A buddy of mine gave me his old Ipad Mini because he got a new one. I've been fiddling around on it and have been enjoying it but have a few concerns as to how compatable IPads are with my laptop and android phone.
First, I've mostly want a new IPad because the Mini's screen is a bit small and the storage space (32GB) is not enough. I've really enjoyed the reading experience for Ebooks and Comics, and also the viewing experience with high resolution photos with the retina display.
My digital comics collection and ebook library is quite large and split between my IPad Mini, my phone (Samsung S7), and an external harddrive on my laptop. Is there an easy way to transfer all the files from these three devices to a new IPad? (Probably a IPad Pro 9.7 256GB)
My concern is that if there is a way, it's going to be a royal pain in the ass.
@Madmick, you're kinda the tech expert of Sherdog, could you chime in and move the thread to the VG forum after 24 hours?
If you can import every Comic into Calibre on your PC, then you can easily output every single one of those files automatically as a batch using the "Send Data to Device" button that pops up in Calibre's toolbar when you plug in a phone or tablet.
Edit:
It automatically exports to iTunes or iBooks. I haven't done a comic output to an iPad yet. I was just gave my entire Star Wars eBook/Comic libraries to a friend who has an iPad Pro via a flash drive, so I was about to actually go through this sometime this week next time I'm at his house.
If you can import every Comic into Calibre on your PC, then you can easily output every single one of those files automatically as a batch using the "Send Data to Device" button that pops up in Calibre's toolbar when you plug in a phone or tablet.
Gotchya. I bet it's going to take a while to convert 50+gigs of comics and then transfer them over to a new device.
Edit:
It automatically exports to iTunes or iBooks. I haven't done a comic output to an iPad yet. I was just gave my entire Star Wars eBook/Comic libraries to a friend who has an iPad Pro via a flash drive, so I was about to actually go through this sometime this week next time I'm at his house.
Calibre doesn't require conversion itself. It handles everything natively. It will import those CBR/CBZ files from anywhere without issue.
In fact, it will convert anything itself. Conversion is only necessary if you're outputting in a format that the iPad doesn't recognize, but virtually every eBook out there (even those from torrents) comes in either the .epub or .mobi format. Those won't require conversion to be output to an iPad. "iBooks" are just .epub files with DRM protection.
Yes, if it isn't one of those formats, then it will need to convert, and Calibre will automatically convert it to one of those when it exports the book. This can get a little messy, especially if the source file was a PDF. Those are the worst and least clean for conversion of all formats.
That's not the question mark for CBZ files. I know those won't require conversion. The question is that I just don't know where the iPad will want to put it. You see, for eBooks, it automatically outputs them to the iPad's iTunes/iBooks libraries. Done that many times. But since it requires third party readers for Comics on iPad, I'm not sure how that output will work. With Android you just choose whether you want to output to the Main Memory (internal SD card) or External SD card. So I'm not sure how Apple will handle that since the OS default app suite isn't really built to handle comics the same way it is for eBooks. https://www.lifewire.com/what-ebook-formats-work-ipad-1999819
Primer on Digital Comics A .CBR file is really just a packaging format like an MKV (e.g. an MKV often packages an mp4 video-only file, an ac3 audio file, and a slew of srt files for subtitles all into one neat and tidy package). A CBR is just a package of jpeg's. That's it. Once you encode metadata into the file, then it becomes a CBZ.
val_lixembeau said:
I want to clear up a couple of things in this thread.
1) There is no difference between the contents of a .cbr or .cbz in general. A cbr is a rar archive of a bunch of images (typically jpg or png but could also be gif or tiff depending on reader support). A cbz is a zip archive of a bunch of images. These are displayed in alphabetical order in most comic readers.
2) For metadata, there is no overall standard. Calibre writes metadata into the zip header (hence it appears in cbz comics only). ComicRack can write the metadata into an XML format text file inside the archive. Modern ComicRack also writes the metadata into a NTFS stream for the file IIRC (ie: won't work on other file systems). There are another couple of standards out there with less support.
