DRM ERROR

clive · 07-28-2008, 06:26 AM

Hi
I'm Clive, a new member and frankly nothing like as computer literate as most of you guys seem. So if the following enquiry seems stupid to you I apologise in advance!
I have pre-ordered the new Sony Reader and as I use the latest version of Tiger on my Mac I downloaded Calibre to get used to it. I bought and downloaded a book from BooksonBoard to practice and immediately hit a problem. When I tried to convert it Calibre reported an error because the book (which was in Mobipocket format) was DRMed. The BooksonBoard website did not say the book was DRMed so what should have been a straightforward process has been stopped dead in its tracks.
In future, how am I to know if a book I want to buy is DRMed?
I certainly don't want to go back to a Windows based computer just to use the Sony Reader and thought Calibre would solve this problem.
Can anyone help me? Replies in non-computer speak would be very much appreciated?
Thanks.

acidzebra · 07-28-2008, 06:45 AM

Well, the obvious answer is you should not buy Mobipocket format. While the Sony can read unprotected files by way of conversion by Calibre you have obviously found that it will not read DRMd files, in fact, without conversion it will not read Mobipocket full stop.

From the Sony site:
Media Formats Supported

* DRM Text : BBeB Book (Marlin)
* Image : JPEG, GIF, PNG, and BMP
* Unsecured Audio : MP3 and AAC7
* Unsecured Text : BBeB Book, TXT, RTF, Adobe® PDF10, Microsoft® Word (Conversion to the Reader-requires Word installed on your PC)

http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/...52921665245739

The BooksOnBoard site even tells you that Sony is not compatible:
http://www.booksonboard.com/index.php?BODY=formats

HarryT · 07-28-2008, 06:47 AM

All the MobiPocket books that BoB sell have DRM.

clive · 07-28-2008, 07:16 AM

Acidzebra, thanks for your reply but I think you miss my point.

Calibre states in if FAQs: "calibre supports the conversion of the following formats to LRF: HTML, LIT, MOBI, PRC, EPUB, RTF, TXT, PDF and LRS. It also supports the conversion of LRF to LRS and HTML. Note that calibre does not support the conversion of DRMed ebooks."

My point is that I want to use calibre to convert the ebook files to LRF. I understand it won't convert DRMed files - but how do I know a file is DRMed before I buy it???????

HARRY - thanks for your reply - I'll steer clear of Bob's Mobipocket files in future.

acidzebra · 07-28-2008, 07:21 AM

Quote:

how do I know a file is DRMed before I buy it

I did understand you, that is why I linked to the BoB page that explains that your Sony is not compatible, which you really should have checked before buying. Another page which is device-centric:
https://www.booksonboard.com/index.p...election_Chart

At the end of the day, if you BUY an ebook anywhere, there is a 95% chance it will have some form of DRM on it.

JSWolf · 07-28-2008, 08:39 AM

Clive, if you live in a country where it is OK to remove the DRM, then you can find a copy of the MobiDeDRM.py programs and use one of them to try to remove the DRM and then you can use Calibre to convert it. Other then that, you are out of luck.

HarryT · 07-28-2008, 09:11 AM

The easiest option is to buy Microsoft Reader books and convert those, but unfortunately this can only be done on a Windows machine, not on a Mac unless you install "Bootcamp".

BooksOnBoard · 07-28-2008, 01:31 PM

Hi Clive,

We regret the difficulties you experienced, and want to clarify the following:

(1) Almost all of our eBooks are DRM except for eBooks from Abbey House Press and a few other smaller publishers. The major publishers all require DRM;

(2) We do have a limited number of DRM-free Mobipocket, pdf and epub classics from Abbey House Press, such as the Century bundle plus a handful of free classic titles on the Free eBooks page;

(3) We also offer DRM titles free of charge for testing all of our DRM formats on our Free eBooks page. MP3 audio books are the only titles that are never DRM, though they still require the Overdrive Media Console and Windows to download;

(4) With the new firmware release from Sony, the PRS-505 is now compatible with both ePub and Adobe PDF (including titles with DRM). We offer both formats, though we recommend ePub where available because pdf in many of the titles may not scale to a readable size. This is all brand new, and we are conducting testing to come up with further data for our customers regarding the pdf versions. ePUB, however, flows very nicely and is quite readable.

