No, the inability to turn off this feature is a trade-off for the simplicity and ease-of-use that Apple Video Player provides. However, the audio track can be removed with Apple's Movie Player application (which is included with QuickTime 2.1) and with most major video applications, such as Avid VideoShop, QuickFLIX, or Adobe Premiere.
Follow these steps to delete the audio track with Movie Player:
Step 1
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Open the movie file and choose Delete Tracks from Movie Player's Edit menu.
Step 2
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A window will appears that lists Video Track and Sound Track. Choose Sound Track from the list and click Delete.
The movie can now be saved without the audio portion, reducing the size of the saved file.
To prevent the audio track from being recorded in the first place, use a more full featured video application, like the ones listed above.
These articles can help you locate the software update mentioned here:
* "Where To Find Apple Software Updates" - Lists online services for free Apple software updates.
* "Obtaining Apple Product Support in the USA" - Lists 800 numbers and online services for software updates, Apple support information, and a subset of the Apple Tech Info Library.