Other file formats - Page 2

NatCh · 10-27-2006, 11:36 AM

Yeah, it sounds like you need more the UM/Tablet PC type approach for that. Perhaps the iLiad once they get their ducks lined up.

Cthulhu · 11-01-2006, 11:27 PM

Can someone answer this question:

Does Connect software convert .pdf, .rtf, &tc into BBeB before adding the file onto the Reader?

Was looking over the specs at SONY's website, and its seems that the little footnote has a dangling modifier. I know that elsewhere people have stated that one can acces files placed directly onto a SD card, but I'm curious to know if there's any swithing. My question goes to what all can be on a SD card placed in the Reader. Would rather buy a nice new 2 GB card and have various & sundry files rather than have a teeny 512 MB just for e-texts.

Apologies is this question has been posed and answered innumerous times.

huari · 11-02-2006, 12:55 AM

Hi,

There's no conversion that I've found, the file remains the same.

Before I got the Reader or rather my convince my wife to get one for the 'family', we went to the SonyStyle store and I put my SD card from my Palm TX into the demo model on display. The Reader took a while to read the less than half full 512MB card of jpegs, pdfs, xls, doc, txt

We were stunned when all my pictures displayed, the txt and PDFs displayed without necessitating conversion. Unfortunately not all PDFs displayed well as we know now, but it was remarkable to experience e-ink for the first time.

When we got the reader and loaded up the Library in the desktop Connect software and synced to the Reader, display results were the same and I could still see the files in PalmPDF so no conversion was done.

I just discovered manybooks.net and I would say many smaller cards are better than 1 big one as it takes a long time for my Reader to load up 62 books from a 512MB card and sometimes it freezes unless I reset or toggle on/off.

Now I'm learning more about lrf bbob xyz all this ebook conversion mess. Thankfully there are helpful folk like Igorsk and GeekRaver to help guide the road to readability.

Best,
tony

MMascaro · 11-02-2006, 06:35 AM

I may have found the answer to my own question. I got my reader from Borders in Frederick MD Monday and was trying some files. I veiwed a PDF that was a save of an Excel file and the book title came up as "Income Report.xls" This could have been the type file mentioned earlier.

Cthulhu · 11-02-2006, 09:25 AM

Tony--

Thanks for addressing my question. It gets a tad confusing on the forum as he whether files from other sources work, and as I have seem to have found in other threads, it seems that there is no real rhyme or reason as to the success or failure of display.

Regarding upload speed, once the Reader parses the content of the card, is there any deviation regarding the refresh rates or file(book) changes from a large to a small memory card?

I like the idea of one big card, because I also like to lose things--or so one might think.

NatCh · 11-02-2006, 10:38 AM

If you're loading files directly from a Memory Card, without going through the Connect Software, then there is a delay the first time you open each file, while the Reader figures out the page breaks. It does the same thing, with a similar delay, each time you change the font size (click the size button) -- it only does this once per size (i.e. when you open on Small, it paginates, the first time you go to Medium it does it again, and the first time you go to Large, it does it a third time, but after that, it doesn't need to do it any more). After that there doesn't seem to be any differenct between Connect processed files and straight Memory Card files.

bingle · 11-02-2006, 02:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by huari

Hi,

There's no conversion that I've found, the file remains the same.

This is interesting, actually... It doesn't remain *quite* the same. If you import through the Reader software, you sometimes end up with a smaller file on the Reader than on the PC. This might simply be a filesystem thing, but some of the size differences for RTF files are so large I don't think so. It could be doing some sort of compression, or perhaps stripping unused formatting/images? I haven't figured it out yet.

NatCh · 11-02-2006, 03:54 PM

Hmm. It might be interesting to run a file through Connect onto an SD and then compare the original against the result.

Cthulhu · 11-02-2006, 05:28 PM

I know that one of the software upgrades some have is removing a book/file from the Reader.

I take that to mean that the 65 MB of initial memory are quicked used up?
Or does this simply mean that all removal must be down through the Connect software, rather than the device itself?

