Vista Ultimate & Dreamscene

[CampaMan]

Vista Ultimate, running Aero - ATI Radeon 9600 (256mb) 3.2 Experience rating
(3.9 for Aero Graphics)

I have downloaded Dreamscene via Ultimate extras, but I can no get it to
work.

The dreamscene dll's seem to be there and the videos get installed to the
Windows\Web folder, I get a 'Play Dreamscene' menu item in the right click
context menu on the desktop that is greyed out, and I get the 'Set as
Desktop Background' option when I right click a video file, but that does
nothing.

I do not get the extra two allignment options for backgrounds in the
Personalize - Desktop Background window and do not get the Dreamscene
Content option in the dropdown of that window.

I have installed and re-installed 4-5 times but still nothing.

Any ideas where to start looking, contacted Microsoft but got a email back
saying to look at the KB's and use the newsgroups.

 

[Richard G. Harper]

Have you used the Desktop Personalization tools to set DreamScene as your
default background? If so, does a setting there activate the selected
background?

 

[CampaMan]

Have you used the Desktop Personalization tools to set DreamScene as your
default background? If so, does a setting there activate the selected
background?

Well I have tried, but like I say, the dreamscene content does not appear
there, and the two extra positioning options don't either.

Dreamscene shows as being installed in Control Panel > Programs > Installed
Updates and it is Turned on in Control Panel > Programs > Turn Windows
features on or off.

There are NO options to actually choose a Dreamscene from the Desktop
Personalization Tools even though the context (right click) menus also show
some dreamscene options.

It is though Dreamscene has installed the files required but not activated
or registered or something.

 

[CampaMan]

See if this helps


When trying to select and set a built-in included DreamScene content
video clip as desktop background, or have downloaded and installed
custom third-party DreamScene animated motion backgrounds, and want to
run the new video scene as the DreamScene desktop wallpaper, the
DreamScene background may goes off and appears as a black screen or
blank screen. The symptom may happen on first installation of DreamScene
in Windows Vista, or DreamScene has been working fine previously, but
suddenly the DreamScene desktop background display black video.

DreamScene video black screen error normally only happen video clip
contents in .MPG format (DreamScene supports MPEG and WMV formats). The
interesting and annoying part is that when the DreamScene video contents
are open in any media player, including the Vista de facto player
Windows Media Player (WMP 11), the video clip playbacks and works
without any problem. Only when the video is set as DreamScene background
that users will get garbage on screen and see black desktop background.
If you pretty sure that you’re using Windows Vista Ultimate
edition (only Ultimate edition supports DreamScene, or else go for
'DreamScene alternative'
(http://www.mydigitallife.info/2007/...eos-as-xp-background-wallpaper-with-bsplayer/)
with 'third-party players'
(http://www.mydigitallife.info/2007/...llpaper-in-windows-xp-and-non-ultimate-vista/)),
has turned on and 'enabled Windows Aero Glass theme'
(http://www.mydigitallife.info/2006/...rency-effect-and-desktop-windows-manager-dwm/),
and the 'graphics card'
(http://www.mydigitallife.info/2007/...rking-with-black-or-blank-background-screen/#)
(GPU unit) fulfills minimum specification requirements to run
DreamScene, and the DreamScene still not working properly with blank
background or black screen error, the reason is probably due to MPEG
video decoder, especially MPEG2 codec which many .MPG DreamScene file
encoded in to ensure high resolution DVD quality movie details. In
DreamScene case, the MPEG-2 'codec'
(http://www.mydigitallife.info/2007/...rking-with-black-or-blank-background-screen/#)
may be uninstalled, corrupted, messed up or the setting has failed to
recognize any default decoder to MPEG1 or MPEG2 format used in
DreamScene contents.
Windows Vista Ultimate has built-in Microsoft MPEG-2 Video Decoder
which should allows smooth playback of all DVDs and DreamScene video
contents. However, when you install any third-party codec or codec pack,
normally the codecs that are installed will take precedence and will be
used to decode video contents instead of default one. So the DreamScene
problem normally happens when you install program that comes with codecs
of its own, especially codecpacks such as Vista Codec Package, which do
tweak and adjustment to codec settings and may cause codec missing or
corrupted, or the installer removes the original configuration for
format decoder but fails to configure the default decoder for MPEG2
format properly.
The solution is to make sure there is valid decoder codec for MPEG-1
and MPEG-2 video format in the Vista system. If you install 'Vista Codec
Package'
(http://www.mydigitallife.info/2007/11/27/download-vista-codec-package-vcp-454-beta-1/)
(probably the main culprit to cause DreamScene black background
problem), try to set the default decoder for MPEG1 and MPEG2 to
*libavcodec* (supported by FFDShow) or *libmpeg2*. To do so, run *Video
decoder configuration* to configure FFDShow parameters, a DirectShow
filter used by majority of codec packs to decompress various video
formats, under *32bit Tools* in *VistaCodecs* folder in Start menu.
[image:
http://www.mydigitallife.info/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/dreamscene-mpeg.JPG]
If you download and install other codec pack such as Nimo Codec Pack,
K-Lite Codec Pack, K-Lite Mega Codec Pack, XP Codec Pack, Codec Pack All
in 1, Matroska Pack, Satsuki Decoder Pack and Lazy Man’s MKV Pack,
check whether it comes with any configuration utility or tweak tool that
allows you to manage DirectShow filters or other codecs’ settings
to ensure MPEG-2 is assigned to a proper decoder.
An alternative solution is by reinstalling legitimate program that has
its own MPEG decoder, i.e. DVD authoring, burning or movie creating
software such as Nero, and DVD player such a PowerDVD and WinDVD.
It all options above still unable to make DreamScene works, try to
install standalone codec for MPEG2 decoder to reset, override and
refresh all invalid MPEG-2 codec settings. There are many MPEG-2 decoder
available, the common one include DScaler MPEG Filters 0.0.8 ('download
DScaler5008.exe'
(http://jaist.dl.sourceforge.net/sourceforge/deinterlace/DScaler5008.exe)),
ffdshow ('download ffdshow_beta3_rev1324_20070701_clsid.exe'
(http://nchc.dl.sourceforge.net/sourceforge/ffdshow-tryout/ffdshow_beta3_rev1324_20070701_clsid.exe).
FFDShow is not just for MPEG2 but also many other audio and video
formats such as DivX, Xvid and H.264.), Stinky’s MPEG-2 Codec
1.2.0.79 ('download mpeg-2_codec.zip'
(http://depositfiles.com/files/2511270)) and GPL MPEG-1/2 Decoder
('download MpegDecoder012.msi'
(http://jaist.dl.sourceforge.net/sourceforge/gplmpgdec/MpegDecoder012.msi))
Last possible workaround is to convert (tips: 'various video
converters'
(http://www.mydigitallife.info/2006/...-files-to-mpg-or-avi-and-other-media-formats/))
the Dreamscene MPG files into WMV files, and then place the converted
videos back into the default DreamScene contents directory at
*C:\Windows\Web\Windows DreamScene* folder, or drag and down them into
*Windows DreamScene Content* location in Desktop Background dialog. The
trick will allow .WMV contents to available for selection to set as
DreamScene background, and will play at your desktop background nicely.


