High definition video screensaver?

March 6, 2006 6:51 PM

I've seen an intriguing screensaver for Windows PCs (specifically laptops) that uses high definition video footage. Is this available without buying the laptop?

I believe the screensaver is mostly intended to show how awesome the displays are. It cycles between a startlingly colorful picture of a parrot, which then winks/moves slightly to show it's video; a colorful fruit stand; and some other interesting images. I believe all the laptops I've seen this on have been Sony branded.

If this specific one isn't available, I'd also be interested in knowing about other screensavers that use high def video.

posted by felix to computers & internet (7 comments total)

You might like Electric Sheep. If you really want video, there are various screensavers that will play any content you have, I suppose, a web search should find those.
posted by kcm at 6:58 PM on March 6, 2006

This isn't what you're looking for, but check out Deans3D. But for a laptop, you better have some good memory and a good processor.
posted by jerryg99 at 7:53 PM on March 6, 2006

Windows XP Video screensaver. Free, from microsoft, and you can use any video you want. I think it can also cycle through a whole folder of videos, but I haven't used it in a while so don't hold me to that.
posted by JackarypQQ at 7:58 PM on March 6, 2006

From experience, finding a win32 screensaver that shows more than one video, *without* asking for $$$ up front or asking for a clunky .NET install, is difficult.

Let me save you some time (and staring at umpteen renames of "avisaver" by T. Sorrells) and say you should look for "aviss" v4.2 by Benjamin Carter, from the days of Win95. Still works under WinXP.

Oh, hey, I forgot to install it on my new laptop, so I guess I better find it myself at winsite . It seems the three "original" websites no longer have it.
posted by Mozai at 8:03 PM on March 6, 2006

JackarypQQ: I went and found that Windows XP Video screensaver, and I'm afraid it falls in the "one video only" category, since it plays either one single video, or one of the pregenerated playlists from Windows Media Player 10.

I dunno about kcm, but I avoid WMP10 if I can.
posted by Mozai at 8:20 PM on March 6, 2006

Slightly unrelated, but if you have VLC, you can set it to play video as the desktop background.
posted by matkline at 8:35 PM on March 6, 2006

I've got a VAIO (sony) laptop at home and it has exactly the screensaver you're talking about. If you haven't found it before I get home today, I can try to send it to you, if you want.
posted by capnsue at 8:55 AM on March 7, 2006