NatCh · 11-02-2006, 05:38 PM

The latter, Cthulu -- there's no file management to speak of (or, indeed, notice) on the Reader itself, all of that has to be done on the PC side.

I agree that deleting files, would be a nice thing, but I don't really see it cramping my style much.

Cthulhu · 11-02-2006, 05:47 PM

For a second I was thinking "wait a minute....if they can't be deleted, then the unit just fills up" That made absolutely no sense.

But now I understand. SONY wants to know exactly what I read, so they are monitoring me every time I add or remove content.

(just kidding.)

NatCh · 11-02-2006, 08:56 PM

Shhh! They read this forum too!

Seriously, though, my guess is that it's an attempt to keep the OS/App set lightweight. There are probably other reasons, but that's the one I expect they'd give us if we asked.

Cthulhu · 11-02-2006, 09:09 PM

Nathan:

Seems that SONY wanted the Reader to be a very good platform for reading electronic text. I think that they saw opportunities to make it a jack of all trades, and opted to make it the master of one.

NatCh · 11-02-2006, 09:17 PM

That's pretty much the way I see it myself, Cthulu. I've been telling folks that it's optimized for reading, page by page, front to back. Folks generally agree that a lot of the things they first see as "missing" are just "extra" from that perspective. Some still want them, of course, but they agree with the premise.

11-02-2006, 12:55 AM	#18
huari Enthusiast Posts: 44 Karma: 1061025 Join Date: Oct 2006 Device: Kindle me, Sony Reader missus	files on SD card Hi, There's no conversion that I've found, the file remains the same. Before I got the Reader or rather my convince my wife to get one for the 'family', we went to the SonyStyle store and I put my SD card from my Palm TX into the demo model on display. The Reader took a while to read the less than half full 512MB card of jpegs, pdfs, xls, doc, txt We were stunned when all my pictures displayed, the txt and PDFs displayed without necessitating conversion. Unfortunately not all PDFs displayed well as we know now, but it was remarkable to experience e-ink for the first time. When we got the reader and loaded up the Library in the desktop Connect software and synced to the Reader, display results were the same and I could still see the files in PalmPDF so no conversion was done. I just discovered manybooks.net and I would say many smaller cards are better than 1 big one as it takes a long time for my Reader to load up 62 books from a 512MB card and sometimes it freezes unless I reset or toggle on/off. Now I'm learning more about lrf bbob xyz all this ebook conversion mess. Thankfully there are helpful folk like Igorsk and GeekRaver to help guide the road to readability. Best, tony

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10-27-2006, 11:36 AM	#16
NatCh Gizmologist Posts: 11,615 Karma: 929550 Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Republic of Texas Embassy at Jackson, TN Device: Pocketbook Touch HD3	Yeah, it sounds like you need more the UM/Tablet PC type approach for that. Perhaps the iLiad once they get their ducks lined up.

11-01-2006, 11:27 PM	#17
Cthulhu Technologist Posts: 488 Karma: 585237 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: I'm between Cities Device: SONY Reader PRS-500	Can someone answer this question: Does Connect software convert .pdf, .rtf, &tc into BBeB before adding the file onto the Reader? Was looking over the specs at SONY's website, and its seems that the little footnote has a dangling modifier. I know that elsewhere people have stated that one can acces files placed directly onto a SD card, but I'm curious to know if there's any swithing. My question goes to what all can be on a SD card placed in the Reader. Would rather buy a nice new 2 GB card and have various & sundry files rather than have a teeny 512 MB just for e-texts. Apologies is this question has been posed and answered innumerous times.

11-02-2006, 06:35 AM	#19
MMascaro Zealot Posts: 111 Karma: 1009 Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Maryland USA Device: HP mini 1035/Sony Reader/IPad	I may have found the answer to my own question. I got my reader from Borders in Frederick MD Monday and was trying some files. I veiwed a PDF that was a save of an Excel file and the book title came up as "Income Report.xls" This could have been the type file mentioned earlier.