This is what I've done for all my own files. I even was able to insource all of the Wookieepedia data for each book/comic into the book's description sections. I then used an extension* for Calibre I downloaded called "Embed Comic Metadata" to seal that metadata to the file itself thereby creating a new CBZ file. As you can see on the right hand side, I have all of my comics in both the original CBR and the newly created CBZ files. No need to delete. Don't take much space. I keep both. Output CBZ when I have the choice.
*Extensions are a must for Calibre. Here's one of my favorite 1-2 punch combos.
Search Internet for ISBN by Title/Author
Download Metadata by ISBN
So say you have an ePub you just imported, but there's no metadata, or it's a mess. Maybe the title is right. If it isn't, just fill in that field with the title. Then I hit the top extension's button. It automatically retrieves a bunch of possible ISBN's for that book with the top result the most likely. You say "Yes" and it automatically makes that the ISBN.
Then you hit the second button from the second extension. It takes a little while, then a window pops up asking if you want to import the Cover, Metadata, or both. I choose both. Suddenly your book is now filled with all the metadata just as it appears on Amazon. The cover, too.
Finally, you must do the .epub to .epub conversion. Few boxes you have to learn to check/uncheck, but it remembers them once you do, or you tell it to make them default. Then it's easy mode. Now the epub files themselves will include the metadata.
Otherwise, if you exported the book without sealing the metadata, it won't take it with the file. It sits in an .opf file in a folder with the book in your Calibre library on the PC. The book looks just as shitty in the phone eBook program as it did before you worked your Calibre magic
Calibre allowed me to actually edit that data into the file itself, not a secondary metadata .opf file or any crap like that. You can do this with eBooks, too, but it requires the counterintuitive step of converting an .epub to an .epub. Calibre will seal the metadata to the .epub file itself via the conversion.
So this means that anyone-- on any software platform-- who double clicks that CBZ file to open it that has an app capable of viewing CBZ files will see everything organized beautifully: cover, authors, publisher, date, massive descriptions of that specific issue, etc. Shit is universal. Every app reads my metadata.
Take a look what I mean. It's especially useful for the Darth Vader series. Here's a screenshot of my Star Wars Comics Library (Disney canon only).
iTunes-style if you want a bit more horizontal space for columns (really handy with eBook libraries where I like to view a lot more metadata fields, and titles are often very long):
If you like thumbnail-heavy GUI's:
If anyone was to import these CBZ files (and nothing else) all of this metadata would show up automatically. They would see the cover on the right for that issue, and all of the description I lifted from the Wookiepedia for that specific issue.
Anyways, for Comics, I find this especially useful because I use the "Series" metadata column to maintain a linear chronology of that comic series. As you can see, it gets really confusing with the Vader series. The reason is that the "Vader Down" special was actually a crossover special with half of its content considered part of the "Vader" series, and the other half part of the mainline "Star Wars" series. Then there's the Annuals like the one I have selected. It would be fucking confusing figuring out where that fit in if I couldn't just easily reference the serializing from the "Series" column.
So, big picture, just get all of your CBR files onto a single PC hard drive: external or internal doesn't matter. PC's are still the hub. You still want to manage your satellite devices and their content from that hub. From there you can easily export to any device you please.
A buddy of mine gave me his old Ipad Mini because he got a new one. I've been fiddling around on it and have been enjoying it but have a few concerns as to how compatable IPads are with my laptop and android phone.
First, I've mostly want a new IPad because the Mini's screen is a bit small and the storage space (32GB) is not enough. I've really enjoyed the reading experience for Ebooks and Comics, and also the viewing experience with high resolution photos with the retina display.
My digital comics collection and ebook library is quite large and split between my IPad Mini, my phone (Samsung S7), and an external harddrive on my laptop. Is there an easy way to transfer all the files from these three devices to a new IPad? (Probably a IPad Pro 9.7 256GB)
My concern is that if there is a way, it's going to be a royal pain in the ass.
@Madmick, you're kinda the tech expert of Sherdog, could you chime in and move the thread to the VG forum after 24 hours?
So, big picture, just get all of your CBR files onto a single PC hard drive: external or internal doesn't matter. PC's are still the hub. You still want to manage your satellite devices and their content from that hub. From there you can easily export to any device you please.
