Is the memory in the PRS-300 really enough ?

300com · 09-22-2009, 08:35 AM

"The 300 has a great, clear screen (characters are sharper than the 505's under magnification!), and all I need is a device to read lots of books--no wireless, memory cards, mp3, dictionary, touchscreen. The 300 is great for this. Still shows pages of text and stores hundreds of novels with a great e-ink display and extended battery life. I throw my 300 in my front pants pocket with no problem--the 505 had far fewer options for a guy to carry around."

The above is taken from another thread which makes the 300 sound very attractive to me. I was originally going for the 505 but I cannot find it at the magic $199 price range anymore. It's more like $270~ now wherever I turn.

also I wish to buy 2x(505) - one for my brother who has his birthday next month and i should mention that I don't live in the United States so there's shipping on top !!

After seeing how comics are displayed on the 300, I am quite pleased.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/19625804/S...-PRS300-Review

also, most of my reading material are in pdf format.

A lot of pdf books are quite large in size 35Megs +
But the internal memory is about 443Megs . . . sounds like you can only hold
around 10 or 20 books on PDF not some 350 as claimed by Sony's advertising.

When converting PDF files to Sony's RTF is there a significant reduction in file sizes ? How about converting comics ?

I guess that's the real factor I'm weighing up on purchase is memory size.
How many manga/comics roughly . . . can i fit in this unit, and pdf books ?

What's a realistic answer ?

If the 300 had SD memory slot as the big brother 505, I would be very happy.
Maybe it isn't necessary . . .
Talk me into being happy for a purchase of PRS-300 or not.

Thanks !

HarryT · 09-22-2009, 09:14 AM

If you want a small device with a memory card slot, why don't you get one? There are a number to choose from - eg the CyBook Opus or the BeBook Mini, both of which can use SDHC cards.

35MB is a HECK of a big book; the typical novel as an eBook is more like 300-500kb! That is the type of book that people have in mind when talking about storing hundreds on the device.

ephewe · 09-22-2009, 09:16 AM

Well, I have several video game strategy guides on my 600 that are upwards of 200MB. These are PDF files with hundreds of pages of pictures. I would guess that comics in PDF format are no different (aside from containing less pages, obviously). I think 300con's size estimate is pretty much dead-on.

HarryT · 09-22-2009, 09:22 AM

PDF files with pages which are scanned images are probably not going to display terribly well on a 5" or 6" screen, however; it'll be too small to read. If that is the type of material that one primarily wishes to read, a large-screen device such as the Kindle DX or one of the iRex devices is almost certainly a better choice.

300com · 09-22-2009, 09:22 AM

I thought you could convert pdfs into rtf's or some other format, making them smaller.
That was the theory I had. . .

Most of my PDF's are only text. But they are PDF's . . . none the less.

HarryT · 09-22-2009, 09:24 AM

Not if the pages are images, which in a PDF file of that size, they almost certainly are.

ephewe · 09-22-2009, 09:25 AM

I have my 600 for reading ebooks. However, I have no problems viewing strategy guides for video games here and there. The 600 does have a zoom in feature, afterall. With a 300 though... That's probably pushing it a bit. Then again, they both use the same resolution, so it could work...

For figures on file size, I'm going to try converting a large PDF to LRF and see what I get. Be back with an update in a few minutes.

300com · 09-22-2009, 09:29 AM

thanks that will be great !!

The-eBook-Reader · 09-22-2009, 09:41 AM

I loaded a 26 page comic (12 MB) into the 300 the other day and it displayed extremely well, image-wise. The text in the text balloons is barely readable though.

I've seen those images on the link you posted and they appear much more readable.

The main thing you need to know is that each different comic is going to display differently, based on its original formatting.

As for converting PDFs that are comics, I don't think it will work, but I'm not an expert. When I tried to convert the aforementioned comic I got nothing but 2 blank pages.

After testing the 600 I'd say it's a much better option for comics/manga. The screen is just enough bigger to make the text more readable and if there's still a problem you can easily zoom in with the 600. It's also much faster with PDFs.

With the 300, the comic I used took about 4 seconds to load each page, and the 600 was much, much quicker.

The-eBook-Reader · 09-22-2009, 09:45 AM

300com, what country do you live in? If you live in the UK you can get a 505 for the same price as a 300.