11-02-2006, 09:25 AM	#20
Cthulhu Technologist Posts: 488 Karma: 585237 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: I'm between Cities Device: SONY Reader PRS-500	Tony-- Thanks for addressing my question. It gets a tad confusing on the forum as he whether files from other sources work, and as I have seem to have found in other threads, it seems that there is no real rhyme or reason as to the success or failure of display. Regarding upload speed, once the Reader parses the content of the card, is there any deviation regarding the refresh rates or file(book) changes from a large to a small memory card? I like the idea of one big card, because I also like to lose things--or so one might think.

11-02-2006, 10:38 AM	#21
NatCh Gizmologist Posts: 11,615 Karma: 929550 Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Republic of Texas Embassy at Jackson, TN Device: Pocketbook Touch HD3	If you're loading files directly from a Memory Card, without going through the Connect Software, then there is a delay the first time you open each file, while the Reader figures out the page breaks. It does the same thing, with a similar delay, each time you change the font size (click the size button) -- it only does this once per size (i.e. when you open on Small, it paginates, the first time you go to Medium it does it again, and the first time you go to Large, it does it a third time, but after that, it doesn't need to do it any more). After that there doesn't seem to be any differenct between Connect processed files and straight Memory Card files.

11-02-2006, 03:54 PM	#23
NatCh Gizmologist Posts: 11,615 Karma: 929550 Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Republic of Texas Embassy at Jackson, TN Device: Pocketbook Touch HD3	Hmm. It might be interesting to run a file through Connect onto an SD and then compare the original against the result.

11-02-2006, 05:28 PM	#24
Cthulhu Technologist Posts: 488 Karma: 585237 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: I'm between Cities Device: SONY Reader PRS-500	I know that one of the software upgrades some have is removing a book/file from the Reader. I take that to mean that the 65 MB of initial memory are quicked used up? Or does this simply mean that all removal must be down through the Connect software, rather than the device itself?

11-02-2006, 05:38 PM	#25
NatCh Gizmologist Posts: 11,615 Karma: 929550 Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Republic of Texas Embassy at Jackson, TN Device: Pocketbook Touch HD3	The latter, Cthulu -- there's no file management to speak of (or, indeed, notice) on the Reader itself, all of that has to be done on the PC side. I agree that deleting files, would be a nice thing, but I don't really see it cramping my style much.

11-02-2006, 05:47 PM	#26
Cthulhu Technologist Posts: 488 Karma: 585237 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: I'm between Cities Device: SONY Reader PRS-500	For a second I was thinking "wait a minute....if they can't be deleted, then the unit just fills up" That made absolutely no sense. But now I understand. SONY wants to know exactly what I read, so they are monitoring me every time I add or remove content. (just kidding.)

11-02-2006, 08:56 PM	#27
NatCh Gizmologist Posts: 11,615 Karma: 929550 Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Republic of Texas Embassy at Jackson, TN Device: Pocketbook Touch HD3	Shhh! They read this forum too! Seriously, though, my guess is that it's an attempt to keep the OS/App set lightweight. There are probably other reasons, but that's the one I expect they'd give us if we asked.

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11-02-2006, 09:09 PM	#28
Cthulhu Technologist Posts: 488 Karma: 585237 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: I'm between Cities Device: SONY Reader PRS-500	Nathan: Seems that SONY wanted the Reader to be a very good platform for reading electronic text. I think that they saw opportunities to make it a jack of all trades, and opted to make it the master of one.

11-02-2006, 09:17 PM	#29
NatCh Gizmologist Posts: 11,615 Karma: 929550 Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Republic of Texas Embassy at Jackson, TN Device: Pocketbook Touch HD3	That's pretty much the way I see it myself, Cthulu. I've been telling folks that it's optimized for reading, page by page, front to back. Folks generally agree that a lot of the things they first see as "missing" are just "extra" from that perspective. Some still want them, of course, but they agree with the premise.