Sam Dickinson

16th May 2002 15:07 UTC

Help with using AVS in desktop overlay mode
I have a couple of problems with running Winamp with AVS visualisations set for desktop overlay mode: -

Firstly, it basically works OK (the graphics appear on the desktop etc) until I close the Winamp AVS editor window. At this point the AVS graphics dissappear and the desktop returns to the default background.

The second problem I am having is that overlay mode only works with 1024x768 graphics. If I increase to 1280x1024 (with the same coloour depth) the visualisations do not appear.

I'm running Windows 2000 and Winamp 2.8.

Any help would be gratefully accepted.

Cheers.:)

Lion King

16th May 2002 15:14 UTC

1. overlay mode works only if avs is active = the avs window is open
2. is your windows resolution set to 1280x1024 or 1024x768?

edit: do you close the editor window and leave the vis window open?

edit2: aren't you mixing up desktop and fullscreen overlay mode? I don't see any resolution settings for desktop overlay mode.

Sam Dickinson

16th May 2002 15:24 UTC

The problem with leaving the AVS editor window open is that the random switching of presets is disabled while that window is open. The only way to enable the random switching of presets is to minimize Winamp which makes changing tracks a bit more awkward.

In answer to your question, I curraently have the desktop set to 1024x768 and oevrlay mode is "working" however if I switch the desktop to 1280x1024 then I can't get overlay mode to work.

Cheers for the help.

Lion King

16th May 2002 15:31 UTC

1. works for me, dunno

are you changing the resolution in windows display properties?

edit: fixed typo

Lion King

16th May 2002 15:48 UTC

o.k. I finally got it:

rightclick on the vis box in the config screen (bottom, left) and choose undock from config, close the config window and the desktop stays overlayed :)

Jaheckelsafar

16th May 2002 16:26 UTC

Run AVS undocked, then the editor window can be closed. You'll still have to have the AVS window open, but get a good playlisy going (or pick a i-radio station) minimize winamp, and chill.

If you want to change the res of the overlay, just make the render window bigger or smaller.

Lion King

16th May 2002 17:12 UTC

desktop overlay definately does work in 1280x1024 windows resolution
I just tried it

I didn't know the resize thing, thanks Jaheckelsafar

Sam Dickinson

18th June 2002 16:43 UTC

Sorry for the long silence but I got stuck working on something else.

There is probably slightly more to my original question which I didn't make clear first time around.

I have tried running the AVS window undocked but when I do that the performance is dreadful (for example one of the visualisations runs at about 4 FPS rather than 30 FPS). This occurs even when I minimise the AVS window.

Therefore I am having to keep the AVS window "docked" and as a result I have to keep the AVS editor window open or the desktop overlay setting is lost.

These circumstances lead to a follow-on problem, which sometimes occurs if you try to adjust a running AVS preset when Winamp has selected a new random AVS preset. The result is that the effect list which is shown in the AVS editor window does not match the preset which is actually running.

When you select an effect in the editor Winamp usually crashes. The problem is that it doesn't fully exit as the AVS editor window seems to be detected by the OS (Windows 2000) as a "debug" application and Windows refuses to close the "hung" application.

At this point you cannot close the application (or Windows) and the only solution is a "forced" reboot (the reset button!).

Here are my thoughts on this: -

1) Is there a performance issue with docked vs. undocked windows?
2) Can AVS be changed so that the editor window can be closed (with the graphics docked) without "stopping" the desktop overlay from functioning?
3) If AVS is set to randomly change the presets then, when the editor is open, then it should detect these changes and not crash when you try to adjust the settings.
4) Is there a mechanism to "kill" AVS indepedantly of Winamp so that Windows can be closed "cleanly"?

Thanks for any feedback.

Sam

Jaheckelsafar

18th June 2002 17:54 UTC

1) The only thing that affects the performace of docked vs undocked is the size of the render window. Smaller = faster = more pretty :)

2) AVS can be run in overlay mode with the editor window open. Just set it up, minimize winamp, and groove. :cool:

3) The random function does not work when the editor window is open, so this shouldn't be a problem :p

4) There is, it's called Program Manager. It's accessed by pressing CTRL-ALT-DEL. Look for something being run by winamp. (in win 98 it's Winamp AVS Display)

Sam Dickinson

19th June 2002 12:45 UTC

1) I had no idea that a few pixels either way could make such a difference to the performance ...:eek:

2) ... no longer an issue because I can undock the AVS window and run with the editor closed (with good performance!) ...:)

3) I agree, if the editor window is open then the random function will not operate. However if you minimise the whole of Winamp when you have the editor window open then the random function will operate and you can get into the situation which I described ...:igor:

4) I have tried task manager (Windows 2000) and it reports that the program is being debugged. I have tried killing the individual process but it still won't die ...:weird:
However, hopefully I won't get in that situation again now that you have sorted problem 1) ...;)

Thanks,
Sam

UnConeD

19th June 2002 17:04 UTC

"I had no idea that a few pixels either way could make such a difference to the performance"

It's a 2-dimensional image, so the amount of pixels = width x height. If you increase both by about 40%, the amount of pixels is doubled and speed is halved.