In case you have been living in a cave, Microsoft has released a new Ultimate Extra called Windows DreamScene.
Windows DreamScene allows users who have purchased Windows Vista Ultimate to play high-definition video content as their desktop wallpaper. Pretty cool huh?
Microsoft selected Stardock Design to create some of the content for it including the default. For now, the only content they've released is the default one (Aurora). They are holding back on the other two dozen or so DreamScenes until the "final" version comes out in the Spring time-frame.
Right now, I suspect Microsoft is working with the video driver makers to optimize their drivers to reduce the amount of CPU required to decode the video. On most systems, especially ones with good video cards and drivers, a typical DreamScene might use around 10% to 15% of the CPU which is pretty nominal in that it won't affect your work (and when you play a game, it'll pause itself automatically). On a really high end system, it can be less than 5%.
Moreover, while Stardock Design was creating DreamScenes for Microsoft, their software team (makers of WindowBlinds) created a program that creates a specific animated wallpaper format -- .DREAM and as well as extended the capability of what animated wallpapers could do such as have triggered events and support for dynamic 3D generated content. The first of that stuff is expected out in the last week of February.
Stardock's web team has also created a community site where users can upload their own .DREAM creations with one another. This site, Dream.WinCustomize.com, has everything users need to get started.
Animated wallpapers aren't a new idea. People have been trying to do it in various forms for years. The problem has always been one of reliability and performance. Microsoft's work on Windows DreamScene demonstrates that the new Windows Vista accelerated desktop can do it without slowing down your Windows experience.
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