300com · 09-22-2009, 09:47 AM

hmmm . . .

ephewe · 09-22-2009, 09:49 AM

OK, so I converted a 372 page, full color, 8.11 x 10.63", 265,083KB PDF file using Calibre.

What I got was an LRF file that is 40,214KB in size. For the most part, it looks about the same to the naked eye. However, there's a bunch of text that appears smudged away (completely unreadable) spread throughout the entire document, seemingly at random. I suspect there's some sort of layering going on with this particular PDF file that Acrobat has no trouble reading. It's possible that I could get it to convert properly if I dicked with the PDF before hand (ran it through Acrobat's optimizer, etc.). Unfortunately, I don't have time to test that in-depth right now. I will try when I finish work today though, then post my results.

For now, we know it is at least possible to convert an image-heavy, very large PDF file to LRF format at roughly 1/6th the file size without significant loss in quality (in terms of human readability).

HarryT · 09-22-2009, 09:56 AM

But the fact remains, IMHO, that a device without expansion capabilities is probably far from ideal for usage in storing multi-MB files. I really would suggest getting a device with memory-card capabilities for that purpose. There are many to choose from, both from Sony and other manufacturers.

300com · 09-22-2009, 10:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The-eBook-Reader

300com, what country do you live in? If you live in the UK you can get a 505 for the same price as a 300.

I live in Australia, they don't sell the Sony models here.

HarryT · 09-22-2009, 10:16 AM

Have you looked at the ECO reader, which is sold in Australia? It is a Hanlin V3 clone, and does support memory cards.

09-22-2009, 08:35 AM	#1
300com Zealot Posts: 130 Karma: 1041448 Join Date: Sep 2009 Device: PRS-300	Is the memory in the PRS-300 really enough ? "The 300 has a great, clear screen (characters are sharper than the 505's under magnification!), and all I need is a device to read lots of books--no wireless, memory cards, mp3, dictionary, touchscreen. The 300 is great for this. Still shows pages of text and stores hundreds of novels with a great e-ink display and extended battery life. I throw my 300 in my front pants pocket with no problem--the 505 had far fewer options for a guy to carry around." The above is taken from another thread which makes the 300 sound very attractive to me. I was originally going for the 505 but I cannot find it at the magic $199 price range anymore. It's more like $270~ now wherever I turn. also I wish to buy 2x(505) - one for my brother who has his birthday next month and i should mention that I don't live in the United States so there's shipping on top !! After seeing how comics are displayed on the 300, I am quite pleased. http://www.scribd.com/doc/19625804/S...-PRS300-Review also, most of my reading material are in pdf format. A lot of pdf books are quite large in size 35Megs + But the internal memory is about 443Megs . . . sounds like you can only hold around 10 or 20 books on PDF not some 350 as claimed by Sony's advertising. When converting PDF files to Sony's RTF is there a significant reduction in file sizes ? How about converting comics ? I guess that's the real factor I'm weighing up on purchase is memory size. How many manga/comics roughly . . . can i fit in this unit, and pdf books ? What's a realistic answer ? If the 300 had SD memory slot as the big brother 505, I would be very happy. Maybe it isn't necessary . . . Talk me into being happy for a purchase of PRS-300 or not. Thanks !

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
My thoughts, PRS-300, PRS-600, PRS-505, PRS-700, Kindle 2	zacheryjensen	Sony Reader	78	12-05-2010 07:33 PM
E-ink, Touchscreen, Price around 300$, Font support and Memory	dtacha	Which one should I buy?	16	06-21-2010 12:55 PM
Calibre did not detect correct memory partition for Sony PRS 300	Noritje	Calibre	4	12-11-2009 05:43 AM
PRS-300 Question about memory on the PRS-300	Gadget Guy	Sony Reader	5	11-21-2009 01:44 PM
Canadian perspective of the recent Sony ebook readers - PRS-300/PRS-600/PRS-2121	nrapallo	News	1	08-29-2009 10:38 AM

09-22-2009, 09:14 AM	#2
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	If you want a small device with a memory card slot, why don't you get one? There are a number to choose from - eg the CyBook Opus or the BeBook Mini, both of which can use SDHC cards. 35MB is a HECK of a big book; the typical novel as an eBook is more like 300-500kb! That is the type of book that people have in mind when talking about storing hundreds on the device.

