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/)
