[MPlayer-users] Audio/Subtitle Stream Selection

[John Philip]

I think the argument for the -sid and -aid stream selection options 
should be in the context of only similar streams, rather than all 
streams in the file. Currently, the user has to know the order of all 
the streams to make use of these options. This is awkward and 
inconvenient. It would be far simpler to use if the user only had to 
specify which audio stream, the first or the second, or in the case of 
a single subtitle stream, turn it on without having to know the obscure 
position of which overall number (-sid 4, for example, to turn on the 
only subtitle stream in the file, how is that intuitive?)

I realize that using -slang and -alang would seem to make more sense 
for a user looking for ease of use. However, users need something to 
fall back to when they encounter a file that doesn't specify language 
codes for its streams, or worse mislabels them (I often encounter files 
where all streams are labeled english). Because you can't select 
non-audio streams with -aid and you can't select non-subtitle streams 
with -sid, what sense does it make that they be included?

What would you think of this change? Has anyone else wrestled with 
having to find the full stream order to use -sid/-aid?
Thanks for your thoughts,
John