, etc.) because that has a 9.7 inch screen.

Yes and no. The screen size is good. But the PDF viewing software is awful.

Rizla · 10-10-2011, 10:31 PM

Atomheart, if you haven't already installed the latest version of Prs+, I suggest you do so. It improves 650 pdf functionality by allowing pan while the screen is in zoom lock mode. Still a pain, but an improvement.

rkomar · 10-11-2011, 01:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by atomheart

...More sensible pdf handling would be a trival software/firmware update by Sony.

I wrote a plug-in for Acrobat about 10 years ago that magnified arbitrary parts of pages by user-defined scales, and I can say that it was far from trivial. The documentation was poor, and even wrong if I recall correctly in terms of the transformation matrices. I'm not a bit surprized that so few PDF viewers get arbitrary zooming and panning right.

10-10-2011, 06:13 AM	#1
atomheart Junior Member Posts: 4 Karma: 10 Join Date: Oct 2011 Device: prs 650	Returning the T1 I purchased the T1 yesterday hoping its pdf zooming/cropping features were actually usable compared to the 650, but alas it is not so. It’s unfortunate Sony ereaders (and ereaders in general) do not have a zooming feature akin to run-of-the-mill pdf viewing software, i.e. continuous scrolling at an arbitrary width that does not mangle the pdf to a fixed viewing ratio. Is anyone else miffed about ereader pdf handling? The lack of functional pdf zooming coupled with the T1 randomly not allowing full pdf (raster pdf) page width in landscape mode is a deal breaker. The 650 is less than ideal pdf wise, yet it has never flaked and not displayed a pdf in landscape when selected. I also noticed using the T1's landscape orientation the pdf contents were displayed in portrait layout: the 650 on the other hand retains the landscape format for menus and lists while in landscape. I did like the T1’s menu layout, button functionality, wifi and nicely implemented web browser: however, these merits were eclipsed by the previously mentioned defects.

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10-10-2011, 08:54 AM	#2
sabredog Geographically Restricted Posts: 2,629 Karma: 14933353 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Perth, Australia Device: Sony PRS-T3, Kindle Voyage, iPad Air2, Nexus7v2	Not at all. An ereader is primarily designed to read ebooks, not documents. If PDF viewing is critical to you then I would recommend you purchase a tablet for that purpose.

10-10-2011, 11:16 AM	#4
sabredog Geographically Restricted Posts: 2,629 Karma: 14933353 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Perth, Australia Device: Sony PRS-T3, Kindle Voyage, iPad Air2, Nexus7v2	A PDF is a document, primarily designed around the A4 paper size. The format is not designed to be read on a 5-6" screen. In defense of Sony, no ereader is capable of displaying PDF really well. A tablet can, in comparison, be able to display a PDF quite well due to larger screen size.

10-10-2011, 12:56 PM	#9
pj123 Zealot Posts: 114 Karma: 1050004 Join Date: Nov 2010 Device: Lenovo Tablet 3 Pro, Kobo Aura H2O, Ipad	Frankly speaking, regarding PDF reading, I don't think it's just the issue of screen size, it's more about firmware. For instance, issues such as excessive flashing and a landscape mode disallowing annotation or 2-col view might be solvable easily with a better firmware that cares PDF reading.

10-10-2011, 05:52 PM	#10
anthoreader Member Posts: 11 Karma: 6630 Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Sydney Australia Device: Sony PRS-T1 or Kindle Touch	Isnt a Kindle DX more suited to PDF reading (tech docs, journal articles, etc.) because that has a 9.7 inch screen.

10-10-2011, 10:31 PM	#12
Rizla Member Retired Posts: 3,183 Karma: 11721895 Join Date: Nov 2010 Device: Nook STR (rooted) & Sony T2	Atomheart, if you haven't already installed the latest version of Prs+, I suggest you do so. It improves 650 pdf functionality by allowing pan while the screen is in zoom lock mode. Still a pain, but an improvement.

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