Windows DreamScene - Animated Wallpaper for an Ultimate Extra

Totally cool desktop customization

Published on January 7, 2007 By Frogboy In CES 2007

As Microsoft just announced, one of the first Ultimate Extras (extra features users of Windows Vista Ultimate can download) is a new animated wallpaper feature called "Windows DreamScene".

Windows DreamScene at a glance:

A Windows Vista Ultimate Extra
Run High-Definition Video as a Wallppaer
Uses .MPEG/.WMV as content

So what exactly is Windows DreamScene? And what are the extensions and enhancements coming out for it?

Windows DreamScene is an animated wallpaper technology developed by Microsoft that plays high-definition video content as your wallpaper. The key ability of it is that it can do so without using significant amounts of CPU (basically the decoding of the video is the only real CPU use involved). The animation itself is run through the hardware accelerated DWM.

Software developer Stardock, makers of popular desktop enhancement utilities such as WindowBlinds, DesktopX, ObjectDock, etc. worked with Microsoft on the creation of content and has developed a number of tools to extend the feature set of Windows DreamScene.

On the content side, Stardock Design created a number of 3D animated content for Microsoft including the default animated Aurora. Microsoft is holding back on releasing all the content they have until Spring 2007. Stardock also added support for animated wallpapers on its popular WinCustomize.com community site at Dream.WinCustomize.com.

With regards to the additonal tools and enhancements Stardock has released two of them.

The first enhancement is a new program called DeskScapes. DeskScapes extends DreamScenes to support dynamic content (i.e. videos are pre-rendered). With dynamic content, you could have your wallpaper change based on weather, time of day, or news. Or you could just have some cool Direct3D "stuff" that runs (like one of those fish aquariums running as your wallpaper).

Stardock DeskScapes at a glance:

Extends Windows DreamScene to support Dynamic/Live content
Adds support for the .Dream format
Displays author info/URL in the desktop background dialog
Supports triggers (change videos based on time, weather, etc.)
Is only available for Windows Vista Ultimate Users
Is free

The other key feature of DeskScapes is that it introduces the .DREAM format. This allows artists to protect their artwork. The .DREAM format supports triggers (changing what is playing based on specific triggers) and it allows creators to insert their author info and a link to their website which we think is crucial to encourage artists to spend the time to create good animated wallpapers.

The other tool Stardock is working on is tentatively called Dream Maker. What it does is make it easy for authors to create .Dream files. Its goal will be to help make it as easy as possible to create your own animated wallpapers.

To learn more about Windows Vista Ultimate, go to www.windowsultimate.com. To download content to personalize your Windows Vista experience, visit www.wincustomize.com.

Get More Dreams (animated wallpapers): Dream.WinCustomize.Com

Screenshots:

(1) Dyanmic content uses virtually no CPU, it's all on the video card. (2) DreamScene in action. (3) .Dream Files support author info.

Comments (Page 1)

CerebroJD

on Jan 07, 2007

I want this! Nowwww!

(Brad, you gotta give us your cell number next time you're at a keynote so we can phone you and listen for the ringer

)

ZubaZ

on Jan 07, 2007

Very Nice! One of teh more fun reasons to Upgrade to Vista Ultimate.

Doc1138

on Jan 08, 2007

I have a question... why are the taskbars (and inherently the window borders) different between screens 2 and 3?

ZubaZ

on Jan 08, 2007

why are the taskbars (and inherently the window borders) different between screens 2 and 3?

Stardock's Windowblinds?

BigDogBigFeet

on Jan 08, 2007

Looks like another good reason to plan on upgrading to Vista. I especially like the new Web site name, Dream.WinCustomize.com, sounds like a real feather in the WinCustomize cap.

ZubaZ

on Jan 08, 2007

dream.wc.com looks great too

on Jan 08, 2007

Whoa! Is there more special features?

sixshot

on Jan 08, 2007

Okay, here's a FAQ for ya...

Due to DreamScene being a Windows Ultimate kind of thing, how do content authors preview this on other versions of Vista?

We all know that they (MS) want these things to be available only to Ultimate users. But there are always aspiring artists and content creator from all versions of Windows. What keeps these things exclusive and how will authors preview their work on their machines?

Frogboy

on Jan 08, 2007

Unfortunately, they'll need Windows Ultimate presently.

Incidentally, DeskScapes will be part of Object Desktop.

Martin Eden

on Jan 08, 2007

I've been saying this should be in Windows for years! It's great that they've finally put it in. One question though: How does it handle resizing to different resolutions - is it smooth, or will things looked jagged and pixelly?

Jafo

on Jan 08, 2007

I especially like the new Web site name, Dream.WinCustomize.com, sounds like a real feather in the WinCustomize cap.

Yes, it is....

It's 'little' things such as this feature that means 'skinning' is alive and well...and destined for a bright future....

Excalpius

on Jan 08, 2007

Availability? Does/Can it work with a DVD you might be playing in the player? Or your TV tuner? I'd love to watch movies this way while I work.

This is just a commercialized version of the desktop video background seen in vlc and intervideo's dvd software, etc. The Milkdrop plug-in can do this with its visualizations in WinAmp and it's pretty friggin amazing to have all your transparent windowblinds and desktop x gadgets working over live animation - animating to the beat/tones of the music you are playing and listening to. Very cool.

For video, having a TV show or movie playing in the background of a second monitor while you work is just one of the uses beyond the "moving wallpaper" aspect of this.

The use of the native display code in Vista to make this low impact is what would be/is revolutionary. I look forward to seeing video of this in action, with windows drags and drops, etc. Three still screenshots are all but a waste of time/bandwidth given this feature, haha.

While MS may want this as an Ultimate Extra, I see no reason this won't work on any Vista incarnation with the Aero interface enabled.

I'm glad it appears to be part of Object Desktop as I intend to do a LOT with this feature in a number of ways. I've been working through the desktop background layering issues in XP for years now as an end-user.

Thanks Stardock for commercializing this amazing feature so I can count on it in my day to day productivity/life.

Excalpius

on Jan 08, 2007

a link with video

http://windowsultimate.com/blogs/extras/archive/2007/01/07/windows-dreamscene.aspx

notes mpeg support, so DVD playback should work, even though it may or may not handle this directly. Brad? Do we have to transfer the DVD to the local hard drive or can anything played in Windows Media Player on Vista work "through" this?

raisinjack

on Jan 08, 2007

When will DeskScapes be available- I can't wait!!!!!!!!

Excalpius

on Jan 08, 2007

Looks like the current Ultimate Extras come out January 30, but maybe Object Desktop people will see it sooner than that for beta testing, yes/no?

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