Epub v Sony format, whats the diff?

Cyclops · 09-03-2010, 02:08 PM

By default I always download or convert to Epub-its the industry standard now, or will be, but I notice that Sony has its own format, BBeB (.ltf)
Whats the difference between the two?

charleski · 09-03-2010, 02:16 PM

The BBeB format was introduced by Sony in 2006 for its original reader, the LIBRIé, and was used in its bookstore until last year. While all Sony Readers can still read this format, it's essentially defunct. Some people still use it because Readers are able to display books in it with full justification, whereas only the latest models can do full justification on epubs. But in many ways it's greatly inferior to epub.

Cyclops · 09-03-2010, 02:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by charleski

The BBeB format was introduced by Sony in 2006 for its original reader, the LIBRIé, and was used in its bookstore until last year. While all Sony Readers can still read this format, it's essentially defunct. Some people still use it because Readers are able to display books in it with full justification, whereas only the latest models can do full justification on epubs. But in many ways it's greatly inferior to epub.

Ah cool, thanks for that!

Amalthia · 09-03-2010, 03:49 PM

LRF tends to have some of the same problems mobi has with dropcaps and I know if you have a an italics tag before a comma in the LRF version the italics tag adds a space in the next so you'll get something like "example , sentence here" on your screen. It's mostly noticeable at the end of sentences or anywhere there is punctuation. In epub this does not happen.

But I still use LRF because I like the full justification and there are no page numbers on the side of my screen which tend to overlap the text, which I find far more annoying than spaces before punctuation when there is italicized text.

murraypaul · 09-03-2010, 04:13 PM

Another difference in behavior, at least on the 505, is that with an LRF file, the reader scans the whole file to determine page boundaries the first time you open a file or switch to a new font size. This means that for a large book, you can have a noticeable wait before you can start reading, but can then jump to any page in the book with no delay. With ePub files it only paginates up to you current position, which means that you can start reading instantly, but jumping to another page will take a variable length on time depending on how far into the book you are jumping.
(This may not matter if you load books through the Sony software, which prepaginates the files)

Cyclops · 09-04-2010, 04:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by murraypaul

(... load books through the Sony software, which prepaginates the files)

Interesting! Does Calibre prepaginate too? I hardly use the sony software as I've not found a way of editing metadata with it.

murraypaul · 09-04-2010, 04:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cyclops

Interesting! Does Calibre prepaginate too? I hardly use the sony software as I've not found a way of editing metadata with it.

No, at least not with the most recent version I have used.

JSWolf · 09-04-2010, 04:58 AM

Calibre never prepaginated LRF for Sony Readers. You needed to use Sony's software to load LRF/LRX to get them prepaginated. The 350 & 650 both have a new version of ADE that does full justification and does not have the page numbers on the right side. So for now, I do think Sony has the best version of ADE. You can now go with no margins and not have any page numbers overwriting the text.

Cyclops · 09-04-2010, 05:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Calibre never prepaginated LRF for Sony Readers. You needed to use Sony's software to load LRF/LRX to get them prepaginated. The 350 & 650 both have a new version of ADE that does full justification and does not have the page numbers on the right side. So for now, I do think Sony has the best version of ADE. You can now go with no margins and not have any page numbers overwriting the text.

This business of prepagination and justification, only applies to lrf files, not epubs? And just how important is it to you? I've noticed with the current epub I'm reading, downloaded from PG, often a sentence will end half way down one page half way thru a sentence and then continue from the top on the next page.

eric11210 · 09-04-2010, 07:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cyclops

Interesting! Does Calibre prepaginate too? I hardly use the sony software as I've not found a way of editing metadata with it.

I use Calibre as well, however the reason you can't edit metadata in the Sony software is that the reader itself completely ignores metadata. There is no way to see the descriptions and all that directly on the reader. The only thing you can do is reconvert a book and have Calibre insert the metada at the beginning of the book (after the cover). However, you can edit the category tags in the Sony Software just by clicking on them twice (NOT double click). You can also drag books into the various categories. I mention this because Calibre does not seem to offer that option when books are on the reader. Calibre can tell you what a book has as far as tags and whether the book is in your library. It can also delete books, but it doesn't let you edit metadata for books on the reader itself. You have to copy it back to the Calibre library, edit the metadata, delete the copy on the reader and then copy it back. . .

