The DeskScapes 2.0 preview release has arrived! No longer will .dreams be limited to Vista Ultimate only.

Stardock is pleased to announce that the DeskScapes 2.0 preview version is now available. DeskScapes allows users of Windows Vista to have animated wallpapers on their desktop. It runs the Stardock created .DREAM format which can contain videos as animated wallpapers or dynamically generated content.

1. Watercolor. A dynamic dream that randomizes your desktop background.
2. Silent Hill. A brand-new video based dream.
3. Stardock Cube. A simple 3D cube dancing on the desktop

I've been waiting for this program for a long time, checking every few days to test this bit of software. The ability to use animated desktops legaly without ultimate is finally here for a preview. Can't wait to be able to test out full range of dreams and some of my own in the full version. Ty Stardock.

Thanks for the heads up Island Dog!
Will try this

Mods please feel free to remove this if it isn't allowed. I just wanted to let everyone know that you can also find a wide selection of dreams at Vistadreams.org.

Too bad WC changed their system of downloading dreams back limiting you so you can't really download enough to find the good ones before they tell you to pay up to download more.

and since you can't see what a dream is like before it's downloaded, it makes it fairly useless. especially with all the peopel giving good rating to utterly crap dreams

Nice. But now that I actually have Ultimate this is kinda useless...Or is it?

going to try when i get home thanks

Feel free to give my site a try if you would like. Vistadreams.org is the address and it is $20 for lifetime access to all of our dreams. Nothing against Stardock here of course! They are a great company and have helped my site out a great deal. Just offering up options!

screenshots or videos plz

Will try this on my laptop soon.

But can someone tell me if there is a Program like this for XP?

I have XP on my desktop and would like to have an animating wallpaper or etc....

Please help.

Cheers,
-Sikh.

WinCustomize has a 500mb download limit for logged in users who haven't purchased anything. If you are an active customer of ANY of our products, you get unlimited downloads.

Ah! Thank you for clearing that up for us!



According to what I saw on Frogboy's Object Desktop 2008 walkthrough, they are looking at ways to use recent XP driver advances to bring dreams to XP. That would be awesome in my book!!

Is there anyway to run all the dream files I downloaded before I realised this 'preview' was limited to ONLY the three dreams included? ...Even though that's not mentioned before you download it.

For XP, there's DesktopEffects: http://www.desktopfx.net

The packaged deskscapes are very low res, especially on my 1920x1200

Well that's terrific, I tried 2.0 and uninstalled it because it wouldn't allow me to run all my Dream wallpapers. Now the old free version doesn't work.

That's why i don't like Stardock. I wonder why they don't ask for money for all their products, or am i wrong?

Im surprised they can get away with charging people, because it's Microsoft's technology that they added a proprietary format to and started charging for. It even still has the high CPU usage.

You don't like Stardock because.......a company charges for some products. Do you ever wonder how all these products are developed without having some sort of income?




"Bit of interesting background, the implementation of an animated desktop feature in Windows Vista was actually first developed by Stardock. They then demonstrated the idea to Microsoft who partnered with them to produce the Ultimate Extra, DreamScene along with a batch of its original content. Stardock then shifted its focus on DeskScapes'

way to go, ID! i dould not have said it better myself!

So are you saying that all the developers should charge money from their users to keep Stardock alive? Funny, because developers like Piriform (CCleaner, Recuva, Defraggler), Mozilla (Firefox, Thunderbird), BitTorrent (uTorrent and BitTorrent), etc etc. Do they charge money from their users? hummmm... i think users donate, but because they like or because they want to help the developers.

And yeah, right, Stardock only makes "g00d" apps, specially the ones which are incompatible with Windows itself and some games, crashes, shoudn't a good app at least be compatible with everything? I don't need to give examples, i'm sure that the WinCustomize forum is full of topics with problems, unless they are deleted

Anyway, is there at least ONE application by Stardock which is completely freeware?

So are you saying that every developer should just make everything "free", just because some refuse to pay for anything? Using something like Mozilla as a point is quite ridiculous. They get millions and millions of dollars from Google and other investors. I really don't think you have an understanding of how business works.



That's a pretty vague claim, especially when it sounds like you don't have any Stardock applications.




ObjectDock. I gladly list more if you really want to know.

Did i said that everything should be free? That way why should we bother working?

I just said that some developers only release free applications, when some don't even release a single free application, just because of "money".