I skimmed your post and will study it more in detail later on. Thank you for all the help Mads, you're a class act for typing all this out just to help one person.
And I just double-checked and all the comics are in CBR format. On the IPad Mini there's an app called CloudReaders that I can read the comics on, the only huge problem is they list the comics in descending alphabetical order so it's a royal pain in the ass to find a specific issue I'd like to read when there's hundreds of comics.... thousands when I upload my complete CBR collection onto a new IPad, but I'm sure there's an updated CBR reader available that'll make it easier.
Once again, Madmick, thank you for all your help.
If you ever want a special matchup for a Prime Tournament, consider it my honor to fulfill the request.
Oh, and one more thing, I know absolutley nothing about when Ipads are on sale other than on Black Friday. Would you say this is a good deal on Tigerdirect...
...or should I wait a few months for a new Apple show when they show off their new tech available in a few months and I can get last year's model on sale at a deeper discount?
No girl involved, just an old friend that gave me his old Ipad since he got a new one, and he knew he couldn't sell the old 1st generation Mini for much, especially since it has one crack along the side of the screen.
I skimmed your post and will study it more in detail later on. Thank you for all the help Mads, you're a class act for typing all this out just to help one person.
And I just double-checked and all the comics are in CBR format. On the IPad Mini there's an app called CloudReaders that I can read the comics on, the only huge problem is they list the comics in descending alphabetical order so it's a royal pain in the ass to find a specific issue I'd like to read when there's hundreds of comics.... thousands when I upload my complete CBR collection onto a new IPad, but I'm sure there's an updated CBR reader available that'll make it easier.
Once again, Madmick, thank you for all your help.
If you ever want a special matchup for a Prime Tournament, consider it my honor to fulfill the request.
Oh, and one more thing, I know absolutley nothing about when Ipads are on sale other than on Black Friday. Would you say this is a good deal on Tigerdirect...
...or should I wait a few months for a new Apple show when they show off their new tech available in a few months and I can get last year's model on sale at a deeper discount?
That's an incredible deal on the iPad Pro 12.9". Don't even look at the 9.7" for a mere $100 less (lower resolution, half the RAM, lower clock on the processor, less battery life...only the cameras are superior if that matters to you). The Pro 12" is considered the ultimate Comic Book eReader device ever made.
That's an incredible deal on the iPad Pro 12.9". Don't even look at the 9.7" for a mere $100 less (lower resolution, half the RAM, lower clock on the processor, less battery life...only the cameras are superior if that matters to you). The Pro 12" is considered the ultimate Comic Book eReader device ever made.
I was eyeing the 9.7" because of the complaints that the 12" was too big for a tablet, and the retail price increase was too large to justify when there's not enough software to take advantage of the increased specs.
But a $100 difference for the larger screen? I'm strongly considering it.
Before I make a final decision, I'll check both sizes out at Best Buy to see which is more comfortable.
I have a sneaking suspicion the tech reviewers that said the 12" is too large are a bunch of beta manlets.
That said, I downgraded my size of phone from a Note2 to a Galaxy S5 a long while ago before upgrading to a S7 Edge, and the smaller screen was actually more comfortable. But I'm not expecting one-handed operation with a tablet.
So I guess I'll find out which one I prefer at Best Buy.
Mads, its becoming a habit to thank you. You've given me even more to consider.
I want to clear up a couple of things in this thread.
1) There is no difference between the contents of a .cbr or .cbz in general. A cbr is a rar archive of a bunch of images (typically jpg or png but could also be gif or tiff depending on reader support). A cbz is a zip archive of a bunch of images. These are displayed in alphabetical order in most comic readers.
2) For metadata, there is no overall standard. Calibre writes metadata into the zip header (hence it appears in cbz comics only). ComicRack can write the metadata into an XML format text file inside the archive. Modern ComicRack also writes the metadata into a NTFS stream for the file IIRC (ie: won't work on other file systems). There are another couple of standards out there with less support.
3) Consider using ComicRack everywhere instead of Calibre. Calibre is great for books, but ComicRack is specifically for comics and therefore has a filing system that doesn't need to be fine-tuned. It knows about series and artists out of the box, for example. And browsing by cover works better than on Calibre IMO.