We do answer all emails directed to our support team, so if you have any other questions, please feel free to email support@booksonboard.com.

Regards,

The BooksOnBoard Team

JSWolf · 07-28-2008, 02:08 PM

is there any way to use Firefox to download a DRM laden ePub eBook? I know I can do it using MSIE.

JSWolf · 07-28-2008, 05:42 PM

BooksOnBoard, I tried your free ePub sample and it's not compatible with the 505 at the moment. If we purchase ePub that doesn't work with the 505, can we return it for a full refund?

The best option is to test all your ePub with the 505 and mark which are and which are not compatible. I know this will take a long time, but in the end, I think it will be worth it to your customers.

acidzebra · 07-29-2008, 03:04 AM

I get an error too. I installed the digital editions stuff, upgraded my sony library (my reader firmware was already upgraded), created a DE account, authorized my computer, authorized my reader (could Sony think of any MORE hoops to jump through?), and finally grabbed the free DRM epub sample (Julia Harper - Hot) transferred the book from the DE software to the reader.

It says there is only one page and opening the book gives me a page error. Book info tells me it is a EPUB document,401.7 Kb, living in /digital editions/hot.epub

BooksOnBoard · 07-29-2008, 06:20 PM

Thank you for bringing this to our attention. Based on this thread, we contacted the distributors for this title. They checked this eBook and found that it has not been constructed according to all ePub standards to allow it to be compatible with the Sony Reader. They are currently waiting to receive a replacement source of the title from the publisher. This should be soon. We have tested a selection of ePub titles, and have found a few of them to have the same error. For the time being we are recommending the Adobe PDF format for Sony PRS-505 users.

We appreciate you bringing this to our attention.

Thanks,

The BooksOnBoard Team

07-28-2008, 06:26 AM	#1
clive Junior Member Posts: 2 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jul 2008 Device: Sony Reader	DRM ERROR Hi I'm Clive, a new member and frankly nothing like as computer literate as most of you guys seem. So if the following enquiry seems stupid to you I apologise in advance! I have pre-ordered the new Sony Reader and as I use the latest version of Tiger on my Mac I downloaded Calibre to get used to it. I bought and downloaded a book from BooksonBoard to practice and immediately hit a problem. When I tried to convert it Calibre reported an error because the book (which was in Mobipocket format) was DRMed. The BooksonBoard website did not say the book was DRMed so what should have been a straightforward process has been stopped dead in its tracks. In future, how am I to know if a book I want to buy is DRMed? I certainly don't want to go back to a Windows based computer just to use the Sony Reader and thought Calibre would solve this problem. Can anyone help me? Replies in non-computer speak would be very much appreciated? Thanks.

07-28-2008, 06:45 AM	#2
acidzebra Liseuse Lover Posts: 869 Karma: 1035404 Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Netherlands Device: PRS-505	Well, the obvious answer is you should not buy Mobipocket format. While the Sony can read unprotected files by way of conversion by Calibre you have obviously found that it will not read DRMd files, in fact, without conversion it will not read Mobipocket full stop. From the Sony site: Media Formats Supported * DRM Text : BBeB Book (Marlin) * Image : JPEG, GIF, PNG, and BMP * Unsecured Audio : MP3 and AAC7 * Unsecured Text : BBeB Book, TXT, RTF, Adobe® PDF10, Microsoft® Word (Conversion to the Reader-requires Word installed on your PC) http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/...52921665245739 The BooksOnBoard site even tells you that Sony is not compatible: http://www.booksonboard.com/index.php?BODY=formats Last edited by acidzebra; 07-28-2008 at 06:52 AM.

07-29-2008, 03:04 AM	#11
acidzebra Liseuse Lover Posts: 869 Karma: 1035404 Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Netherlands Device: PRS-505	I get an error too. I installed the digital editions stuff, upgraded my sony library (my reader firmware was already upgraded), created a DE account, authorized my computer, authorized my reader (could Sony think of any MORE hoops to jump through?), and finally grabbed the free DRM epub sample (Julia Harper - Hot) transferred the book from the DE software to the reader. It says there is only one page and opening the book gives me a page error. Book info tells me it is a EPUB document,401.7 Kb, living in /digital editions/hot.epub Last edited by acidzebra; 07-29-2008 at 03:46 AM.

