switch audio tracks

mtb123 wrote on 6/12/2008, 9:11 PM

Is it possible to switch the audio track on a video in DVDA?
I would like to give the viewer a chance to change the backing music for a slideshow (or video for that matter), rather than being locked into one piece of music. Do I need to insert a different video for each backing track, or is there any way to use the same piece of video with multiple music choices?

Comments

bStro wrote on 6/12/2008, 9:22 PM

Each video and compilation can have up to eight audio tracks that the viewer can switch between. Just navigate into the item so that you see its timeline and hit the Add Audio Track button (top left immediately above the timeline) or Ctrl-Q. Then either drag your alternate audio file onto that track or use the Track Media tab of the Properties window to set a file for each audio track.

The viewer can switch between the tracks using the Audio button their remote. If you want them to be able to select an audio track before even starting the movie, you can add an audio setup menu. Check the manual / online help for "Adding a Setup Menu" for more info.

Rob

mtb123 wrote on 6/12/2008, 9:53 PM

many thanks

mtb123 wrote on 6/12/2008, 10:04 PM

this apparently is not available in DVDA studio? I can only get one track and there appears to be no option to create another.

bStro wrote on 6/13/2008, 7:44 AM

Correct, multiple audio tracks is not available in the Studio version. Sorry.

Rob

MPM wrote on 6/13/2008, 8:59 AM

One option is to change your authoring software [obviously to full version DVDA ;-) ] , but if that isn't a convenient option right now & you want to finish your project, there are ways to add audio tracks to "your" DVDA DVD besides downloading the full version trial... There are 2 routes you can explore, checking out guides and forums at doom9.org &/or videohelp.com.

If you don't need/want an audio switching menu (the viewer just uses the button on the remote), one of the methods that you can follow is: you can create a parallel DVD in the free version of Muxman without any menus -- then you replace the VOBs DVDA created with those from Muxman using a program called VobBlanker. Use PGCDemux to get the .m2v video, existing AC3 audio, subs (if you have them), and chapter markers out of the DVDA DVD on your hard drive, plug those into Muxman along with your added AC3 audio tracks, create your Muxman DVD, and use VobBlanker to swap one set of VOBs for the other. The PGCDemux, Muxman, & VobBlanker steps should each take about the same amount of time required to copy your DVD from one folder to another on your PC, and there are illustrated guides you can follow. [note: this method works well if you need to import graphical sub tracks for whatever reason -- and there's a long list of reasons... even in DVDA sub handling/creation could be a lot better.]

If you want an audio switching menu, it gets a lot more complicated, but might be quicker and you might get away using less disc space if that's a concern... This approach uses a DVD with multiple audio tracks you created elsewhere, and uses PGCEdit to swap in menus you made in DVDA.