Removing audio tracks and retaining functionality?

[xcy73]

Is it possible to remove (not disable) an audio track and retain functionality? I have 5 audio tracks and I want to remove tracks 3 and 4 and keep 1, 2 and 5. Track 5 is enabled using a menu (comments). When I try removing tracks 3 and 4, it seems that track 5 becomes track 3 and the menu that enables track 5 does not work (track 1 is selected instead). Can anyone advice what can I do to retain functionality? I do not want to disable the tracks, I want to delete them so they can't be selected.

[bigotti5]

Modify the menu command to set audio to use stream 3 instead of stream 5

Should look like
old - (SetSTN) Set Audio stream = 4
new - (SetSTN) Set Audio stream = 2

[blutach]

Just a word of warning - in some cases the SetSTN is issued indirectly via a gprm. You should also look for these cases and where relevant, modify the gprm from holding the value 4 to 2.

At the same time, you can eliminate (make into NOP) all other occurrences where SetSTN sets the gprm = 2 or 3 (and make the menu buttons for these into hide button so they can no longer be pushed).

Regards

[xcy73]

I can't find the SetSTN commands. Where should I look?

[blutach]

Do a search in PgcEdit. This is actually opened for you when you delete or hide an audio/subtitle menubutton.

Regards

[setarip_old]

@xcy73

Hi!

As a simple alternative, to only delete the audiostreams (but not their menu references), load the DVd into DVD Shrink, set DVD Shrink to "No compression" and just uncheck the audiostreams you don't want...

[r0lZ]

Setarip, it is well known that this option leads to problem in case your SetSTN commands use the indirect form (via GPRMs.)

[blutach]

And, so if you do this, you need to ensure logical remapping of enabled streams is off - or use the DVD Shrink plugin in PgcEdit to determine whether it is safe to use this function.

Regards

[setarip_old]

@r0lZ

Hi!Setarip, it is well known that this option leads to problem in case your SetSTN commands use the indirect form (via GPRMs.)Perhaps you've misinterpreted my post, as the procedure that I described has been used without problems, using the default settings of DVD Shrink, since the inception of DVD Shrink, as one of the standard methods of reducing filesize - perhaps hundreds of thousands of times...

[r0lZ]

This feature of DVD Shrink works pretty well, that's right, but...

1) If the streams remapping option is ticked AND the DVD has indirect SetSTN commands, the wrong stream will be selected via the DVD menus. Problem!

2) If the streams remapping option is not ticked and you remove some streams, you will create blank entries. Some hardware players don't like that when you try to select another stream via the player menu. Problem!

Therefore, it is better to remap the streams when the SetSTN commands are direct ones. The DVDShrink plugin for PgcEdit can test that. If they are indirect AND the stream you remove creates a gap, there is no universal solution. You have to experiment with your hardware player. It is also possible to duplicate an entry to fill the gaps.

Anyway, it is not true that the procedure has always been used without problems. It's for that reason that the option to remap the streams is present in the Shrink setups.

[blutach]

For those that are interested - http://forum.digital-digest.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=45228

Regards

[setarip_old]

The following, which appears to support what I've posted (unless I'm misinterpreting something), is a quote from the link provided by the moderator, "blutach":Thus, with logical remapping off, everything is A-OK. There’s no problem. The default setting for "Logical remapping" in DVD Shrink is "Off" (Unticked)...

[blutach]

I guess r0lZ is disagreeing with this statement in the FAQ (where empty streams are present as in the following):

http://img153.imageshack.us/img153/2796/4fulllogicaloffqk3.png

The remote will simply cycle through the kept streams. Where they are in the order is irrelevant – it will go from Danish --> Dutch --> 3rd English --> Danish again.
And, some players may very well choke on empty placeholders. My SONYs do not, and they are supposed to be heavy on the specs - for what that is worth these days.

Regards

[zacoz]

I imagine the link was provided to allow those interested in the technical workings to get an overview. It doesn't mention r0lZ's point regarding the problem with some hardware players, but this has been seen by a number of people. The FAQ possibly predates that becoming known as an issue, and we all know how painful it is reviewing and updating every document we've posted. Hell, we've got someone at work who does that as their full time job.

Sounds like you've done alright Setarip by not having an affected player, congrats.

[r0lZ]

My players are not affected neither, but I remember I have explained several times the workaround consisting of the replication of an existing track in the holes to avoid hangs on some players.
Currently, when there are indirect SetSTNs, I use Shrink without the remapping function, then I delete the empty streams with PgcEdit, and I fix the GPRMs manually. This way, I can be sure that all players will play my DVDs correctly. Unfortunately, fixing the VM commands is somewhat difficult for a beginner.

[setarip_old]

It doesn't mention r0lZ's point regarding the problem with some hardware players, but this has been seen by a number of people. The FAQ possibly predates that becoming known as an issueI don't know how much more clearly I can state this, the procedure that I described has been used without problems, using the default settings of DVD Shrink, since the inception of DVD Shrink, as one of the standard methods of reducing filesize - perhaps hundreds of thousands of times...

All you have to do is read the MANY related posts at forums such as this one, DigitalDigest, and similar, to see that the number problems resulting from deleting audiostreams via DVD Shrink have been miniscule since April 06, 2003, regardless of hardware player brand and/or model.

It's a good thing that some people are aware of the the underlying technical reasons for the potential for rare problems, but it's extremely misleading to make it sound as if this limited potential requires not using proven methods of doing things...

[r0lZ]

Anyway, you are wrong, setarip. The number of problems, though relatively limited, is not insignificant. Why do you think the author of Shrink has added this option in its setup? That's for a good reason for sure!

[jsoto]

http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?p=592918#post592918
I have now some improved ( ;) ) FW in my AIRIS and Philips, but I didn't repeat the test..

jsoto