snex

7th May 2006 04:51 UTC

Overlay mode only displays black
i had been using the desktop overlay mode for a long time, and then i upgraded my hardware, and now it displays only blackness. if i turn off the desktop mode and use the overlay color only, that color becomes black but does not display the visualizations. i have also tried the overlay fullscreen mode, which also displays only blackness. normal fullscreen mode works fine.

my new hardware:

AMD Athlon 64 X2 4800+ Dual-Core
4GB RAM
Dual Radeon X1900 CrossFire

everything else on my system, including various video players, works just fine, but i cant seem to get overlay mode working with winamp.

any ideas?

Tuggummi

7th May 2006 09:34 UTC

Overlay mode is kinda buggy with certain configurations and yet no one doesn't seem to know exactly what's causing the problem. Most people recommend installing/re-installing the latest drivers for your gfx-card, in some cases this fixes it.

It might be a driver issue or even a hardware issue, but there is little to do if it doesn't work. With my old Geforce 4 MX overlay didn't work either and i couldn't get it to work no matter what, but now i have a 9600 pro radeon and everything works fine.

Your best bet at the moment is the drivers, if that doesn't work, "messing around" with your display settings might miraculously get it to work, though i don't really recommend that if you don't know what you're doing.

snex

7th May 2006 11:03 UTC

i just installed new drivers today actually, right before i posted. i suppose i should have mentioned that. ive also messed around with my settings and still get nothing but blackness.

hornet777

11th May 2006 03:14 UTC

there are just so many combinations of hardware/software (drivers) that there can be no set rule for "fixing" display problems, other than to say "play with it" and to slip in the caveat that you might have to live without certain functionalities; sux, but its the truth

fishtankalpha

16th August 2006 19:36 UTC

I think I tried everything. Radeon 9200... Wonder if it's a radeon thing?
hmm...
Well... Here's how mine goes: It worked splendidly, yesterday. For some reason, it worked less and less and then suddenly totally stopped working.
Click on 'Overlay Mode'... It used to make it so the 'color' changed. It would seriously change really fast. Multiple colors consistent with the vis color. When I clicked 'Set desktop to color', it used to just add that, I think.
Now.... Since the vis change stopped working, the 'color' does not change when I click on 'Overlay Mode' Without 'set to desktop color' checked, nothing happens no matter what I do. WITH 'set to desktop color' checked, nothing happens. HOWEVER, when I double click on the AVS, the vis glitches in and out of fullscreen mode, then the background becomes black (the default 'color'). Hmm... So it's definitely the 'Overlay Mode' part that has the glitch.
Maybe I can get AVS to transition into the 'color' if I use a certain vis. I'm going to try them all, right now.
I messed with every display setting I know how to adjust, by the way.

................................................................................................

:cry:
NOTHIN! None o/ them work... Gonna try re-installing Winamp (saving/backing up my Favorites vis folder first, of course).
Nah... That did not work. I even tried some older versions. eheh... Maybe there's an AVS upgrade? I have the latest ver o' Winamp... hmm. I'll check that out. First off, though, gonna try a restart. Close down all the programs I am using. ALLL the programs.

GOT IT!
I didn't even have to restart. =) I know the secret. I know the secret. Sexy sexy sexy. Bet you want to know!

woot
hehe

fishtankalpha

16th August 2006 20:28 UTC

Do works and don't works
OkAY!

So I had to take a shower! Rev-er... revert...
Gotta stay clean, dudes!

So - here's what I figured out. I think it has something to do with Codecs! I only have one codec on my computer, so I can't give you alist of conflicting codecs, but the one I have is AVICodec. I noticed that when I open up WMplayer while a movie is playing in VLCMedia Player (my default), I usually see the video playing in WMPlayer, also, no matter what I am truly playin in WMplayer, so I think it tweaks with the video. Then again, it could just be VLC or media players in general that conflict with the vis overlay. If that's so, it's possible that programs designed by video card manufacturers to change video settings could have a negative effect on AVS. I wish I could say definitely, but I just don't enough about how any of these progies, including Winamp, or AVS or codecs work. So! It's gonna have to be a little trial and error.
Here's what I did, though. I turned off 'Overlay mode' and 'Set color to desktop', then I closed VLC Media Player (which was paused on an AVI movie file [No. Not porn.]). I rechecked 'Overlay mode', and I noticed the 'color' changing, as I mentioned in my previous post (it changes in conjunction with the vis). Right then I knew... well.... I clicked the checkbox by 'Set color to desktop' and BAM!

Workin sweet!

Probably not hardware, then? Maybe others looking here also have software conflicts. Close everything and try again?
:igor:

snex

17th August 2006 05:32 UTC

i tried that, still no luck. i even sat there with task manager killing each process one by one until nothing was left. i still get nothing but blackness on my desktop when i turn on desktop mode, and the "color" box is never affected when i turn overlay on.

im completely at a loss here.