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07-28-2008, 06:47 AM	#3
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383099 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	All the MobiPocket books that BoB sell have DRM.

07-28-2008, 07:16 AM	#4
clive Junior Member Posts: 2 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jul 2008 Device: Sony Reader	Acidzebra, thanks for your reply but I think you miss my point. Calibre states in if FAQs: "calibre supports the conversion of the following formats to LRF: HTML, LIT, MOBI, PRC, EPUB, RTF, TXT, PDF and LRS. It also supports the conversion of LRF to LRS and HTML. Note that calibre does not support the conversion of DRMed ebooks." My point is that I want to use calibre to convert the ebook files to LRF. I understand it won't convert DRMed files - but how do I know a file is DRMed before I buy it??????? HARRY - thanks for your reply - I'll steer clear of Bob's Mobipocket files in future.

07-28-2008, 08:39 AM	#6
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 79,501 Karma: 145863170 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	Clive, if you live in a country where it is OK to remove the DRM, then you can find a copy of the MobiDeDRM.py programs and use one of them to try to remove the DRM and then you can use Calibre to convert it. Other then that, you are out of luck.

07-28-2008, 09:11 AM	#7
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383099 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	The easiest option is to buy Microsoft Reader books and convert those, but unfortunately this can only be done on a Windows machine, not on a Mac unless you install "Bootcamp".

07-28-2008, 01:31 PM	#8
BooksOnBoard Member Posts: 15 Karma: 44 Join Date: Apr 2008 Device: Cybook Gen3	Hi Clive, We regret the difficulties you experienced, and want to clarify the following: (1) Almost all of our eBooks are DRM except for eBooks from Abbey House Press and a few other smaller publishers. The major publishers all require DRM; (2) We do have a limited number of DRM-free Mobipocket, pdf and epub classics from Abbey House Press, such as the Century bundle plus a handful of free classic titles on the Free eBooks page; (3) We also offer DRM titles free of charge for testing all of our DRM formats on our Free eBooks page. MP3 audio books are the only titles that are never DRM, though they still require the Overdrive Media Console and Windows to download; (4) With the new firmware release from Sony, the PRS-505 is now compatible with both ePub and Adobe PDF (including titles with DRM). We offer both formats, though we recommend ePub where available because pdf in many of the titles may not scale to a readable size. This is all brand new, and we are conducting testing to come up with further data for our customers regarding the pdf versions. ePUB, however, flows very nicely and is quite readable. We do answer all emails directed to our support team, so if you have any other questions, please feel free to email support@booksonboard.com. Regards, The BooksOnBoard Team

07-28-2008, 02:08 PM	#9
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 79,501 Karma: 145863170 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	is there any way to use Firefox to download a DRM laden ePub eBook? I know I can do it using MSIE.

07-28-2008, 05:42 PM	#10
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 79,501 Karma: 145863170 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	BooksOnBoard, I tried your free ePub sample and it's not compatible with the 505 at the moment. If we purchase ePub that doesn't work with the 505, can we return it for a full refund? The best option is to test all your ePub with the 505 and mark which are and which are not compatible. I know this will take a long time, but in the end, I think it will be worth it to your customers.

07-29-2008, 06:20 PM	#12
BooksOnBoard Member Posts: 15 Karma: 44 Join Date: Apr 2008 Device: Cybook Gen3	Thank you for bringing this to our attention. Based on this thread, we contacted the distributors for this title. They checked this eBook and found that it has not been constructed according to all ePub standards to allow it to be compatible with the Sony Reader. They are currently waiting to receive a replacement source of the title from the publisher. This should be soon. We have tested a selection of ePub titles, and have found a few of them to have the same error. For the time being we are recommending the Adobe PDF format for Sony PRS-505 users. We appreciate you bringing this to our attention. Thanks, The BooksOnBoard Team

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