PlasmaVis Windows® Media Player Visualizer “ReadMe”
Information:
Contents:
What is PlasmaVis?
PlasmaVis is a music “visualizer” that turns sounds into
graphic works of art. It features high resolution hardware-accelerated
graphics combining texture, color, and advanced mathematics such as real-time
fractals. Simply put, PlasmaVis is something to look at while you listen to
music. Beyond that, it can be used as background effects at concerts, dance
clubs, parties, etc., a screen-saver to decorate your computer, or an
advertising venue to draw attention to a message.
PlasmaVis consists of 3 main
applications:
- Windows
Media Player “Visualizer” (runs inside of the Microsoft® Windows
Media Player)
- Stand-alone
visualizer
(runs from microphone input, or if no microphone is present it runs from
internally generated data.)
- Screen
Saver (generates
visualization based on internally generated data, or microphone input if a
microphone is active.)
These 3 applications are available as a free download with
some features disabled. Purchasing & Registering PlasmaVis Pro unlocks
additional effects and features. For an exact description of what is included
in the free and pay versions, visit http://www.plasmavis.com.
Updates and Purchasing:
Minimum System Requirements:
- Important: Please make sure the software runs on your computer
using the free version prior to purchasing the Pro version. Both software
versions are the same code. The Pro version simply enables more features.
- Windows 7: This software is not yet compatible with Windows 7 or Media Player version 12.
- Minimum Recommended
System:
- 1.5 GHz
or faster processor
- 256 Mb
RAM or higher
- Microsoft®
Windows® 2000, Windows® XP, or Windows Vista™
- Windows
Media Player version 10 or 11
- OpenGL®
accelerated video card
- 16 bit
color or higher
- Windows
Installer version 2.0 or newer (which is on all computers starting with
Windows 2000 Service Pack 3)
- Microphone
input (If desired to run the Stand-Alone microphone enabled version of
PlasmaVis)
- PlasmaVis
performance is highly dependant on the power of graphics cards. For best
performance, use a high performance video card.
- Running
on systems that do not meet the minimum system requirements may result in
poor visualizer performance, or not work at all.
- It may be
impossible to run it on some systems. PlasmaVis is not guaranteed to run
on all system configurations. Use the free download as your opportunity
to test before purchasing.
- Special
considerations for the Windows Media Player version of PlasmaVis:
- The
Windows Media Player feature of PlasmaVis is not intended to run on
dual-monitor computers. (Though it can run in many cases via a
work-around - see troubleshooting section
below for details.)
- The
latest version of Windows Media Player can be found at: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/download
- PlasmaVis
is not compatible with some Windows Media Player “skins”. It is intended
to be run in the default Windows Media Player skin configuration, and in
full screen or full window mode.
To install:
- Close any
running applications, including Windows Media Player and Internet Explorer
- Un-install
any previous versions of PlasmaVis, if applicable. (Use the Windows “Add
/ Remove Programs” utility to do so, or use the un-install feature of the
new installer.)
- Double-click
on the PlasmaVis.msi installer file, and
follow on-screen instructions.
Installation Notes:
- During
the install, shortcuts to the PlasmaVis stand-alone (microphone input)
application will be place in the “Start” menu. (Start / All Programs /
PlasmaVis…)
- In
addition, a shortcut to this “ReadMe” file will be placed on your desktop,
along with a short-cut to “Buy PlasmaVis”. If you do not wish these icons
to be on your desktop, simply delete them by clicking on the icon, and
pressing “delete” on your keyboard.
- All other
files will be copied to a sub-folder of the Windows Media Player (the
standard location for visualizations.)
To Remove:
- Use the
Windows “Add / Remove Programs” utility. This is accessed from the
Windows Control Panel.
- In case
you need to know, all installed files are located in the C:\Program Files\Windows Media
Player\Visualizations\PlasmaVis\ folder.
Instructions for Use:
Note: These instructions assume Windows XP and Windows Media Player 11. For
other operating systems (in particular Windows Vista), or for Windows Media
Player 10, the instructions may vary slightly from what is here.
- PlasmaVis
incorporates 3 programs. Scroll down for instructions on each:
- Windows
Media Player Visualizer plug-in (runs inside of the Microsoft®
Windows Media Player)
- Stand-alone
visualizer (runs from microphone input. If there is no microphone input,
then it runs from internally generated data.)
- Screen
Saver (Generates visualization based on internally generated data. If
there is microphone input, then the microphone input is used.)
