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Old 06-03-2010, 12:26 AM   #1
kgn
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What is BEST format to read novels in??

I am new to eBooks, and have just bought a PB302. I have not received it yet, but already I have downloaded heaps of books. I have loaded in Calibre and while slow and clunky, it does seem to work ok.

My first issue is that there are so many formats! Some books come is 4 or 5 formats. So which one is the preferred one? Or is it just personal preference?

A lot of books come in PDF format, which I assume is going to be a problem for such a small ebook reader (PB302). I have tried the PDF conversion function in Calibre, but did not like it at all. I am currently using Calibre as my reader (in Windows), and the converted files are not good. Too many line feeds, for a start. From this, I am guessing that PDF is not the preferred format.

I mainly want to read novels. No technical manuals.
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Old 06-03-2010, 12:48 AM   #2
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Im agree pdf format blows, and do to shoddy publisher conversions drm'd e pub can leave a lot to be desired too. Ive had the best luck with plain text and when I have a choice of free book format I like mobi the best.
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Old 06-03-2010, 03:04 AM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kgn View Post
I am new to eBooks, and have just bought a PB302. I have not received it yet, but already I have downloaded heaps of books. I have loaded in Calibre and while slow and clunky, it does seem to work ok.

My first issue is that there are so many formats! Some books come is 4 or 5 formats. So which one is the preferred one? Or is it just personal preference?

A lot of books come in PDF format, which I assume is going to be a problem for such a small ebook reader (PB302). I have tried the PDF conversion function in Calibre, but did not like it at all. I am currently using Calibre as my reader (in Windows), and the converted files are not good. Too many line feeds, for a start. From this, I am guessing that PDF is not the preferred format.

I mainly want to read novels. No technical manuals.

Try the converted PDF files on the 302. U can not take the calibre text flow as it is on the PB.
When u choose FBreader to view the files on the PB it takes its own algorithm to view the file. It ignores i.E. most of the tags when viewing.
So it look different.
Also play with the calibre conversion setting, I read all my novels in EPUB format. Converted out of a PDF-EPUB conversion with calibre.
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Old 06-03-2010, 03:18 AM   #4
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Hello

PDFs are possibly the worst format to read with, especially text (novels and essays alike!), if you don't have a proper "grand format" reader. You might prefer ePub or FB2, which are more adaptable to personal settings (change of font size, for example). If I can ask, what are your ebook sources?

Have fun with your new reader
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Old 06-03-2010, 05:34 AM   #5
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Hello

If I can ask, what are your ebook sources?
Just downloads. No online store.
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Old 06-03-2010, 05:47 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kgn View Post
Just downloads. No online store.
So, if you don't have DRM issues with downloads (I suppose PG and similar sites), you can always try conversion with Calibre and then evaluate what format gives you more ease. This way you can also choose the font, by installing the appropriate files in a subdirectory of the system directory, in the reader.
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Old 06-03-2010, 05:55 AM   #7
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As I said in another thread ("Bookmark glitches") I've only had my PB360 for a week or so and have had bookmark and freezing (return to Start page) from the beginning. I read stuff converted by Kalibre, usually from PDF to Epub. Let us know if the 302 has the same problems. I'm thinking of sending mine back for repair. It's VERY frustrating to keep losing your place, because it's MUCH harder to find it again as opposed to a paper book. This should definitely not happen. I did not pay 240 euros to get this frustration!!
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Old 06-03-2010, 06:47 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mdmorrissey View Post
As I said in another thread ("Bookmark glitches") I've only had my PB360 for a week or so and have had bookmark and freezing (return to Start page) from the beginning. I read stuff converted by Kalibre, usually from PDF to Epub. Let us know if the 302 has the same problems. I'm thinking of sending mine back for repair. It's VERY frustrating to keep losing your place, because it's MUCH harder to find it again as opposed to a paper book. This should definitely not happen. I did not pay 240 euros to get this frustration!!
md, please try to use 14.2 if you want a rock steady system!
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Old 06-03-2010, 11:31 AM   #9
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I am using 14.2 and have never tried to change it, but as I reported in "Bugs" I still have the problem. Twice today in 5 hours of simple page-turning -- no change of reader, font, text size, or book. "Rock steady" it certainly is not. Schnitzel recommends I contact PB service. What do you think?
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Old 06-03-2010, 11:52 AM   #10
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1- PDF is not an ebook format; it's an electronic paper format. It's optimum display is on paper. Next best is a full-size computer.
2- rtf, doc, and html are document formats. FBReader does a good job with them but they're still suboptimal.
3- FB2, ePub, and PRC are true ebook formats designed from the ground up for reflow across multiple screen sizes and devices.
4- ePub has been corrupted with a fair amount of PDF-like features by the big publishers so you can end up with hard-wired formatting you can't override in Adobeviewer in commercial epubs. If you do your own conversion and/or read wth FBReader that should not be an issue. An epub is generally a renamed Zipped folder with fairly clean XML file using Open ebook schema and an included txt metafile. Conversion to other formats in the future should be painless. It is an excellent cross-platform format supported on pretty much everything except Kindle.
5- PRC is a clean HTML-based format but not 100% fully documented. The PB360 FBReaders don't do chapter breaks properly and often don't recognize the TOC. It is a very good cross-platform reader, though, supported everywhere except Sony and Nook.
6- FB2 is FBReader's native format. It is broadly used worldwide but not supported by any of the name-brand dedicated readers with commercial ebook store ties (Sony, Nook, Kindle, etc).

Pick your poison.
(I'd start with ePub, then try Mobi. Much as I like my PB360, I know it will not be my last ebook reader, so file portability matters to me.)
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Old 06-03-2010, 12:35 PM   #11
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My vote is for epub, I feel it hits a sweet spot between functionality and cross platform support.
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Old 06-05-2010, 05:17 AM   #12
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Just a note regarding PDF:
PDF files are different, can be graphics base, can be multi-column layout, etc. which makes it next to useless on a 5" display.
However, *sometimes* it's just a tagged text which can be converted without problem with Calibre (1), Copy/Pasted (2) or even Saved-As Text (3) in Adobe Reader.
Thus, in addition to file format, also pay attention to its content format.
Hope it helps,
s.g.
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Old 06-07-2010, 04:14 AM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by s.g. View Post
Just a note regarding PDF:
PDF files are different, can be graphics base, can be multi-column layout, etc. which makes it next to useless on a 5" display.
However, *sometimes* it's just a tagged text which can be converted without problem with Calibre (1), Copy/Pasted (2) or even Saved-As Text (3) in Adobe Reader.
Thus, in addition to file format, also pay attention to its content format.
Hope it helps,
s.g.
Agreed, pdf is only real good if the layout is configured for the size of the device. When this is done correctly, nothing can beat PDF. For everyday novels that don't need a lot of difficult formatting, ePub rules.
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Old 06-07-2010, 05:13 AM   #14
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epub

I use epub as my main format for my PB360, and I am over all happy with it. It does occasionally have some issues, but not too frequently.

I agree with the others, that PDF's tend not to do well.

Amy
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Old 06-07-2010, 02:51 PM   #15
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I convert everything to epub. I have a few PDF's but only because those specific PDF's had issues with converting.
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