Using Merge-

[dan633]

I posted this on CD Freaks-DVDFAB without solid help. I asked this question through what I thought was the direct support page, but did not hear back. I am reluctant to get advise on an open forum because if it is wrong and it makes it a PC problem and have to reformat...Blah Blah, no accountability. I was just ignorant in thinking that Paid versions = Support ability. So, Caveat Emptor to those thinking about it..

The Tutorial on the use of MERGE function is a couple of lines,(a true joke) your on your own.. I actually thought that it must be user friendly enough that it was programed to "know" at least two disc's were to introduced to become one. Yet after putting the 1st disk in, I watched as it copied, burnt to disk and finally the waste of the disk, for it Finalized the little info I had used from the first disk, thus nullifying any "Merge" that was planned with using another disk. But, it got fun after that, for the next disk (no more merge-Back to 1 to 1 now-learned lession) using Customize. It was copying the initial info at the rate of 0.33MB/sec, so that 90 minute DVD would take 4 1/2 hrs just to copy to the temp file! After the wasted disk on merge, I did not change any settings, so why it reverted to such a slow transfer rate is beyond me. Just prior to the Merge mess I downloaded what was the newest release of FAB, 6.1.2.0. In order to make a simple copy, I reloaded a saved, older version of FAB, 6.0.7 and it copied and burnt fine then. I'll keep that ver. until the bug is worked out of 6.1.2.0

Is a true tutorial on how to utilize the Merge option available for those who are a bit slow and dense? If it involves saving and sorting out files myself and knowing how to "adjust them", I won't bother with it, But, that Merge button should be removed from the queue

I loaded 6.1.2.5 and the copy speed went back to normal. Just Merge info needed and If no one responds, would a kind soul give me a link to a company "support" site, if one does exist? Thanks

[AGJ]

CD Freaks does not get too many members there anymore that use DVDFab they all come here. I do remember posting in your thread over there and said to save to hard drive first before burning to DVD to make sure it was correct.
I myself have never used the merge option which is why I said for you to save to hard drive/computer first as when you use something for the first few times you always make mistakes and it does not work correctly.

When I get home from work late tonight I will give the merge option a try as it is pretty straight forward. When I give it a try and see the results I will post back here for you to read. But in the mean time I am sure others will post help here for you as well. To save to hard drive you need to select that in the source drop down instead of your DVD drive

[AlienX69]

Did you follow this DETAILED guide - . It's showing an older version of DVDFab, but the process is still about the same.

It's a pretty simple process, basically you are taking 1,2, etc titles from a Source (Disc, ISO, Hard Drive) on the first Next screen, then you do it AGAIN on the 2nd Next screen, then hit Start.

On your first couple of tries, set the Target to a folder on the Hard Drive to test and view your results.

Good Luck and let us know your results !!

Cheers,

[AGJ]

CD Freaks does not get too many members there anymore that use DVDFab they all come here. I do remember posting in your thread over there and said to save to hard drive first before burning to DVD to make sure it was correct.
I myself have never used the merge option which is why I said for you to save to hard drive/computer first as when you use something for the first few times you always make mistakes and it does not work correctly.

When I get home from work late tonight I will give the merge option a try as it is pretty straight forward. When I give it a try and see the results I will post back here for you to read. But in the mean time I am sure others will post help here for you as well. To save to hard drive you need to select that in the source drop down instead of your DVD drive

Ooops sorry I meant to say Target dropdown and not source

[dan633]

DVD Merge

If I am following you (I am a novice) Put 1st disk in, chose what chapters (or parts) I want to save and direct those to a folder on the HD. I think I will just save it to My Videos (?) If I am using just 2 discs, put number 2 in the tray and pick parts out... then open the source, find My Video's and bring that over to the FAB box.
I tried asking the DVDFAB people directly and never got a reply, Not even a F**Off from them (telling me somebody's at least home). How does one suggest that it would be better just to drop that option? Unless it is at least a tad user friendly, like insert disc 1, then insert disc 2, etc.(simple walk through on the screen) that "saving pieces" and jockeying them around is simply a work-a-round for any merging of folders. It is not a true "merge" function for a dedicated program. I would like to see them make it one though. But since contacting them doesn't work (unless it is for buying/purchasing the program, then a person will respond and there is an interest in communicating.
Ideally I wanted to take 4 disks I have that contain 3 shows on them and put them on one DL disk (I'm happy with 70% resolution/quality). That is a useful option to have. It may be easier to look at the competition and find what is suitable for me and check out their "support" rather than chase what should be a simple solution...
Thanks guys for taking the time to help me out, but what I was hoping for in the answer is more complicated than I thought it would be.

[Nitehawke]

I, too, am having some difficulty merging movies. Specifically, the Extended Lord of the Rings Trilogy. FYI, I am using the licensed version, 6.2.0.5.

I have gone through the detailed instructions on the DVDFab site and am getting confused when it indicates that I can select another source after the initial selection.

