Specifying Audio files in .NCX file & Kindlegen?

[FunkeXMix]

Hey Hitch, that's fine, fix those important things first. But it's nice we are a bit closer to a conclusion. The people need it including me, Google and mobileread has not provided a conclusion to the issue so far.

If that is true, that it has to go through Amazon PW. They could at least mention it in the AmazonKindlePublishingGuidelines.pdf. That PDF explains how to put audio but on page 74 it says that the audio tag is not 'Supported on KF8-Enabled Devices & Apps'. I'm not sure what to make of that, maybe they are just trying to say that audio/video .mobi files do not support kf8 functionality which is true.

<audio> Specified an audio content No

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by FunkeXMix

Hey Hitch, that's fine, fix those important things first. But it's nice we are a bit closer to a conclusion. The people need it including me, Google and mobileread has not provided a conclusion to the issue so far.

Yeah, but even if I dig it up, it will likely be true for only 5 minutes, until it changes again. ;-/

If that is true, that it has to go through Amazon PW. They could at least mention it in the AmazonKindlePublishingGuidelines.pdf. That PDF explains how to put audio but on page 74 it says that the audio tag is not 'Supported on KF8-Enabled Devices & Apps'. I'm not sure what to make of that, maybe they are just trying to say that audio/video .mobi files do not support kf8 functionality which is true.

<audio> Specified an audio content No

Well, we know--don't we? Someone remind me if my trolley has left the tracks, rather than the station--that you have to put video/audio content in an "enhanced PRC" file, that it only works in a KF7 book, essentially. Guys? Anyone remember that? My brain needs brains right now, it's utterly discombobulated with the BS on my staging server, which is driving me to distraction.

Do we all think that you actually have to load a PRC file (extension) to the devices, rather than a "mobi?" Does anyone besides me recall that, or am I having a <mumble, but sounded like "senior"> moment?

And as far as putting stuff in the PG's, don't forget--the folks that can even use that functionality to begin with upload via FTP, so all their work goes through the PW in the first place, and NONE of them would be selling books via their own websites. So...nyah, you're right, they should put that in there. Urgh...off to HTML/CSS/Bootstrap hell.....

Thanks,
Hitch

[FunkeXMix]

Well I tested changing the extensions to .prc..for fun..funfun. No, 'unable to play audio' in iPad Kindle app.

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by FunkeXMix

Well I tested changing the extensions to .prc..for fun..funfun. No, 'unable to play audio' in iPad Kindle app.

There's something...damn. Wish I could pull it from the swamp that is currently my brain. I just have overload at the moment (launching new site, blabbety-blabbety).

I'll try to work out some time to search my email archives. Which is, as of this morning, only 87,894 emails. (Yes, really).

Hitch

[georg3200]

Can I restart this conversation?

I've tried to embed audio/video a year ago, but I failed.
I was completly lost in AmazonKindlePublishingGuidelines.pdf which I followed, but it did not work.

At this point I have not yet seen a working file in any format (mobi or prc) on any device (I have a kindle fire HD of the first generation).

So my question is: Did anyone ever see a working file on a device?

Do I really have to tell my customer, who wants audio in his amazon e-books, that, if there were a working file, we could not test it on any device?

Any help / comment would be appreciated.

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by georg3200

Can I restart this conversation?

I've tried to embed audio/video a year ago, but I failed.
I was completly lost in AmazonKindlePublishingGuidelines.pdf which I followed, but it did not work.

At this point I have not yet seen a working file in any format (mobi or prc) on any device (I have a kindle fire HD of the first generation).

So my question is: Did anyone ever see a working file on a device?

Do I really have to tell my customer, who wants audio in his amazon e-books, that, if there were a working file, we could not test it on any device?

Any help / comment would be appreciated.

Does your client have a regular Publisher's account--not a KDP account--at Amazon? Does he upload his files via FTP or the KDP?

Hitch

[georg3200]

We do not have a KDP account. We upload the mobi-files via FTP.
I have read that this makes a difference.

But my problem is, that when I produce a mobi-file with kindlegen, I do not have the possibility to test it. It always says something like "Cannot play audio" (Audio kann nicht wiedergegeben werden... in german) on the iPad in the Kindle App.
On the Kindle Fire HD (first generation, X43Z60) I see only the html-fallback text.

I'm quite sure, that the code ist like it should be. I cannot really tell our customer: Oh, I cannot show you, because it does not work anywhere, but maybe it works as soon as we upload it and people buy it...

[georg3200]

Sorry, that I have to reopen this thread. But there is so much information in here, I do not want to start another one.

We are still trying to embed audio in a mobi file. I converted a sample mobi and opened a ticket at Amazon. The answer was: there is no audio in this file embedded- Please read the specification KindelPublishingeGuidelines...

I am quite sure, that I followed the KindelPublishingeGuidelines step by step. I converted the epub with the newest kindlegen (2.9). I tried to find a secret parameter in kindlegen....
Nothing worked.

Could please someone take a look at the attached epub-sample...
I'm a bit desperate now...

Any help appreciated.

[JSWolf]

Do know that Kindle Readers no longer have audio capability and thus,won't work with your eBooks?

[Doitsu]

@georg3200:

The epub source file seems to be more or less OK. KindleGen reports a couple of warnings but none of them seem to be audio related.

