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Reading PDF-Files on Dreamcast

N00b - Dec 30, 2005

		N00b		Dec 30, 2005
			Hello, is there any possibility to read a PDF-File on Dreamcast ? Yes, I am talking about the same files which can be executed by the AcrobatReader.

		lordofduct		Dec 30, 2005
			nope, not that I know of... that would be a really cool (and difficult... and I don't what laws would be being broken if done) homebrew project.

		N00b		Dec 31, 2005
			Aren´t there alot of legal open-source projects out there (like open office e.g.) which support the PDF-Format ?

		Pyrite		Dec 31, 2005
			nester dc se reads pdf's at least I think so unless the image builder converts or extracts the files to jpeg's or other format.

		it290		Dec 31, 2005
			If you can get Dreamcast Linux running, there is no reason why you could not compile xpdf or similar and view pdfs that way. For a standalone application, I don't know of any, but I believe that one of the unofficial browser releases might support pdf -- not sure on that one. There aren't any legal issues involved AFAIK - the pdf specs are freely available.

Raster

Jan 1, 2006

	
	
		
		
			Originally posted by N00b@Fri, 2005-12-30 @ 02:56 PM



Hello,



is there any possibility to read a PDF-File on Dreamcast ? Yes, I am talking about the same files which can be executed by the AcrobatReader.



[post=143052]Quoted post[/post]

Why, couldn't you just display the info as text? The TV isn't an ideal situation for anti-aliased text, etc.

		N00b		Jan 2, 2006
			I would do that if.... 1. I knew a way of converting PDF-files into (readable) text-files 2. I knew how to read any sort of text-files on my Dreamcast I have no skills regarding DC Development or stuff like that. All I want to do, is getting information from a PDF file to my dreamcast. If the PDF file must be converted to any text-file so it can be read on a DC, that´s OK !!! I just don´t know how.

		it290		Jan 2, 2006
			Copy and paste? Should work unless the pdf is protected.

		N00b		Jan 2, 2006
			I tried it with a few PDF files and it didn´t work. A few years ago PDF was mainly used because of the fact that texts couldn´t be modified or copied.

		it290		Jan 2, 2006
			That depends on what the user decides to do when they create the PDF file. It may also just be that Acrobat Reader (yes, I refuse to call it Adobe Reader) won't let you do it -- I know the full Acrobat product will allow you to select text.

		N00b		Jan 3, 2006
			I tried it with Acrobat and OpenOffice and it didn´t work. And because the user decides if the document can be modified it would probably be easier to let the PDF file be a PDF file and think about how to show it on the Dreamcast, instead of converting every single PDF document into a "whatever".