I hate slow computers..alternative PDF reader method

[virgilmobile]

Well it's really not a slow computer...it's the software that can't keep up with my demands...
Case in point...I have several different computer systems...nothing poorly or antique...even my low end tablet is a dual core.

The problem is with rendering a large PDF file in a timely manner.....All configurations are simply too slow..At least with a HUGE file like some of the repair manuals.

It's the nature of how a PDF file is handled by the software before it can be displayed....OH WELL they say...just live with it...

Not for me...I rely on being able to compile data from these files to diagnose problems...It takes forever..(in computer time) to skim through hundreds of pages trying to find some detail on my tablet or laptop....

I found a "cure"....kinda...The finished file is somewhere near 10 times larger as the original in jpg form,but even that isn't a problem...All my PDF's occupy just under 3 gig of space...even my sd card would hold the full amount at 32 gig....
I downloaded a free software program(s)...OmniFormat....It reads each PDF page and converts it into a jpg (or other type) file....I copied the folder to my tablet and "read" the PDF file as pictures....

Very fast....thumb nailed,crop-able,shareable and printable....very cool...

The 1988 GL1500 euro service manual in PDF form (67.4 meg) is very slow to negotiate on my tablet (new 4.4.2 OS) or laptop (where I need them)....My home computer does well..but it isn't portable at all..

This could be target specific too....Just the one manual you need in a PDA or phone for just your bike...
Here's a video of the 62 meg PDF rendering in my xoom with SmartQ Reader and then in the "picture Gallery program"...

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[WingAdmin]

Well it's really not a slow computer...it's the software that can't keep up with my demands...
Case in point...I have several different computer systems...nothing poorly or antique...even my low end tablet is a dual core.

The problem is with rendering a large PDF file in a timely manner.....All configurations are simply too slow..At least with a HUGE file like some of the repair manuals.

It's the nature of how a PDF file is handled by the software before it can be displayed....OH WELL they say...just live with it...

Not for me...I rely on being able to compile data from these files to diagnose problems...It takes forever..(in computer time) to skim through hundreds of pages trying to find some detail on my tablet or laptop....

I found a "cure"....kinda...The finished file is somewhere near 10 times larger as the original in jpg form,but even that isn't a problem...All my PDF's occupy just under 3 gig of space...even my sd card would hold the full amount at 32 gig....
I downloaded a free software program(s)...OmniFormat....It reads each PDF page and converts it into a jpg (or other type) file....I copied the folder to my tablet and "read" the PDF file as pictures....

Very fast....thumb nailed,crop-able,shareable and printable....very cool...

The 1988 GL1500 euro service manual in PDF form (67.4 meg) is very slow to negotiate on my tablet (new 4.4.2 OS) or laptop (where I need them)....My home computer does well..but it isn't portable at all..

This could be target specific too....Just the one manual you need in a PDA or phone for just your bike...
Here's a video of the 62 meg PDF rendering in my xoom with SmartQ Reader and then in the "picture Gallery program"...

The biggest drawback with this: The original PDF's are indexed and OCR scanned, so you can search them. I can open a PDF, jump to the "brake" section, and do a search for "piston", and it will jump right to the first mention of the word "piston." Can't do either of those things with a huge collection of JPG's.

Also, a lot of the images are line diagrams, which will be degraded by the JPG lossy compression. You'd be better off rendering to GIF or PNG.

[virgilmobile]

I grant you all that....This is a experiment for me that might suit other peoples needs too.

Just for fun,I opened Adobe with the euru 64meg PDF file on my xoom tablet..I did a search (OCR) for "piston"... sure enough it started finding them and showing thumbnails...Cool beans....till it passed 7 minutes and 183 entries then crashed.....

In the theory world with a great laptop and on and on all this is fine.It works great...Try that with a phone or tablet on the side of the road or a dark alley..

Yes it's true that I cannot search OCR in a jpeg file...never intended to...it's just a very fast way to locate the area you need to look at...visually.
As far as quality..the jpg image is as clear as the PDF on my tablet...But I'll also try different formats for the fun of it...

Because they are pictures,I saved just the important ones in a file in my phone for the bike....wiring,fuses,etc...not the entire manual....I don't remember the color code wire that I can bypass if my "whatever" quits....so I can limp home....Now it's in my phone and I can send it anywhere as a picture....just like the "share" in adobe....

Not much going on at work....I went to this because I don't nap at work....Had to cut back on coffee too....

[WingAdmin]

I keep the service manual and ETM PDF's in my phone as well. Adobe reader on my (Android) phone reads the Table of Contents well, but it's not very fast on huge PDF's (even though my phone is quite fast). I like having the information there for the side-of-the-road breakdown insurance, though.

[virgilmobile]

Same here.my iPhone is fine for small files too.thats the reason I selected a few pictures to keep on the phone.Mainly wiring diagrams for different bikes.
Its easy to reference them quick.
Like which color wires feed the kill switch on a 1200.
Came in handy for one fellow broke down 450 miles from home.easy to bypass with this info.
Don't ask how I know.