12-13-2009, 12:07 PM | #1 |
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B&N Switching to ePub a Sneaky Move?
Is B&N switching over to ePub with newer releases and not telling anyone? I just downloaded the sample of I Alex Cross and it came down in ePub instead of eReader. I took a look at the entry for the eBook and no place did it say anything about ePub. So what gives? B&N is touting eReader all over the place and here we have ePub to which eReader will not handle.
To me, this seems like a sneaky move. If you go to B&N to buy an eBook, you expect if to be in eReader format, but if you get ePub, are you able to return it? Would your credit card company help you out with the problem if B&N will not take it back? |
12-13-2009, 12:42 PM | #2 |
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They do seem to have made a stealth switch to ePub. Also, ePub isn't currently supported on the BlackBerry so I'm not sure what happens if you download those titles to a BlackBerry.
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12-13-2009, 12:49 PM | #3 |
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I hope that they will make it clear that their ePub books use a custom DRM method which won't currently work on other devices. It's going to cause a great deal of confusion otherwise.
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12-13-2009, 12:54 PM | #4 | |
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And here's where using the term eReader to mean what it doesn't mean is so wrong...
Looking at the entry for I Alex Cross I see it says... Quote:
B&N needs to fire whoever is in charge of this mess they've made. Last edited by JSWolf; 12-14-2009 at 03:21 PM. |
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12-13-2009, 12:56 PM | #5 |
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We know they currently use Adept as that's the only DRM right now. And we don't know what will happen when Adobe gets the new CS4 up and running for the DRM at B&N. Maybe you'll e offered the choice of Adept or the other DRm.
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12-13-2009, 01:43 PM | #6 |
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Sorry, Jon, you misunderstand me. Yes, they are using ADEPT, but they're using a later version of than anyone else, which supports both the "old" Adobe ID type DRM and the new credit-card number "password" DRM. The trouble is that nobody else currently has this newer version, so unless B&N explicitly explain to people that their new DRM method won't work on other ADE devices, there could be a lot of people buying ePub books at B&N expecting them to work on their Sony, Astak, etc, and being disappointed.
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12-13-2009, 01:46 PM | #7 | |
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12-13-2009, 01:52 PM | #8 |
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You mean can an individual book use both DRM mechanisms? That's an excellent question, and I haven't got the faintest idea! My "gut feeling" is that it would be one or the other, but that's just a guess.
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12-13-2009, 02:07 PM | #9 |
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I did download a free book from B&N and it is in ePub. Reader Library and Adobe Digital Editions cannot view this. So basically, unless you have a nook, don't buy any eBooks from B&N as you won't know if you are getting ePub or eReader.
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12-13-2009, 08:15 PM | #10 |
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B&N software for iPhone, Mac and supposedly windows can open B&N-bought epubs. I'm sure Sony will release an update to their readers to support updated Adobe modules.
But then, there's not a single DRM which hasn't been cracked yet, is there? When there's a will, there's a way. |
12-13-2009, 08:21 PM | #11 | |
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12-13-2009, 08:57 PM | #12 | |
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Teleread is reporting on this story as well.
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12-14-2009, 07:51 AM | #13 |
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I do think it's rather sleazy to slip in ePub without telling anyone. You pay good money for the eBook and find you cannot read it where you want because it's not the format you expected. And then to get Adobe to actually allow changing the DRM on ePub is also a stupid idea. I can see people purchasing ePub from B&N only to find they cannot read them on their reader. B&N needs to just go out of business and save us all this hassle.
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12-14-2009, 10:35 AM | #14 |
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I think you may be misreading a few things.
First, I do know that B&N's switch to ePub has been heavily publicized by both B&N and Adobe. The choice not to have some indication in their eBook store of which is which is bizarre and a bad judgment call. On the DRM angle... If Jim Lester's lurking around, I'm sure he could speak to this much better than I, but... The sense I get from having seen B&N/Adobe's announcements and Adobe's FAQs on the topic suggest that B&N is using the same underlying DRM scheme for ePub as everyone using Adobe's solutions. Just modified to use the credit card/password authentication option that Adobe licensed from B&N. Supposedly other devices should support B&N ePubs after the manufacturer updates them to support Adobe's newest SDK. |
12-14-2009, 03:22 PM | #15 | |
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