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avatar_mr_lou

Which eBook format do you prefer?

Started by mr_lou, 07:49, 09 December 18

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Which eBook format do you prefer?

ePub 2.x
2 (14.3%)
ePub 3.x
3 (21.4%)
PDF
9 (64.3%)
Plain text file
1 (7.1%)
HTML file
1 (7.1%)
Other format - please specify in a reply
1 (7.1%)
I don't read eBooks
0 (0%)

Total Members Voted: 14

mr_lou

Browsing through various apps for my old Sony Ericsson W995, I stumbled across a very nice eBook reader called Albite Reader. It seems to handle ePub files really well. And this of course brought back the thoughts of creating an eBook version of 8-bit Memoirs. It would be a stripped version though, without music and without videos. I don't know if that'll even interest anyone. To me the music and videos are a vital part of the project, but other people may feel differently.

I guess I can start by asking those of you who reads eBooks if there is any special format you prefer? And why?

There are many formats to choose from.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_e-book_formats

Does anyone here have any experience creating ePub files? Open Office has an export option, but it didn't seem to include the images I'd inserted. This could be the reader's fault of course. There's also PDF export of course, but somehow I just feel ePub is a more "correct" format to use?

Then I found "Sigil"; an application for creating ePub files on Ubuntu. Don't know how good it is.

Anyone here working with eBook creation?

scruss

I did, years ago, but it was all manual XML-mangling then making a special zip file (ePubs are just zip files of a specially-formatted website) to hold everything. Using calibre is probably better than going through all that hassle.

ePub 3 can handle your multimedia content. PDF can too, but requires more complex tools. The real issue is Kindle support: Amazon doesn't use ePub, and you'll end up having to live with the features they tell you that you need.

mr_lou

Yes, I've been looking a bit at Calibre actually. Looks nice.

Then I was thinking of making a script that would convert the content from the Blu-ray version. And then hopefully be able to find some utility that'll convert the ePub to whatever formats other people want.

But so far I don't have a whole lot of enthusiasm about it, and judging from the lack of votes in this thread, it doesn't look like there's any reason to make an eBook version anyway either.

If I did though, I wouldn't include all the audio and video content. I know ePub3 supposedly supports this, but I also know that reality always looks differently.  ;)

remax

If you do it, PDF would be perfect.


I can read it on a tablet, or on my old kindle with a modified OS.
Brain Radioactivity

mr_lou

Quote from: remax on 17:12, 10 December 18
If you do it, PDF would be perfect.

I can read it on a tablet, or on my old kindle with a modified OS.

As far as I understand, PDF is often rejected though, because it's not really an eBook format. It's designed as a print-format.

Anyway, if I make an ePub version, converting to PDF is fast and easy with Calibre, so it won't be a problem.
(Converting from PDF to ePub is another thing. I don't have much luck with that).

But the real question is: Would it even be interesting to anyone?

I mean, a PDF or ePub.... plain text, with images. But no music and no video. Where's the fun in that? Will anyone really be interested in the stories alone, without the supplemental audio and video?

remax

Quote from: mr_lou on 17:18, 10 December 18
As far as I understand, PDF is often rejected though, because it's not really an eBook format. It's designed as a print-format.

Anyway, if I make an ePub version, converting to PDF is fast and easy with Calibre, so it won't be a problem.
(Converting from PDF to ePub is another thing. I don't have much luck with that).

But the real question is: Would it even be interesting to anyone?

I mean, a PDF or ePub.... plain text, with images. But no music and no video. Where's the fun in that? Will anyone really be interested in the stories alone, without the supplemental audio and video?


I might have more luck reading your stories on a tablet/kindle than on a TV...


I bought your Bluray more for the video/audio part, but i don't see myself reading lots of texts on TV...
Brain Radioactivity

mr_lou

Quote from: remax on 17:22, 10 December 18
I might have more luck reading your stories on a tablet/kindle than on a TV...

I bought your Bluray more for the video/audio part, but i don't see myself reading lots of texts on TV...

Why not? You can set font size to whatever you want.

Do you feel the same about diskmags on the CPC? Or is it just because it's a TV?

remax

Quote from: mr_lou on 17:25, 10 December 18
Why not? You can set font size to whatever you want.