- Note
that the stand-alone visualizer and the screen saver are essentially the
same program, except the screen saver runs as a screen saver and exits
when the mouse is wiggled.
- To run
the Media Player Visualizer:
- Simply
open Windows Media Player, start playing some music, then go to “now playing”
to show the visualizer. (Note that the exact method for doing this will
depend on the version of Windows Media Player that you are using.)
- If
PlasmaVis is not showing, choose it from the “visualizer” menu.
- Once
running, put on your favorite music, dim the lights, turn up the volume, double
click on the display to run it in full screen, and then stare at it for
hours.
- To run
the Stand-Alone (microphone input)
version:
- Click on
“Start / All Programs / PlasmaVis / PlasmaVis
Stand-Alone” from the Windows Start Menu.
- Make
sure your microphone is enabled
- Make
some noise!
- Notes:
- If
PlasmaVis does not detect any sound after 10 seconds, it will
automatically create visualizations from its own internally generated
data. This 10 second delay is configurable via the configuration
settings described below. (PlasmaVis Pro version only)
- The
microphone input feature of PlasmaVis is not guaranteed to work on all
systems.
- If the
microphone does not seem to do anything, check your microphone setup.
Your microphone setup is configured in Windows or as part of your audio
card settings, and is not part of PlasmaVis. (See troubleshooting
section below for additional information.)
- To run
/ configure PlasmaVis Screen Saver:
- Right
click somewhere in the blank area of your Windows Desktop
- Choose
“Properties” from the menu that pops up
- Choose
the “Screen Saver” tab
- Choose
“PlasmaVis” from the list of screen savers
- To
configure the screen saver, click on the “Settings” button provided by
Windows in the Screen-Saver setup dialog.
Configuration:
- To access
PlasmaVis controls, move your mouse towards the top left corner of the
visualizer display. Controls will drop down:
Use these controls to optimize the visualizer to your
hardware and preferences.
Note: Settings made with the drop-down controls are not saved. When you exit
PlasmaVis, they will revert back to default values.
Change Visualization - Randomly choose
a new visualization pattern.
Decrease Sensitivity - Decreases the
amount of response to the music (dampens “flickering”, and creates a more
“dreamy” effect.)
Increase Sensitivity - Increases the
amount of response to music (increases “flickering”, for a more “disco /
strobe” effect.)
Decrease Allowed Particle Size - Make particles
smaller. Smaller particles increase the frame rate / performance, but decrease
visual appeal. Smaller particles also make the visualization appear somewhat
darker. Note that if particle size is too small, they may become difficult to
see.
Increase Allowed Particle Size - Make particles
larger. Larger particles can reduce performance on slower video cards. Larger
textures also make the visualization somewhat brighter.
About PlasmaVis - Displays the “about”
box (copyright and upgrade information.)
Help - Displays this “ReadMe” file
Purchase - Opens http://www.plasmavis.com to for
information on purchasing. Note that this button does not display once the
software is purchased, and registration information is entered.
Configure PlasmaVis - Use this to
configure text and other effects, or enter in registration information after
purchasing PlasmaVis Pro. This same dialog can be accessed via the “Start”
menu.
Note that configuration options are only
available in PlasmaVis Pro.
Details on advanced configuration options:
Important Note: All 3 PlasmaVis applications (Screen Saver, Windows Media
Player Visualizer, and Stand-Alone version) are configured by the same control
dialog. Any change made in one version will affect the others, whether they
are currently running or not.
- Show
Static Text every XXX Seconds – Check this to enable showing a short string of
text every once in a while. Use this to display a short message such as
“Happy Birthday Jennifer”, or “Buy this computer!”
Above: Example of “Static Text”
- Note: The length of text
supported is quite short, and depends on the number of pixels that
create the text. If you have text that uses lots of pixels such as
(“88888”), then fewer characters will be allowed. If you have text
that uses few pixels (such as “11111”), then more characters will fit.
(View the “pixel used” count below the text entry box for reference)
- Tip: To improve readability,
you may prefer to insert spaces between characters. For example, type
“L O V E” instead of “LOVE”.
- Show
scrolling text every YYY seconds – Check this to enable scrolling text every once in
a while. This is useful for displaying longer messages.
Above: Example of “Scrolling Text”
- Tip:
Setting the
time delay for static text and scrolling text to the same value may
cause the two text effects to occur back to back; therefore, it is
suggested that you set these two time delays to values that are not
exactly the same.
- Tip: If you discover that the
scrolling text tends not to be displayed fully, add some periods to the
start and end, like this: “…..Happy New Year…..”