Cyclops · 09-04-2010, 08:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eric11210

Calibre does not seem to offer that option when books are on the reader. Calibre can tell you what a book has as far as tags and whether the book is in your library. It can also delete books, but it doesn't let you edit metadata for books on the reader itself. You have to copy it back to the Calibre library, edit the metadata, delete the copy on the reader and then copy it back. . .

Eh, I don't get that! I've found with calibre I can edit a books metadata completely, and if for example the author shows as firstname, lastname on the device, I can change it in calibre to surname first and voila,it changes on the reader too! I noticed this because the folder on the pc that contained the book would change as I make changes in calibre. Also in calibra if you click on your device and get all the books actually on it you can double click title or autheor there and then-tho I've found it tends to force the program to close after a few goes.

eric11210 · 09-04-2010, 10:15 AM

If you have Calibre set to automatic management, then yes, that will work. However I deliberately disabled that because have some tags on Calibre for books I knew I'd want to have marked, but which I don't want on the reader. And if try to edit the books directly on the reader section of Calibre, it's grayed out. You have to edit from the library section. However, you are correct that if Calibre is set for automatic management then the changes will be made on the reader as well. You just can't make the changes say only on the reader but not on Calibre.

09-03-2010, 02:08 PM	#1
Cyclops Only need one eye to read Posts: 796 Karma: 6277024 Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Darlington, England Device: Kobo Touch N905C, Sony PRS-300, Nintendo DSi XL,	Epub v Sony format, whats the diff? By default I always download or convert to Epub-its the industry standard now, or will be, but I notice that Sony has its own format, BBeB (.ltf) Whats the difference between the two?

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09-03-2010, 02:16 PM	#2
charleski Wizard Posts: 1,196 Karma: 1281258 Join Date: Sep 2009 Device: PRS-505	The BBeB format was introduced by Sony in 2006 for its original reader, the LIBRIé, and was used in its bookstore until last year. While all Sony Readers can still read this format, it's essentially defunct. Some people still use it because Readers are able to display books in it with full justification, whereas only the latest models can do full justification on epubs. But in many ways it's greatly inferior to epub.

09-03-2010, 03:49 PM	#4
Amalthia Wizard Posts: 1,185 Karma: 32196 Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Anchorage, AK Device: Sony Reader PRS-505, PRS-650, PRS-T3, Pocketbook HD2	LRF tends to have some of the same problems mobi has with dropcaps and I know if you have a an italics tag before a comma in the LRF version the italics tag adds a space in the next so you'll get something like "example , sentence here" on your screen. It's mostly noticeable at the end of sentences or anywhere there is punctuation. In epub this does not happen. But I still use LRF because I like the full justification and there are no page numbers on the side of my screen which tend to overlap the text, which I find far more annoying than spaces before punctuation when there is italicized text.

09-03-2010, 04:13 PM	#5
murraypaul Interested Bystander Posts: 3,726 Karma: 19728152 Join Date: Jun 2008 Device: Note 4, Kobo One	Another difference in behavior, at least on the 505, is that with an LRF file, the reader scans the whole file to determine page boundaries the first time you open a file or switch to a new font size. This means that for a large book, you can have a noticeable wait before you can start reading, but can then jump to any page in the book with no delay. With ePub files it only paginates up to you current position, which means that you can start reading instantly, but jumping to another page will take a variable length on time depending on how far into the book you are jumping. (This may not matter if you load books through the Sony software, which prepaginates the files)

09-04-2010, 04:58 AM	#8
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 79,741 Karma: 145864619 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	Calibre never prepaginated LRF for Sony Readers. You needed to use Sony's software to load LRF/LRX to get them prepaginated. The 350 & 650 both have a new version of ADE that does full justification and does not have the page numbers on the right side. So for now, I do think Sony has the best version of ADE. You can now go with no margins and not have any page numbers overwriting the text.

09-04-2010, 10:15 AM	#12
eric11210 Addict Posts: 295 Karma: 400001 Join Date: Aug 2010 Device: Sony Reader PRS-600	If you have Calibre set to automatic management, then yes, that will work. However I deliberately disabled that because have some tags on Calibre for books I knew I'd want to have marked, but which I don't want on the reader. And if try to edit the books directly on the reader section of Calibre, it's grayed out. You have to edit from the library section. However, you are correct that if Calibre is set for automatic management then the changes will be made on the reader as well. You just can't make the changes say only on the reader but not on Calibre.

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