MPG Wallpaper (like Windows Dreamscene)

hugo87 · 11-16-2009, 09:58 PM

So, clearly I'm a windows 7 user migrate his main PC to *nix.
I think the title is quite clear, I'm looking for some way to have my "root window" ("desktop") have an MPG background instead of an image. I used to use feh to set a background image, but now I want to use the same MPG I used some time ago in windows. Since i've only used *nix for work/servers, desktop software is very much my weakness.

BTW: I'm using pekwn, but might try a few window managers, not sure if this is relevant.

i92guboj · 11-16-2009, 10:48 PM

You can always use a regular media player, example:

Code:

mplayer -loop 0 foo.avi

Then just configure your wm so the mplayer window appears on the bottom layer, behind the normal windows. You will also need to configure it not to show the window border and title bar.

hugo87 · 11-17-2009, 11:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by i92guboj

You can always use a regular media player, example:

Code:

mplayer -loop 0 foo.avi

Then just configure your wm so the mplayer window appears on the bottom layer, behind the normal windows. You will also need to configure it not to show the window border and title bar.

Won't this get iconified when I "iconify all"? And won't this affect how me desktop reacts to clicks/right clicks?

i92guboj · 11-17-2009, 11:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hugo87

Won't this get iconified when I "iconify all"? And won't this affect how me desktop reacts to clicks/right clicks?

Yes, it will be a pain. How much pain, only depends on how your window manager handles the thing. Some wm's are configurable enough so you can set a window as fixed, non-resizable, non-minimizable.

It will cause issues nonetheless if you really use the desktop for something (I don't, I only see windows in my screens, whatever is behind them is useless to me).

I have no idea if there are plasma plugins (kde4) or some compiz plugin to do this, but right now it's the only ways I imagine that will could be doable without resorting to that ugly trick. So, I'd start looking at plasmoids and compiz plugins.

MTK358 · 11-17-2009, 12:34 PM

It seems like quite a waste of computing resources to have a small movie as your wallpaper instead of a picture.

Maybe I just don't understand the real purpose of it.

hugo87 · 11-17-2009, 07:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MTK358

It seems like quite a waste of computing resources to have a small movie as your wallpaper instead of a picture.

Maybe I just don't understand the real purpose of it.

No, you pretty much got the point. Waste resources in a pretty background while I use my PC.

It may sound stupid to some, but I'll be sincere here, while browsing the web, or chatting, programing, and most of the rest of the stuff I do, I'm no THAT resource hungry. PCs nowdays have resources to spare for the average desktop user doing that sort of stuff, specialy if I use a realy lightweight

I previously used Windows 7 RC with Windows Dreamscene (playing that same video), and had no real resource issus, so you can imagine.

(this one I belive: http://depositfiles.com/es/files/2s9q8r90y)