- Disable
Motion Blur and Fractal Effects – Use this to speed up performance, or create a
crisper and blacker effect. Note that motion blur and fractal effects
are not always on. When this check box is checked, PlasmaVis will
sometimes do motion blur and fractal effects, and other times not. When
this check-box is un-checked, PlasmaVis will never do these effects.
Above: Fractal Effect (left), Motion-blur Effect (right)
- Reduce
Particle Count – Use this to speed up performance by reducing the complexity of
what is on the screen. This also increases the amount of “black space”
behind the visualization.
- Simulate
music after ZZZ seconds of silence – If no music is playing, PlasmaVis normally
would go to a nearly completely black screen. If this feature is
enabled, PlasmaVis will auto-generate its own “internal music” during
times of extended silence.
- “Ok”
button –
Immediately apply changes and close dialog
- “Apply”
Button –
Immediately apply changes without closing the dialog.
- “Cancel”
button –
Cancel changes made since last “applied”, and exit dialog
Frequently Asked Questions:
- Q: How do
I know if an update is available?
- A: PlasmaVis
will alert you the first time it is run, if you are connected to the
Internet. Otherwise, check http://www.plasmavis.com,
and compare the version number on the web site with the version number in
the PlasmaVis “about” box. If they are different, then there is an
update.
- Q: Is
PlasmaVis available for other media players?
- Q: What
do I get if I upgrade to PlasmaVis Pro?
- More
control over what is displayed
- Removal
of “Trial Version” and “PlasmaVis” text
- More
effects
- Check http://www.plasmavis.com
for details and updated news.
- Q: What
can I do to get the best performance from PlasmaVis?
- A: Performance
is primarily a function of your video card. Updating your video card to
the latest CAD or “gamer” level video card, and / or updating your video
cards device driver can make the biggest difference. PlasmaVis is tested
on modern ATI™ and NVIDIA® video cards.
- PlasmaVis
also needs processor time and memory. Close other running applications
for best performance.
- Reducing
the visualization window size will also improve the speed at which it can
display, since less work is required to render smaller scenes.
- Q: How
can I get the best image quality from PlasmaVis?
- A:
PlasmaVis looks best when running at high resolution and full-screen with
a fast video card on a large monitor with a high contrast ratio. Dim the
lights in your room for improved visual clarity and ambience.
- Q: How
can I take a screen-shot of the image?
- A: press
the “print-screen” key on your keyboard to copy an image of the screen to
the Windows Clipboard, and then “paste” the image into another document
or paint program. Third party applications such as HyperSnap (http://www.hyperionics.com/) are
also excellent choices for taking screen-shots.
- Q: I have
a suggestion, comment, or feature request. Who do I contact?
- A: We
welcome your feedback please email: info@plasmavis.com. We will read all
emails we receive, but note that we may not be able to reply.
- Q: I
would like a custom version of PlasmaVis for my promotional purposes (concert,
magazine distribution, tradeshow, etc.) Where should I start / who should
I contact?
- A: send
and email to info@plasmavis.com, with a brief description of what you
want to do. Projects such as these are open for negotiation.
- Q: I’m
having troubles.
- A: See
“Troubleshooting & Known Bugs” section below.
- Q: If I buy a license (PlasmaVis Pro), can I install it on multiple computers?
- A: If it is for your own personal use, then yes. Refer to the software license agreement for details.
Revision History (oldest at top):
- 0.0.0.0 (September
25, 2006)
- Official
Release of PlasmaVis free version
- 0.0.0.1 (October
2006)
- A few
new effects have been added to increase visual variety
- Reduced
severity of bug that can occur when switching between library and
visualizer on computers running dual monitors from an “Access violation”
to it simply not displaying sometimes. (See troubleshooting below for
more info.)
- 1.1.0.0
(December 2, 2006)
- Introduced
PlasmaVis Pro with additional controls and effects
- Introduced
screensaver mode
- Introduced
stand-alone microphone-input version
- Introduced
“scrolling text” feature
- Fixed
some visualization effects that would cause excessive flicker or other
annoyances
- Increased
frequency of “fractal” and “blur” effects.
- Added
“Help” button
- 1.1.0.1
(December 6, 2006)
- Added a
few minor variations to visualization
- Fixed a
bug that could cause the word “PlasmaVis.com” to appear even when
disabled in the registered (“Pro”) version.
- 1.1.0.2 (December
8, 2006)
- Added a
few more minor variations to PlasmaVis Pro
- Fixed (another)
bug that could cause the word “PlasmaVis.com” to appear even when
disabled in the registered (“Pro”) version.