09-22-2009, 09:16 AM	#3
ephewe Member Posts: 14 Karma: 14 Join Date: Sep 2009 Device: Sony PRS-600 (Silver)	Well, I have several video game strategy guides on my 600 that are upwards of 200MB. These are PDF files with hundreds of pages of pictures. I would guess that comics in PDF format are no different (aside from containing less pages, obviously). I think 300con's size estimate is pretty much dead-on.

09-22-2009, 09:22 AM	#4
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	PDF files with pages which are scanned images are probably not going to display terribly well on a 5" or 6" screen, however; it'll be too small to read. If that is the type of material that one primarily wishes to read, a large-screen device such as the Kindle DX or one of the iRex devices is almost certainly a better choice.

09-22-2009, 09:24 AM	#6
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	Not if the pages are images, which in a PDF file of that size, they almost certainly are.

09-22-2009, 09:25 AM	#7
ephewe Member Posts: 14 Karma: 14 Join Date: Sep 2009 Device: Sony PRS-600 (Silver)	I have my 600 for reading ebooks. However, I have no problems viewing strategy guides for video games here and there. The 600 does have a zoom in feature, afterall. With a 300 though... That's probably pushing it a bit. Then again, they both use the same resolution, so it could work... For figures on file size, I'm going to try converting a large PDF to LRF and see what I get. Be back with an update in a few minutes.

09-22-2009, 09:29 AM	#8
300com Zealot Posts: 130 Karma: 1041448 Join Date: Sep 2009 Device: PRS-300	thanks that will be great !!

09-22-2009, 09:41 AM	#9
The-eBook-Reader Groupie Posts: 194 Karma: 4637 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: United States Device: All	I loaded a 26 page comic (12 MB) into the 300 the other day and it displayed extremely well, image-wise. The text in the text balloons is barely readable though. I've seen those images on the link you posted and they appear much more readable. The main thing you need to know is that each different comic is going to display differently, based on its original formatting. As for converting PDFs that are comics, I don't think it will work, but I'm not an expert. When I tried to convert the aforementioned comic I got nothing but 2 blank pages. After testing the 600 I'd say it's a much better option for comics/manga. The screen is just enough bigger to make the text more readable and if there's still a problem you can easily zoom in with the 600. It's also much faster with PDFs. With the 300, the comic I used took about 4 seconds to load each page, and the 600 was much, much quicker.

09-22-2009, 09:45 AM	#10
The-eBook-Reader Groupie Posts: 194 Karma: 4637 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: United States Device: All	300com, what country do you live in? If you live in the UK you can get a 505 for the same price as a 300.

09-22-2009, 09:47 AM	#11
300com Zealot Posts: 130 Karma: 1041448 Join Date: Sep 2009 Device: PRS-300	hmmm . . .

09-22-2009, 09:49 AM	#12
ephewe Member Posts: 14 Karma: 14 Join Date: Sep 2009 Device: Sony PRS-600 (Silver)	OK, so I converted a 372 page, full color, 8.11 x 10.63", 265,083KB PDF file using Calibre. What I got was an LRF file that is 40,214KB in size. For the most part, it looks about the same to the naked eye. However, there's a bunch of text that appears smudged away (completely unreadable) spread throughout the entire document, seemingly at random. I suspect there's some sort of layering going on with this particular PDF file that Acrobat has no trouble reading. It's possible that I could get it to convert properly if I dicked with the PDF before hand (ran it through Acrobat's optimizer, etc.). Unfortunately, I don't have time to test that in-depth right now. I will try when I finish work today though, then post my results. For now, we know it is at least possible to convert an image-heavy, very large PDF file to LRF format at roughly 1/6th the file size without significant loss in quality (in terms of human readability).

Advert

Advert

09-22-2009, 09:56 AM	#13
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	But the fact remains, IMHO, that a device without expansion capabilities is probably far from ideal for usage in storing multi-MB files. I really would suggest getting a device with memory-card capabilities for that purpose. There are many to choose from, both from Sony and other manufacturers.

09-22-2009, 10:16 AM	#15
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	Have you looked at the ECO reader, which is sold in Australia? It is a Hanlin V3 clone, and does support memory cards.