A third party alternative for Windows XP to Windows Dreamscene is XP Scene. It is an elegant solution that can turn videos into desktop backgrounds in three simple steps. It does so by creating a html file with an embedded Windows Media Player control that can be used as the background in Windows XP.

XP Scene is a portable application that can be run from any location. It displays all three steps of the process in the main interface.

• Step 1: Select the video that should be used as the desktop background. Supported are avi, mpg and wmv videos. The resize mode can also be changed from “keep input aspect ratio” to “stretch video to display size” in this step.
• Step 2: Selecting the output folder where the html file and video will be saved in.
• Step 3: Starting the conversion

Once the files have been created it is a matter of selecting the HTML file as the background wallpaper. This is done in Display Properties > Desktop > Background. The user has to browse to the location where the html file has been saved to and pick it from there.

The process itself demands quite a bit of computer memory and cpu. It can also be quite the distraction most of the time. The right-click menu to change the background again is not working because of the html file that is using all of the space on the desktop.

The only way to change the desktop background back is to go into the Windows Control Panel and select the Display configuration from there.

Related posts

• Microsoft Touchless (5)
• Windows XP: Default Internet Browser Per User Profile (0)
• Windows Vista Taskbar Resize (1)
• Windows Vista Start Button For XP (5)
• Windows Vista Sidebar For Windows XP (51)

The biggest shortcoming of DreamScene is that it is only available for Windows Vista Ultimate DreamRender looks like a promising candidate for everyone else who is not working with Windows Vista Ultimate. The interface is somewhat confusing and it took a while until I discovered how to add your own videos, pictures, sounds and textures to the application.

DreamRender ships with about a dozen animations. One click is sufficient to load that animation. This does not replace the original wallpaper of the system though. It overlays the animated wallpaper and the original wallpaper will appear if DreamRender is disabled.

To create a new animated wallpaper you need to click on the File > New menu in the settings. There you have the options to select a video, a picture, slideshows and several other backgrounds for your animated wallpaper. Just play around with it for a while and you should find your way.

For complete customization of your system DreamRender can apply textures and colors to your windows, make them transparent, and produce amazing effects every time you move your mouse.

If you ask me personally than I would have to say that animated wallpapers are a waste of time. They are confusing and a distraction if you work with the computer. Guess it’s ok as a screensaver but I would never add them permanently to my desktop and since I do not use a screensaver that option is no option as well.

Related posts

• Designer Wallpapers For Your Desktop (2)
• Zoom It (4)
• Zip Repair (3)
• Zen Key An All Purpose Application Manager (3)
• Youtube Batch Downloader (13)

That was however before I discovered user generated Dreamscene background that blew my mind. Those backgrounds are eye friendly, they show passing clouds, ripples and rain drops. Lots of animations that relax the eye and are pleasing at the same time.

Dreamscene users will have to download the free Descapes software to be able to add the following Dreamscene backgrounds to their Vista Ultimate system. You can find many more backgrounds at the Wincustomize Dream Gallery.

Crystal Island

Falling Rain

Island Paradise

Midnight Moon

Polar

Rays

Shark Pit

Silence

Sun

Tafiti

Wasserfall

Related posts

• Video Wallpapers for all Vista Editions (4)
• Use Dreamscene On Windows XP (14)
• Yuck new Windows Vista Ultimate Extras (20)
• XP SP3 and Vista SP 1 available through Windows Update (6)
• WPF Performance Fix for Windows Vista and XP (1)

Enter SSDream. SSDream is a software that is way more powerful than Dreamscene and available for all Vista editions. The video wallpaper functionality supports more than just wmv and mpeg-2 compatible video formats; Basically any video that plays in Windows Media Player should work with SSDream as well.

It’s difficulty to mention all the features of SSDream in this short article which is why I concentrate on the most important ones only.

• Supports all Vista versions
• Desktop icons remain visible
• Multi-monitor support
• Videos, Images and Screensavers are supported
• Cpu priority settings

The developer is currently trying to bring his application to Windows XP as well which would be really nice.

download: SSDream Homepage
via: Cybernet News

Related posts

• Use Dreamscene On Windows XP (14)
• Run Dreamscene in any version of Windows Vista (3)
• 11 beautiful Dreamscene Backgrounds (12)
• Yuck new Windows Vista Ultimate Extras (20)
• XP SP3 and Vista SP 1 available through Windows Update (6)

Dreamscene will then be available after the next restart. There is also a way to install the package without using the bat file. Probably a safer way for users who mistrust those files. This step requires lots of manual work though, you copy files around, rename files and change permissions for some of them. It seems a lot more complicated than using the bat file.

Related posts

• Video Wallpapers for all Vista Editions (4)
• Video Wallpapers for all Vista versions (17)
• Use Dreamscene On Windows XP (14)
• DreamRender is an alternative to DreamScene (6)
• 11 beautiful Dreamscene Backgrounds (12)