- 1.1.0.3 (December
12, 2006)
- Added a
few more minor variations to PlasmaVis Pro
- 1.1.0.6 (February
3, 2007)
- Added a
few more minor variations to PlasmaVis Pro
- Updated
this ReadMe file with work-around instructions for a Windows Vista
installation issue.
Troubleshooting & Known Bugs:
- Error
when installing on Windows Vista: If you get the following error when
installing PlasmaVis on Windows Vista:
1.
Click on “Ignore”
to allow the
installation to finish. (At this point, everything has installed properly, but
the Windows Media Player needs to know PlasmaVis exists.)
2.
Go to: Start
/ All Programs / Accessories
(Note that the “Start” button in Vista is no longer called “Start”, but is
instead the Windows Vista log in the lower left corner of Windows.)
3.
Right - click
on "Command Prompt", and choose "Run as administrator". This will open a “command prompt”
window with administrator privileges needed to associate PlasmaVis with the
Windows Media Player.
4.
Type this
EXACTLY (and be
sure to include the quotes and spaces.):
Regsvr32 "C:\Program Files\Windows Media
Player\Visualizations\Plasmavis.dll"
5.
Press
"Enter"
6.
If all is good,
you should get a “success message that looks something like this:
7.
It’s now fixed!
- Running
on dual monitors: When running on a dual monitor computer, it is
possible for the visualizer to stop working when switching between screens
in the Windows Media Player. If this happens, try switching screens back
and forth a second time to “reset” the visualizer (for example, switch to
“now playing”, then to the “library”, then back again). If this does not
help, then it may be necessary to close the Windows Media Player and
re-run it, in order to re-start the visualization.
- Some
Windows Media Player “skins” may not display the visualizer
properly, or not at all. In particular, skins that have external windows
for displaying. In these cases, it is necessary to choose a different
skin, or use the Windows Media Player default interface.
- Hiccups: When playing on low
performance computers, PlasmaVis may experience stuttering frame rates at
times (or all the time on really slow computers)
- If
PlasmaVis only shows colored squares for all textures, this is an
indication that the video card does not support certain OpenGL features,
is not using hardware acceleration, or has an out of date driver. If
already running the latest device drivers for the video card, then most
likely the only solution is to upgrade to a newer video card with full
OpenGL support.
- 2 users
(out of 20,000 at the time of this writing) have reported not seeing any
visualization, and getting exception errors. We have been unable to
determine the cause of this.
- No
response to microphone when using the “stand-alone” version: Make sure microphone is not
muted, and is sufficiently amplified to generate a signal. If you can
hear the microphone through your PC speakers, it is a good sign that it is
working properly. Use the Windows Sound and Volume control, or other
means to boost the microphone signal, if necessary. (Try “Start / Control
Panel / Sounds and Audio Devices”). Consult your audio card manufacturer
for additional help on configuring your microphone. Note that the
microphone input feature is not guaranteed to work with all hardware
setups.
- If you
have other troubles, here are some generic things to check:
- Check
that computer meets the minimum system requirements
- Check
that computer is running the latest video card device drivers appropriate
for your video card
- Re-boot
the PC to clear out any computer “pollution”.
- Uninstall
and re-install PlasmaVis after a fresh re-boot. Perhaps there was some
computer “pollution” that prevented a proper installation the first time.
- Try
running the stand-alone version, to isolate problems that might be
related to Windows Media Player, such as conflicts with “skins”. If the
stand-alone version works fine, then the problem may be with the Windows
Media Player somewhere. If the stand-alone version does not work, then
the problem may be with your video card / driver / settings.
- Consider
that there might be OpenGL video card settings that are overriding the
ability of PlasmaVis to operate
- Check
that hardware acceleration is turned on for your video card (Right-click
on windows desktop, choose “properties”, then the “settings” tab, then
“Advanced”, then the “troubleshooting” tab, then experiment with various
settings. Don’t forget to write down the original settings, in case you
care to restore them.)
- Visit http://www.plasmavis.com for updates
and bug fixes
Copyright ©2006 Olsen Software, LLC.
http://www.plasmavis.com
Microsoft, Windows Media, and Windows
are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the
United States and/or other countries.
ATI is a registered
trademark of ATI Technologies Inc. in the United States and other countries.
NVIDIA is a
registered trademark of NVIDIA Corporation in the United States and other
countries.
OpenGL is a trademark of Silicon
Graphics Inc.
