Windows DreamScene
Encyclopedia
Windows DreamScene is a utility that allows videos
and other optimized animations to be used as desktop wallpapers
. It is one of the Windows Ultimate Extras
. Prior to its official announcement, DreamScene was rumored to be in creation under the names Motion Desktop and Borealis. After several months of testing, the final version was released on September 25, 2007.
Rendered
content included with DreamScene (such as an animated realization of the Windows Aurora background) was produced by Stardock
, while photographic content was provided by the Discovery Channel
. Third-party video content in MPEG
or WMV
format may also be used. In addition, AVI files can be played by altering the file extension.
One of the purported advantages of DreamScene over previous methods of desktop animation is that it makes use of the GPU
for display instead of the CPU
, leaving the latter free to perform user tasks. To what extent this is achieved is not specified. When a full-screen program is run, such as a game or any window that is maximized, the video will automatically stop since the video will not be seen and will use less GPU and CPU. The video can also be stopped manually. Content encoders need to strive for a balance between compression
and file size; decompression requires the CPU, but larger files take up more memory and may cause the disk to be accessed more frequently.
Running a video in the background would have a significant impact on the battery life of mobile computers, whether or not it were rendered by the GPU, so DreamScene may display a static background when a computer is running on batteries. The software relies heavily on the Desktop Window Manager
(or DWM, part of Windows Aero
).
Stardock
offers a chargeable add-on for Windows DreamScene, called DeskScapes. This software allows the implementation of dynamic wallpapers (".dream" files). They have released a new version (2.0), which makes the program compatible with non-Ultimate editions of Vista.
In Windows 7, DreamScene has been replaced by a "Desktop Slideshow" feature which produces slideshow background wallpapers, but does not support videos. The Windows Vista DreamScene DLL can be registered on Windows 7 to make it work, as hacks circulating on the internet describe.
Video clip
Video clips are short clips of video, usually part of a longer recording. The term is also more loosely used to mean any short video less than the length of a traditional television program.- On the Internet :...
and other optimized animations to be used as desktop wallpapers
Computer wallpaper
Wallpaper is an image used as a background of a graphical user interface on a computer screen or mobile communications device. On a computer it is usually for the desktop, while for a mobile phone it is usually the background for the 'home' or 'idle' screen...
. It is one of the Windows Ultimate Extras
Windows Ultimate Extras
Windows Ultimate Extras are optional features offered to users of Windows Vista Ultimate Edition. They are accessible with Windows Update. Ultimate Extras replace the market role of Microsoft Plus!, a product sold for prior consumer releases of Microsoft Windows...
. Prior to its official announcement, DreamScene was rumored to be in creation under the names Motion Desktop and Borealis. After several months of testing, the final version was released on September 25, 2007.
Rendered
3D rendering
3D rendering is the 3D computer graphics process of automatically converting 3D wire frame models into 2D images with 3D photorealistic effects on a computer.-Rendering methods:...
content included with DreamScene (such as an animated realization of the Windows Aurora background) was produced by Stardock
Stardock
Stardock Corporation is a software development company founded in 1991 and incorporated in 1993 as Stardock Systems. Stardock initially developed for the OS/2 platform, but was forced to switch to Windows due to the collapse of the OS/2 software market between 1997 and 1998...
, while photographic content was provided by the Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...
. Third-party video content in MPEG
Moving Picture Experts Group
The Moving Picture Experts Group is a working group of experts that was formed by ISO and IEC to set standards for audio and video compression and transmission. It was established in 1988 by the initiative of Hiroshi Yasuda and Leonardo Chiariglione, who has been from the beginning the Chairman...
or WMV
Windows Media Video
'Windows Media Video is a video compression format for several proprietary codecs developed by Microsoft. The original video format, known as WMV, was originally designed for Internet streaming applications, as a competitor to RealVideo. The other formats, such as WMV Screen and WMV Image, cater...
format may also be used. In addition, AVI files can be played by altering the file extension.
One of the purported advantages of DreamScene over previous methods of desktop animation is that it makes use of the GPU
Graphics processing unit
A graphics processing unit or GPU is a specialized circuit designed to rapidly manipulate and alter memory in such a way so as to accelerate the building of images in a frame buffer intended for output to a display...
for display instead of the CPU
Central processing unit
The central processing unit is the portion of a computer system that carries out the instructions of a computer program, to perform the basic arithmetical, logical, and input/output operations of the system. The CPU plays a role somewhat analogous to the brain in the computer. The term has been in...
, leaving the latter free to perform user tasks. To what extent this is achieved is not specified. When a full-screen program is run, such as a game or any window that is maximized, the video will automatically stop since the video will not be seen and will use less GPU and CPU. The video can also be stopped manually. Content encoders need to strive for a balance between compression
Data compression
In computer science and information theory, data compression, source coding or bit-rate reduction is the process of encoding information using fewer bits than the original representation would use....
and file size; decompression requires the CPU, but larger files take up more memory and may cause the disk to be accessed more frequently.
Running a video in the background would have a significant impact on the battery life of mobile computers, whether or not it were rendered by the GPU, so DreamScene may display a static background when a computer is running on batteries. The software relies heavily on the Desktop Window Manager
Desktop Window Manager
Desktop Window Manager is the window manager in Windows Vista and Windows 7 that enables the Windows Aero graphical user interface and visual theme. The Desktop Window Manager requires video cards supporting DirectX 9.0 and Shader Model 2.0. DWM is not included with Windows Vista Starter edition...
(or DWM, part of Windows Aero
Windows Aero
Windows Aero is the graphical user interface and the default theme in most editions of Windows Vista and Windows 7, operating systems released by Microsoft. It is also available in Windows Server 2008, but is not enabled by default. Its name is a backronym for Authentic, Energetic, Reflective and...
).
Stardock
Stardock
Stardock Corporation is a software development company founded in 1991 and incorporated in 1993 as Stardock Systems. Stardock initially developed for the OS/2 platform, but was forced to switch to Windows due to the collapse of the OS/2 software market between 1997 and 1998...
offers a chargeable add-on for Windows DreamScene, called DeskScapes. This software allows the implementation of dynamic wallpapers (".dream" files). They have released a new version (2.0), which makes the program compatible with non-Ultimate editions of Vista.
In Windows 7, DreamScene has been replaced by a "Desktop Slideshow" feature which produces slideshow background wallpapers, but does not support videos. The Windows Vista DreamScene DLL can be registered on Windows 7 to make it work, as hacks circulating on the internet describe.
See also
- Features new to Windows VistaFeatures new to Windows VistaWindows Vista has many new features compared with previous Microsoft Windows versions, covering most aspects of the operating system.This article discusses the changes most likely to be of interest to non-technical users...
- Windows Vista Ultimate ExtrasWindows Ultimate ExtrasWindows Ultimate Extras are optional features offered to users of Windows Vista Ultimate Edition. They are accessible with Windows Update. Ultimate Extras replace the market role of Microsoft Plus!, a product sold for prior consumer releases of Microsoft Windows...
- List of features removed in Windows 7
- Active DesktopActive DesktopActive Desktop was a feature of Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0's optional Windows Desktop Update that allows the user to add HTML content to the desktop, along with some other features. This function was intended to be installed on the then-current Windows 95 operating system...