Do you feel the same about diskmags on the CPC? Or is it just because it's a TV?


It's just because it's TV : it's a bit too far to be confortable reading it (and it would be harder to have a quiet environement :D)
Brain Radioactivity

mr_lou

Quote from: remax on 17:28, 10 December 18
It's just because it's TV : it's a bit too far to be confortable reading it (and it would be harder to have a quiet environement :D )

In Denmark we read text on the TV all the time. All foreign movies have danish subtitles. So we're used to reading on the TV, regardless of how far away we sit from it. We also used to read a lot of tele-text. (Not so much anymore though). But maybe that's why I can't see what the problem is. Especially because I've included different themes and different font-size options.

I think, in Germany, they don't use subtitles as much. I think they synchronize the movies instead; put german voices on the audio. So I guess it would make sense if germans didn't want to read on the TV.

What do you do in France? Subtitles or synchronization? Never had any tele-text?

I feel strongly that 8-bit Memoirs is something you should set aside time for, just like you do when you want to watch a movie. You don't watch a movie while the kids are playing around you, or when the wife is cooking in the kitchen right next to you (assuming you have one of those modern houses where kitchen and livingroom is the same room). You watch a movie when you want to relax, and there's quiet around you. Should be the same with 8-bit Memoirs. Same goes for any other book.

I imagine an eBook could be enjoyed under the same circumstances while sitting on a bus. That's fairly quiet too, and lets you focus on the book. But you'd be missing the audio and video then.

remax

Quote from: mr_lou on 17:58, 10 December 18
In Denmark we read text on the TV all the time. All foreign movies have danish subtitles. So we're used to reading on the TV, regardless of how far away we sit from it. We also used to read a lot of tele-text. (Not so much anymore though). But maybe that's why I can't see what the problem is. Especially because I've included different themes and different font-size options.

I think, in Germany, they don't use subtitles as much. I think they synchronize the movies instead; put german voices on the audio. So I guess it would make sense if germans didn't want to read on the TV.

What do you do in France? Subtitles or synchronization? Never had any tele-text?

I feel strongly that 8-bit Memoirs is something you should set aside time for, just like you do when you want to watch a movie. You don't watch a movie while the kids are playing around you, or when the wife is cooking in the kitchen right next to you (assuming you have one of those modern houses where kitchen and livingroom is the same room). You watch a movie when you want to relax, and there's quiet around you. Should be the same with 8-bit Memoirs. Same goes for any other book.

I imagine an eBook could be enjoyed under the same circumstances while sitting on a bus. That's fairly quiet too, and lets you focus on the book. But you'd be missing the audio and video then.


We were a very "synchronization" kind of country. With great actors for that, and for ages subtitles were out of imagination on main channels.


No it's a little more hype, but many people are not used to it and would prefer a VF over a VOSTFR.


I have no problem reading subtitles, myself.


QuoteI feel strongly that 8-bit Memoirs is something you should set aside time for, just like you do when you want to watch a movie. You don't watch a movie while the kids are playing around you, or when the wife is cooking in the kitchen right next to you (assuming you have one of those modern houses where kitchen and livingroom is the same room). You watch a movie when you want to relax, and there's quiet around you. Should be the same with 8-bit Memoirs. Same goes for any other book.I imagine an eBook could be enjoyed under the same circumstances while sitting on a bus. That's fairly quiet too, and lets you focus on the book. But you'd be missing the audio and video then.


Watching a movie with a quiet environment is a luxury i can barely afford these days :-D


And when i can, i chose something i can share with the wife...

Brain Radioactivity

mr_lou

Alright.

Well, I gather that you would like an eBook version then.

Thanks for the feedback.

Looking forward to hear what others have to say.

mr_lou

So, have been looking into ePub at bit now, using a mix of Calibre's eBook Editor and Sigil eBook Editor. It appears to be fairly straight forward.

I also made a script that converts the content from the Blu-ray version. I almost have a complete ePub already.

But then I tried converting to PDF (using Calibre), and then there was trouble. Lines get cut off at the end and beginning of pages. I've tried all sorts of different settings. Different ways of inserting the images in the ePub, thinking it might be them that caused this, but no.