'Windows Vista DreamScene Not Working with Black or Blank Background
Screen » My Digital Life'
(http://www.mydigitallife.info/2007/...orking-with-black-or-blank-background-screen/)

Hi Norm

I have already seen most of this via Google searches, my problem isn't that
Dreamscene actualy crashes etc. it is that even though it shows as installed
as per my answer to Richard it just doesn't show any options to actually use
it.

My Vista is Genuine Ultimate (I won it in a Microsoft competition) I have
not installed any other codecs etc. at the moment the machine has Vista on
it and Acrobat reader only as I am still setting it up ready to swap out for
my XP machine.

The actual dreamscene content that downloads plays fine in Media Player

 

[CampaMan]

To use it go to Control Panel\Appearance and Personalization\Desktop

Background

"After downloading and installing it, you can start using Windows
DreamScene by selecting a video file as your desktop background. Here's
how:


- '[image:
mshelp://help/?id=Microsoft.Windows.Resources.ShellExecuteTopicIcon]Click
to open Desktop Background.'

(shortcut:%25systemroot%25%5Csystem32%5Ccontrol.exe%20/name%20Microsoft.Personalization%20/page%20pageWallpaper)
- In the Location list, click Windows DreamScene Content, and then
select the video that you want to use for your desktop background.
If the video you want is not in the list of desktop backgrounds,
click Browse to search for the video on your computer. When you find
the video you want, double-click it. It will become your desktop
background and appear in the list of desktop backgrounds.
- Under How should the picture be positioned, choose the
positioning that you want, and then click OK."

This is my problem, even though it says it is installed in updates and
windows features and there are dreamscene.dll files in system32, there is no
'DreamScene Content' option, the two new extra positioning options are not
there, and if I browse for a video the file options will not let me pick a
video only a picture.

There are no options at all for dreamscene in the desktop display/background
choices windows.

The only parts of the user interface that are showing anything to do with
dreamscene are the context (right click) menus, for playing or stopping the
video on the desktop and the set as background for a video but neither
actually do anything

 

[Richard G. Harper]

If you do not see "Windows DreamScene Content" as a choice for a background
when in the customization area, then I would uninstall all the DreamScene
components, reboot the PC, reload them from Windows Updates, then try again.