diff --git a/ChangeLog b/ChangeLog
index d188091485..a799b54632 100644
--- a/ChangeLog
+++ b/ChangeLog
@@ -1,3 +1,11 @@
+2004-10-07  Wim Taymans  <wim@fluendo.com>
+
+	* gst/playback/gstplaybasebin.c: (play_base_bin_mute_pad),
+	(gst_play_base_bin_mute_stream), (gst_play_base_bin_link_stream):
+	* gst/playback/gstplaybin.c: (setup_sinks):
+	Implement muting/unmuting of streams, mute streams that are not
+	used.
+
 2004-10-07  Wim Taymans  <wim@fluendo.com>
 
 	* gst/typefind/gsttypefindfunctions.c: (ac3_type_find),
diff --git a/gst/playback/gstplaybasebin.c b/gst/playback/gstplaybasebin.c
index 0f6513fd85..1ce48cbbfc 100644
--- a/gst/playback/gstplaybasebin.c
+++ b/gst/playback/gstplaybasebin.c
@@ -739,17 +739,69 @@ gst_play_base_bin_found_tag (GstElement * element,
   gst_object_unref (parent);
 }
 
+static void
+play_base_bin_mute_pad (GstPlayBaseBin * play_base_bin,
+    GstPad * pad, gboolean mute)
+{
+  GList *int_links;
+  gboolean activate = !mute;
+  gchar *debug_str = (activate ? "activate" : "inactivate");
+
+  GST_DEBUG_OBJECT (play_base_bin, "%s %s:%s", debug_str,
+      GST_DEBUG_PAD_NAME (pad));
+  gst_pad_set_active (pad, activate);
+
+  for (int_links = gst_pad_get_internal_links (pad);
+      int_links; int_links = g_list_next (int_links)) {
+    GstPad *pad = GST_PAD (int_links->data);
+    GstPad *peer = gst_pad_get_peer (pad);
+    GstElement *peer_elem = gst_pad_get_parent (peer);
+
+    GST_DEBUG_OBJECT (play_base_bin, "%s internal pad %s:%s",
+        debug_str, GST_DEBUG_PAD_NAME (pad));
+
+    gst_pad_set_active (pad, activate);
+
+    if (peer_elem->numsrcpads == 1) {
+      GST_DEBUG_OBJECT (play_base_bin, "recursing element %s on pad %s:%s",
+          gst_element_get_name (peer_elem), GST_DEBUG_PAD_NAME (peer));
+      play_base_bin_mute_pad (play_base_bin, peer, mute);
+    } else {
+      GST_DEBUG_OBJECT (play_base_bin, "%s final pad %s:%s",
+          debug_str, GST_DEBUG_PAD_NAME (peer));
+      gst_pad_set_active (peer, activate);
+    }
+  }
+}
+
+/* muting a stream follows the flow downstream and dis/enables all
+ * pads it encounters until an element with more than one source pad 
+ * (a demuxer or equivalent) is met.
+ */
 void
 gst_play_base_bin_mute_stream (GstPlayBaseBin * play_base_bin,
     GstStreamInfo * info, gboolean mute)
 {
-  GST_DEBUG ("mute");
+  GST_DEBUG ("mute stream");
+
+  g_return_if_fail (play_base_bin != NULL);
+  g_return_if_fail (GST_IS_PLAY_BASE_BIN (play_base_bin));
+  g_return_if_fail (info != NULL);
+  g_return_if_fail (GST_IS_STREAM_INFO (info));
+
+  /* check if info contains a pad */
+  if (info->pad == NULL)
+    return;
+
+  play_base_bin_mute_pad (play_base_bin, info->pad, mute);
 }
 
 void
 gst_play_base_bin_link_stream (GstPlayBaseBin * play_base_bin,
     GstStreamInfo * info, GstPad * pad)
 {
+  GST_DEBUG ("link stream");
+
   if (info == NULL) {
     GList *streams;
 
diff --git a/gst/playback/gstplaybin.c b/gst/playback/gstplaybin.c
index 031ed9ebba..d38363ecdb 100644
--- a/gst/playback/gstplaybin.c
+++ b/gst/playback/gstplaybin.c
@@ -382,8 +382,9 @@ setup_sinks (GstPlayBin * play_bin)
     GObject *obj = G_OBJECT (s->data);
     int type;
     GstPad *srcpad, *sinkpad;
-    GstElement *sink;
+    GstElement *sink = NULL;
     gboolean res;
+    gboolean mute = FALSE;
 
     g_object_get (obj, "type", &type, NULL);
     g_object_get (obj, "pad", &srcpad, NULL);
@@ -394,7 +395,7 @@ setup_sinks (GstPlayBin * play_bin)
     if (type == 1) {
       if (have_audio) {
         g_warning ("two audio streams found, playing first one");
-        continue;
+        mute = TRUE;
       } else {
         sink = gen_audio_element (play_bin);
         have_audio = TRUE;
@@ -402,29 +403,36 @@ setup_sinks (GstPlayBin * play_bin)
     } else if (type == 2) {
       if (have_video) {
         g_warning ("two video streams found, playing first one");
-        continue;
+        mute = TRUE;
       } else {
         sink = gen_video_element (play_bin);
         have_video = TRUE;
       }
     } else {
       g_warning ("unknown stream found");
-      continue;
+      mute = TRUE;
     }
 
-    gst_bin_add (GST_BIN (play_bin), sink);
-    sinkpad = gst_element_get_pad (sink, "sink");
-    res = gst_pad_link (srcpad, sinkpad);
-    if (!res) {
-      gchar *capsstr;
+    if (sink != NULL) {
+      gst_bin_add (GST_BIN (play_bin), sink);
+      sinkpad = gst_element_get_pad (sink, "sink");
+      res = gst_pad_link (srcpad, sinkpad);
+      if (!res) {
+        gchar *capsstr;
 
-      capsstr = gst_caps_to_string (gst_pad_get_caps (srcpad));
-      g_warning ("could not link %s", capsstr);
-      g_free (capsstr);
-      GST_LOG ("removing sink %p", sink);
-      gst_bin_remove (GST_BIN (play_bin), sink);
-    } else {
-      play_bin->sinks = g_list_prepend (play_bin->sinks, sink);
+        capsstr = gst_caps_to_string (gst_pad_get_caps (srcpad));
+        g_warning ("could not link %s", capsstr);
+        g_free (capsstr);
+        GST_LOG ("removing sink %p", sink);
+        gst_bin_remove (GST_BIN (play_bin), sink);
+        mute = TRUE;
+      } else {
+        play_bin->sinks = g_list_prepend (play_bin->sinks, sink);
+      }
+    }
+    if (mute) {
+      gst_play_base_bin_mute_stream (GST_PLAY_BASE_BIN (play_bin),
+          GST_STREAM_INFO (obj), TRUE);
     }
   }
 }