So it's not looking good in regards of creating a PDF. The ePub one looks promising though.

I've tried searching for other ways of converting ePub to PDF, and also found a few ways, but none of them works for me.

There are many online converters, but I don't feel comfortable using those.

mr_lou

Ok, Calibre can export to DOCX which I can then open with OpenOffice Writer, which can then export to PDF.  :)

So there's progress in regards of making an ePub and PDF version.

Anyone interested in "betatesting"? I.e. have a look and gimme some feedback on what to change.

Bryce

Quote from: mr_lou on 15:21, 12 December 18
Ok, Calibre can export to DOCX which I can then open with OpenOffice Writer, which can then export to PDF.  :)

So there's progress in regards of making an ePub and PDF version.

Anyone interested in "betatesting"? I.e. have a look and gimme some feedback on what to change.

Just download PDF24 Creator (Freeware) and it will convert almost anything you want to PDF.

Bryce.

Targhan

Epub for me. Works fine with my e-ink tablet.
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GUNHED

Well, I can choose only two formats, so I picked the two I know ;-) Which is... PDF and Text. The latter one for the reason what I really want.

And what I really would like is something running on the CPC.
http://futureos.de --> Get the revolutionary FutureOS (Update: 2023.11.30)
http://futureos.cpc-live.com/files/LambdaSpeak_RSX_by_TFM.zip --> Get the RSX-ROM for LambdaSpeak :-) (Updated: 2021.12.26)

mr_lou

Quote from: GUNHED on 21:24, 12 December 18
Well, I can choose only two formats, so I picked the two I know ;-) Which is... PDF and Text. The latter one for the reason what I really want.

But isn't text alone rather boring? I mean, it's one thing to exclude all the audio and video - but images too? Sounds very boring to me...

Calibre has no problem exporting to a TXT of course. It gives me 3 options of text:
- Plain
- Markdown, seems to mark headlines with # and ## and ###. Dunno if any reader out there will format that.
- Textile, seems to put p. and h1. as the first word in lines.

Any preference?

Quote from: GUNHED on 21:24, 12 December 18
And what I really would like is something running on the CPC.

That would be awesome. Have thought about it too. But given that the text content alone is 450 kb, I don't see how to make it all fit on a disc. Especially not if I want to include a little bit of graphics too. And I don't see why the graphics shouldn't be included. The CPC can display all of it, except the Amiga graphics.

But a disk wouldn't be able to hold all the data. Maybe a cartridge would though? What's the biggest size a cartridge can hold? 512 kb? Then there would have to be lots of compression involved too.

CraigsBar

3.5inch disc = 800kb near as damn it.
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GUNHED

PDF has GFX too, not only text. On CPC you can basically have what you want, because we have M4 cards today. No limits ;-)
However if would be nice to define some common standard for all these things.  :)

Even disc only (0,7 MB) can hold lots of stuff.


In addition text can be read by the LambdaSpeak expansion too.  :)
http://futureos.de --> Get the revolutionary FutureOS (Update: 2023.11.30)
http://futureos.cpc-live.com/files/LambdaSpeak_RSX_by_TFM.zip --> Get the RSX-ROM for LambdaSpeak :-) (Updated: 2021.12.26)

mr_lou

I didn't know a CPC disk could hold nearly 800 kb.

So a DSK file can contain almost 800 kb?

I would prefer sticking with something that can run from a disk, and/or HFE file. And it should also be able to run on a CPC464 with only 64 kb of RAM.

mr_lou

So, if anyone wanna check it out, here's an ePub and PDF version of 8-bit Memoirs:

http://www.8bitmemoirs.com/dl/1/8bitMemoirs-Issue1.epub

http://www.8bitmemoirs.com/dl/1/8bitMemoirs-Issue1.pdf

Let me know what you think. I'm sure I haven't done everything right, since it's the first time I've created an ePub, so don't hesitate sending me some feedback.

Converting to Mobi (for Kindle) presents problems: Images aren't scaled to fit screen width, which means some of them are very tiny. If you have any pointers, let me know.

Thanks

Gryzor

Just to let you know: I converted the epub to mobi with Calibre and it worked beautifully on my Kindle... images appear fine!

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