ComicRack is also cross platform so you can use it on PC, Android and iOS.
It can also share comics over your local network.
That said, the reader UI is more complicated that most competing comic reader apps and takes some time to learn if you want to get the most out of it.
Finally, ComicRack has a userbase and forum that cares a lot about comics specifically so you will probably get better help and support from them than from Calibre.
4) I tend to prefer zero compression zip archives (ie: cbz) for a few reasons. First, already-compressed images don't compress well so there is no real reason to have compression in the archive. Second, zip is a free to use standard while only unraring is free. Third, if you want to jump into the middle of a comic, IIRC for rar you need to decode the entire stream up to that point, whereas zip is per file (I may be remembering this wrong). Not a big deal for a typical 22 page issue, but if you read collections of TPBs etc. this can take a long time.
5) If the price/ergonomics work out, go for the larger screen. This is close to the size of a physical comics page. Also it will work better for two page spreads.
I want to clear up a couple of things in this thread.
1) There is no difference between the contents of a .cbr or .cbz in general. A cbr is a rar archive of a bunch of images (typically jpg or png but could also be gif or tiff depending on reader support). A cbz is a zip archive of a bunch of images. These are displayed in alphabetical order in most comic readers.
2) For metadata, there is no overall standard. Calibre writes metadata into the zip header (hence it appears in cbz comics only). ComicRack can write the metadata into an XML format text file inside the archive. Modern ComicRack also writes the metadata into a NTFS stream for the file IIRC (ie: won't work on other file systems). There are another couple of standards out there with less support.
Ah, thanks for clearing this up. My mistaken presumption with regard to CBZ metadata.
ComicRack reads the metadata I embed with Calibre. The "Embed Comic Metadata" extension is what writes to the XML file. I didn't think it was possible to package this with a CBR, but it appears I was mistaken, and that this is simply something that Calibre doesn't do. Probably them forcing the market to transform content to a more open-source format. My usage of the word "universal" references the fact that it doesn't require special secondary files, but is written to the source file itself. All apps ultimately either can/can't interpret that metadata.
3) Consider using ComicRack everywhere instead of Calibre. Calibre is great for books, but ComicRack is specifically for comics and therefore has a filing system that doesn't need to be fine-tuned. It knows about series and artists out of the box, for example. And browsing by cover works better than on Calibre IMO.
ComicRack is also cross platform so you can use it on PC, Android and iOS.
Yes, indeed, great reader, and that's what I use, but the PC is for library management as it is clear he doesn't want to read on PC, but on a mobile device like a tablet. I wasn't aware they had expanded cross-platform.
That's basic, but nice. Calibre can run content servers, and these can be browsed by a slew of apps on a slew of different operating systems. If ComicRack can only share to itself, you begin to see its limitations as a master archiving program.
That said, the reader UI is more complicated that most competing comic reader apps and takes some time to learn if you want to get the most out of it.
Finally, ComicRack has a userbase and forum that cares a lot about comics specifically so you will probably get better help and support from them than from Calibre.
4) I tend to prefer zero compression zip archives (ie: cbz) for a few reasons. First, already-compressed images don't compress well so there is no real reason to have compression in the archive. Second, zip is a free to use standard while only unraring is free. Third, if you want to jump into the middle of a comic, IIRC for rar you need to decode the entire stream up to that point, whereas zip is per file (I may be remembering this wrong). Not a big deal for a typical 22 page issue, but if you read collections of TPBs etc. this can take a long time.
5) If the price/ergonomics work out, go for the larger screen. This is close to the size of a physical comics page. Also it will work better for two page spreads.
Not sold on using something other than Calibre for the master library unless you're implying that Calibre automatically compresses the jpeg images, but it has never done that to me. Exporting to apps like ComicRack isn't an issue. Calibre is specifically designed to be a hub, not a reader (its ability to read anything is just nice for reviewing the contents of material you're managing).
Moon Reader (or just use a Kindle) for reading books, ComicRack for reading comics.
Calibre to manage your content.