You're wrong, i have Stardock ObjectDock Plus, which i've PAYED, because the supposed "free" version has limitations, when one of them is that i've had to buy the full version because to create new custom tabs i need to buy the full version, ok, it's fair, but it's the first and last application i buy from Stardock, because is also the one that i really need and don't crash and it's compatible with almost everything.

PS: Why Stardock don't create new backgrounds for OD? I know there's a lot out there, but there's also a lot of WB themes out there and Stardock keep making new ones, and since OD is a lot simple (lol) why don't make OD skins?


You're answer is above

I don't get the point of dreams... you may as well get cool videos which loop and use the wallpaper option on VLC and have it running in the background . Alot less memory used by that, than by DeskScapes!!

Ummm....no.

ObjectDock is an application by itself, which is completely free, there is no "supposed" about it. ObjectDock Plus is a separate application which adds other features.




Because VLC doesn't support dynamic or triggered content, and DeskScapes doesn't interfere with your desktop.

Ummm...yes.

Actually i can only create tabbed docks with the Plus version, and that's what i need, otherwise there's Rocket Dock which doesn't have that option, but i don't like it anyway.

Oh goodness. It's two separate applications, one is free, one isn't. It's as simple as that.

businesses are for the most part evil, but do realize this we won't survive without the planets or earth or even no atmosphere at all unlike businesses we can survive without them all they are quick to do is bribe money out of your hands and when you want a refund they simply just stall forever. because they dont want to do it, thats at least how businesses here work.

There are so many 100% completely free Alternatives to DeskScapes like VLC, Screen2Dream, VitalDesktop, XPScene, Drempels, ... I have also no problem to buy a "good" software, but the .dream marketing strategy realy s...

What if DeskScapes is incompatible with the next Windows version, or the developement of DeskScapes stoppes ? Should i throw away all the payed .dream files, because they are incompatible with other Apps like the orginal Windows DreamScene ?

i'd rather burn my money before buying .dream files.

Stardock makes good programs and have good after sales services, when i see something i like from them, i know the money will be well spent and i will be able to get help if problems arise.

having said that, im looking forward to the WindowsFX version for vista

Not the stardock apps are bad, but imho the .dream format is !

The problem is that the .dream file format is a proprietary undocumented fileformat and not a standard or open fileformat. its impossible and also not allowed (without the explicit written consent of Stardock) to unpack a .dream file to get the orginal DreamScene video, even if its made by an free artist. So i'm forced to use DeskScapes, because there is absolute no alternative way to use those dreamscenes.

Those are not really alternatives. They can't provide dynamic content, advanced features, and many of them can't even play right without screwing up your desktop icons.




The .dream file format has many advantages to just distributing a .wmv or .mpg file, as has been discussed many times before. DeskScapes isn't going anyway so I really wouldn't worry about it.

i'm not talking about .wmv or .mpg files. For example: you can put muliple MPEG-2 streams, screenshots, triggering information, copyright and meta infos as well as 2D or 3D content in only one single standard .mp4 file. all that is absolute standard conform regarding to the MP4 file format specs. The mp4 format is a license free, well documented standard container.

The .dream format is designed to be more than just a container file. Regardless, .dream format isn't going anywhere.

the .dream file format IS just a container like .zip or any other file format containig data in one or another form just open it with a Hex editor and take a look on it ... oh sorry, no don't do it, its not allowed without the explicit written consent of Stardock the point is, if i want to use the .dream file format as a developer for my own Windows app, i have to pay for it !!!

And? As I said, the .dream format isn't going anywhere.

Unless they offer a dynamic dream creator in Dream Maker I see no point in using it. I will stick to .wmv and .mpg files. If a Dream is just a container format then im sure someone will create a video extractor to convert it to a .wmv or .mpg, i just havent seen any good .dreams that i would like to use.

@ID: So, if i develop a program running my own created DreamScene (or one from any other free artist, not stardock) that is packed into a .dream file, i will have to pay a license fee to stardock for using the .dream format. I have to pay for my own work ! do you really think that is correct ?

@Doli: it is not allowed to write such an extractor for free (you have to pay a license fee to stardock), the following is written within a .dream container:

"This dream file was created for use specifically by Stardock DeskScapes or programs explicitly authorized by Stardock to use DeskScapes dreams. This dream may not be converted, imported, or read by any program without the explicit written consent of Stardock Corporation. DeskScapes .DREAM file format copyright © 2007 Stardock Corporation."

.. else i would develop such a tool within a second

It's a proprietary format, it's not the only one in the world like that, and there's a reasoning behind that. You wouldn't be paying for your own work, you would be paying for licensing for a format.