For example, I have ripped the two disks of Fellowship of the Ring to a folder called Merge_Fellowship_LOTR on a network drive. Within that folder are two folders "Extended_D1" and "Extended_D2"

Merge_Fellowship_LOTR
|-Extended_D1
|-Extended_D2

The target is Final_Merged_Fellowship_LOTR on the same network drive.

I can select Extended_D1 in the sources drop down and it analyzes the folder. However, when I go back to select the second folder (Extended_D2), it will not scan the folder and the selection window contains only the first selection.

Is it possible that this will not work across a network? I have not tried this on the local drive but I can't imagine why that would be a limiting factor.

Any suggestions?

By the way, thanks to the "Creator" for this stupendous program!

[signals]

Nighthawke and others:
You should consider a bus-attached drive for DVDFab. For a number of reasons it does not work well with NAS, particularly Merge mode, which will drop a Source from the Merge list if it is not seen as "available" at all times until the Merge process completes. You will also get better performance in Merge mode if the Source and Target drive are not the same drive and preferably on different controllers. Read and write rates in this mode can be very fast, 25MB/s (x2 if reading and writing the same drive) or so, and anything on your network that would interfere with that (collisions, retries, latency) will cause problems. USB drives work fine in most cases.

The best way to add another Source to a Merge is to use the Source folder or ISO buttons rather than the Source dropdown--this tells DVDFab that you want to go back to a Source that's already on the list.

[Twilly]

signals, thank you for the extra info on using local drives vs. networked drives - works a charm! However, I have a quick question: They obviously put the DVD on 2 disks because they would not fit on 1; is there a way to tell it to merge without compressing into a DVD9 size? Like Nighthawke, I am using 6.2.0.5. The DVD in question for me is Pearl Harbor, but could even more of a question with things like a 6-DVD set (i.e. Band of Brothers)

[signals]

Sorry, there is no way to do that in DVDFab I'm afraid. You would not be able to burn the files to a disc, and all DVDFab output is configured assuming the user will want to burn the output, so it won't let you do something that would produce non-compliant files or folders. Others have mentioned this in connection with the LOTR movies, Schindler's List and some of the others you mentioned. Since many users now rip files for playback from media other than DVD discs, this would be a good thing to put in the Feature Request forum.

signals, thank you for the extra info on using local drives vs. networked drives - works a charm! However, I have a quick question: They obviously put the DVD on 2 disks because they would not fit on 1; is there a way to tell it to merge without compressing into a DVD9 size? Like Nighthawke, I am using 6.2.0.5. The DVD in question for me is Pearl Harbor, but could even more of a question with things like a 6-DVD set (i.e. Band of Brothers)

[imcintyr]

A little late but I just attempted this with DVDFab and I couldn't get it to work. But a program from a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away still rocks.

DVDShrink 3.2. I am combining Kingdom of Heaven right now on my MediaCenter from my office PC. It's old but it still works great!

Merry Christmas.

[LILMICK42]

i posted this on cd freaks-dvdfab without solid help. I asked this question through what i thought was the direct support page, but did not hear back. I am reluctant to get advise on an open forum because if it is wrong and it makes it a pc problem and have to reformat...blah blah, no accountability. I was just ignorant in thinking that paid versions = support ability. So, caveat emptor to those thinking about it..

The tutorial on the use of merge function is a couple of lines,(a true joke) your on your own.. I actually thought that it must be user friendly enough that it was programed to "know" at least two disc's were to introduced to become one. Yet after putting the 1st disk in, i watched as it copied, burnt to disk and finally the waste of the disk, for it finalized the little info i had used from the first disk, thus nullifying any "merge" that was planned with using another disk. But, it got fun after that, for the next disk (no more merge-back to 1 to 1 now-learned lession) using customize. It was copying the initial info at the rate of 0.33mb/sec, so that 90 minute dvd would take 4 1/2 hrs just to copy to the temp file! After the wasted disk on merge, i did not change any settings, so why it reverted to such a slow transfer rate is beyond me. Just prior to the merge mess i downloaded what was the newest release of fab, 6.1.2.0. In order to make a simple copy, i reloaded a saved, older version of fab, 6.0.7 and it copied and burnt fine then. I'll keep that ver. Until the bug is worked out of 6.1.2.0

is a true tutorial on how to utilize the merge option available for those who are a bit slow and dense? If it involves saving and sorting out files myself and knowing how to "adjust them", i won't bother with it, but, that merge button should be removed from the queue

i loaded 6.1.2.5 and the copy speed went back to normal. Just merge info needed and if no one responds, would a kind soul give me a link to a company "support" site, if one does exist? Thanks

hi, dan 633, there's and option that always works for me, but it may be a little time consuming, but u may want to try installing or backing up the movie to your system first, then open up fab, thru your c drive find the back up, merge both movies or any scenes, try it hit me back, 1.

[LILMICK42]

I could'nt have said it better myself!