Not sold on using something other than Calibre for the master library unless you're implying that Calibre automatically compresses the jpeg images, but it has never done that to me. Exporting to apps like ComicRack isn't an issue. Calibre is specifically designed to be a hub, not a reader (its ability to read anything is just nice for reviewing the contents of material you're managing).
Moon Reader (or just use a Kindle) for reading books, ComicRack for reading comics.
Calibre to manage your content.
I've got no problem with that. Calibre works great for a lot of people and has a vibrant developer community. It's just not as focused on comics is all. Calibre also has plugins for converting comics reading on Kindles or Kobos (ie: if you read manga and don't care about colour or smaller page size).
It's mostly a matter of taste how you like to see your library, IMO.
My personal setup is a Windows share for comics, filed by file system directory. Read using mostly PerfectViewer on Android tablet and occasionally Cover in Windows on Surface 3 Pro. Comixology for the modern, commercial stuff if I have to.
Oh, one last thing, don't try to keep all your comics on the iPad. 50GB is actually pretty small for a comics collection IMO and you will use up space pretty fast if you follow a few titles. Add some music and videos to that and you will be chewing through 256GB in no time.
I have a 32gb Ipad 9.7 Pro. I travel a lot for work and have a ton of great books on there from a really amazing website (Should you be interested, send me a PM). Seems like ComicRack is the way to go here. I also bought the $2.99/Month 200GB iCloud Storage. It’s not very user friendly IMO. I don’t really know the full ins and outs of how to work it. Some of my books stayed stored in the Cloud & others do not. I would think though, this would be a great alternative to spending a lot more money on a bigger HD.
Here, take a look at a screenshot of what you may customize with the "Embed Comic Metadata" extension, @val_lixembeau:
It appears it has an automatic "Fetch" function to go out and find Comic book metadata online and import it. It appears they use "ComicInfo" as their source database. I don't have that enabled because I'm not a huge comic reader (only Star Wars because I'm a fucking Jedi, bro), and so I've been editing the metadata personally, specifically because I was most preoccupied with giving myself some indication of comic order once I'd exported these to an Android device to be viewed with my comic app there. That's my obsession with the "Series" serializing. I'm sure @GearSolidMetal will be greatly interested in automatic metadata fetchers considering the size of his comic libraries.
That's why I use all the automated extensions for doing batched fetch & import of metadata for my massive eBook libraries. So, for example, many have probably used the media server Plex. Plex automatically fetches the movie posters, theme music, and all the other stuff that makes it so pleasant from the MovieDB. It has backups if that doesn't find a match that you can customize if any individual file isn't showing up right in your library. Same deal with Calibre. It uses Amazon, but what's more is that you can actually add metadata databases to be searched beyond merely selecting them for customization (at least for eBooks you can add additional databases).
Do you happen to know, Val, if there is an outstanding comic book metadata database out there, and if ComicRack can fetch from it? I'd say that's the most important thing for GSM determining if that becomes his default management program for Comics. I'll see if Calibre can do it with customization. I know he'll definitely want to tie in with the community of ComicRack readers like you if he already hasn't.
I've got no problem with that. Calibre works great for a lot of people and has a vibrant developer community. It's just not as focused on comics is all. Calibre also has plugins for converting comics reading on Kindles or Kobos (ie: if you read manga and don't care about colour or smaller page size).
It's mostly a matter of taste how you like to see your library, IMO.
My personal setup is a Windows share for comics, filed by file system directory. Read using mostly PerfectViewer on Android tablet and occasionally Cover in Windows on Surface 3 Pro. Comixology for the modern, commercial stuff if I have to.
Oh, one last thing, don't try to keep all your comics on the iPad. 50GB is actually pretty small for a comics collection IMO and you will use up space pretty fast if you follow a few titles. Add some music and videos to that and you will be chewing through 256GB in no time.
LOL, awesome. Perfect Viewer is what I use based on the recommendation of a friend who is a comic nerd (not super tech savvy). I was a bit embarrassed when you mentioned that ComicRack was on Android earlier and I was oblivious to it since that is what I use when I'm at my PC. Been a massive nerd my whole life, but never cared for comics. Then Disney started putting out Star Wars canon in Comic form (before Dark Horse in the old Lucas universe they always made comics EU bullshit, so I could shrug it off). I was like, "Fuck you Disney if you think I won't know everything!!!"