However, according to the Kindle Publishing Guidelines:

KF8 features are not currently supported in Kindle Edition with Audio/Video content. The file delivered to Amazon should be a Mobi 7 EPUB with self-contained audio and video or a Mobi 7 .prc file with self-contained audio and video.

The problem is that Amazon didn't document the KindleGen parameter for generating Mobi7/KF7 only Kindle files with multimedia files and the last pre-KF8 KindleGen version is no longer available for download.
(Even if a pre-KF8 KindleGen version were still available, you couldn't use it because regular mobi7 files don't support audio and video files.)

I.e., your only hope is to convince the KDP people to tell you the super-secret Mobi7/KF7 only KindleGen parameter.

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by Doitsu

@georg3200:

The epub source file seems to be more or less OK. KindleGen reports a couple of warnings but none of them seem to be audio related.

However, according to the Kindle Publishing Guidelines:



The problem is that Amazon didn't document the KindleGen parameter for generating Mobi7/KF7 only Kindle files with multimedia files and the last pre-KF8 KindleGen version is no longer available for download.
(Even if a pre-KF8 KindleGen version were still available, you couldn't use it because regular mobi7 files don't support audio and video files.)

I.e., your only hope is to convince the KDP people to tell you the super-secret Mobi7/KF7 only KindleGen parameter.

AND, make sure your client can FTP his/her books via the BPH publishing channel, because if they are trying to publish via the KDP, this is all moot, anyway, as any/all video or audio will be stripped out of the uploaded file.

(Just...FWIW, in case this is a case of tl;dr and the poster doesn't know that, or for those who come along later.)

Doits: AFAIK, you still have to ACTUALLY make a .prc file for this. Break out zee old MBPC....

Hitch

[Doitsu]

Originally Posted by Hitch

Doits: AFAIK, you still have to ACTUALLY make a .prc file for this. Break out zee old MBPC....

I've already tested this. Mobipocket Creator will indeed compile source files with audio files in them without error messages, however, the resulting .prc file won't work with the Kindle for Android/iOS apps and probably won't work with audio-enabled eInk Kindles either. (I no longer have my K3, so I can't test this hypothesis.)

Do you remember what device/app you tested your client's .prc file with?

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by Doitsu

I've already tested this. Mobipocket Creator will indeed compile source files with audio files in them without error messages, however, the resulting .prc file won't work with the Kindle for Android/iOS apps and probably won't work with audio-enabled eInk Kindles either. (I no longer have my K3, so I can't test this hypothesis.)

Do you remember what device/app you tested your client's .prc file with?

Uh....no? I think it was KP, Doits, not devices.

(Thinking....)...wasn't the issue that you couldn't test, on iOS? That the damn thing had to be published, first? You had to point and pray, essentially, other than KP? You tested the files themselves, encoding them, and then simply built the book. You FTP'ed it, and if God was VERY VERY happy with you, it worked on the downslope? Isn't that right?

The problem was, (is) IIRC, that if you built a "regular" mobi, the KF8 version of the book was delivered, when a buyer bought. As KF8 didn't support embedded audio/video, you were SOL. BUT, the KF7 devices didn't support embedded audio/video. So, you had to build a KF7-only mobi, test it on KP (only) and then FTP the file to Amazon. Amazon would do whatever gimmicky crap it is that they do, in the Publishing Workflow, and THEN, the formerly-KF7 file would be delivered to Fire purchasers (now Fire HDX, etc.).

Yup. Having kicked the dust off my gray matter about this, yup, I think that's correct. That's the sitch. The only way to see the embeds, prior to FTP, is on KP.

Hitch

[georg3200]

I appreciate all your efforts on this subject. I'm still a bit unsure what to do. I know that there are mobis with audio that work. We bought this one. It works fine on our Kindle Fire HD (first generation) and on our iPad with kindle app.
http://www.amazon.de/Mein-erstes-fli.../dp/B00XIXI2MY

I still think that my epub is correct. And all of your discussion let's me think that converting to mobi is the problem. Or to prc.

I wrote another ticket to Amazon and asked how the conversion into mobi 7 should work...
But I do not have much hope that they are willing to help. Or able to help... let's see.

BTW: we do not use KDP, we have an FTP account at Amazon to upload mobi, cover and onix-file.

Thanks,
Georg

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by georg3200

I appreciate all your efforts on this subject. I'm still a bit unsure what to do. I know that there are mobis with audio that work. We bought this one. It works fine on our Kindle Fire HD (first generation) and on our iPad with kindle app.
http://www.amazon.de/Mein-erstes-fli.../dp/B00XIXI2MY

I still think that my epub is correct. And all of your discussion let's me think that converting to mobi is the problem. Or to prc.

I wrote another ticket to Amazon and asked how the conversion into mobi 7 should work...
But I do not have much hope that they are willing to help. Or able to help... let's see.

BTW: we do not use KDP, we have an FTP account at Amazon to upload mobi, cover and onix-file.

Thanks,
Georg

Georg:

As your client has an FTP, that means that they have a publishing contract with Amazon. Why not email ECR for direct assistance? Or your Technical Account Manager at Amazon, for your firm? That's a better route.

Also, FWIW: the publisher of that particular book specializes in providing media-content eBooks. You might simply reach out to them.

Hitch