I maintain a fucking chronological timeline-- so Dirk Diggler big:
My God I fell in love with the artwork. I quickly realized that I'm a Marvel whore. That style is 100% me. Dark Horse looks like shit. DC is not me. So glad they have the Star Wars rights signed with Disney.
Yeah, I agree, I could tell that Calibre isn't 100% focused on Comics, but it's just so fully capable because it's a nuts-and-bolts program that I adapted immediately to this new-found hobby.
That looks pretty cool. You've made me curious enough to try this out I quit using Calibre a few years ago (and only just this year finally finished moving all my books out of Calibre folders) but maybe it's time to go and check out its new capabilities.
Do you happen to know, Val, if there is an outstanding comic book metadata database out there, and if ComicRack can fetch from it?
CBR fetches from ComicVine (community maintained wiki AFAIK) if you set it up that way. The last time I looked at this (maybe three years ago?) I found it a bit inconsistent but that's partly on the publishers. They make it really, really hard to decide on the proper numbering and order for a lot of books, for example. Or think of imprints within publishers that get absorbed into the mainstream universe or even move between publishers (like Wildstorm). Ugh.
The good thing is that you can setup an account and submit updates if you are motivated.
And like all things ComicRack it can be a bear to set up
BTW, I am not a habitual ComicRack user; I don't have a desktop Windows PC to run it on. I just install it once in a while to decide if I like it enough to switch over permanently, the same as with Calibre. For pure library ogranisation, you are selling the hell out of Calibre with the plugin. (which reminds me, from what I've seen the software quality on Calibre is much higher on average than what goes into CBR I believe)
That looks pretty cool. You've made me curious enough to try this out I quit using Calibre a few years ago (and only just this year finally finished moving all my books out of Calibre folders) but maybe it's time to go and check out its new capabilities.
Calibre is a true Linux-user style of program. It's the least user-friendly type of program in the world, but with extensions, and just spending hours fiddling with the UI, it becomes unholy.
For example, earlier you mentioned that it isn't as good for browsing covers, but I think that may be because you didn't spend time customizing the GUI. The windowpane on the right hand side is something you have to enable. I literally just 'arrow-down' as fast as possible through my list of comics, and that cover pops up on the right hand side every time as you can see in my screenshots. Easy as pie to identify the issue by cover, so unless there is something deeper to ComicRacks cover-browsing GUI, then I don't see the deficiency with Calibre there.
CBR fetches from ComicVine (community maintained wiki AFAIK) if you set it up that way. The last time I looked at this (maybe three years ago?) I found it a bit inconsistent but that's partly on the publishers. They make it really, really hard to decide on the proper numbering and order for a lot of books, for example. The good thing is that you can setup an account and submit updates if you are motivated.
And like all things ComicRack it can be a bear to set up
BTW, I am not a habitual ComicRack user; I don't have a desktop Windows PC to run it on. I just install it once in a while to decide if I like it enough to switch over permanently, the same as with Calibre. For pure library ogranisation, you are selling the hell out of Calibre with the plugin.
It doesn't look like that extension will fetch from ComicVine, and I'm not seeing a way to add it. "ComicInfo.xml" is the database it lists there. But you can individually customize any field there, personally, and embed it directly to the XML if you don't like the database's metadata.
The fetch feature is more useful for batch actions, IMO. Just calibrate it how you want, 'Select All' for the entire library, hit the 'Embed' button, and come back 10-30 minutes later. Everything should look like it does if you bought it directly from Amazon. That's how it works with my eBooks, anyway. So if ComicVine has the best metadata that could be an issue.
The biggest issue I have experienced with digital Comics, and one reason I definitely didn't want to commit to a program outside Calibre for management, is as you said earlier: it's not universal yet. That's where we were with eBook programs 5-6 years ago. It looks like ComicRack is winning the war, but when I looked into this a bit, back when I first got into it, this was still a wide open field. Until someone wins, or until Apple settles it by entering the fray with a dedicated first-party app (around which the standard will erect itself piece by piece), then it's hard for a universal standard to be established.
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