Video Walpaper

VivSoft's Video Wallpaper promises to install video clips as desktop wallpaper. It requires Microsoft .NET Framework, Windows Media Player, and up-to-date codecs, which some XP users may lack. Windows Vista 32-bit has the required codecs, and the program worked in that operating system and version. However, it created different problems in 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows 7.

Video Wallpaper downloads as a zipped file and installs normally. It has an extremely simple interface with four buttons--Set, Reset, About, and OK--and a check box for muting the video's sound. The program is very easy to use, too. We clicked Set, browsed to a video clip, and waited about five seconds per the documentation. Soon our video began to play behind our desktop icons, which functioned normally--pretty cool. Clicking Reset removed the wallpaper and replaced it with a logo screen and also reactivated the Set button, which we clicked to repeat the process. Clicking OK minimized the program to the system tray; clicking the system tray icon reopened the main view. We unchecked Volume Mute, and our video's sound played when we activated the wallpaper. The About button opened a small box with a Web link and an e-mail contact.

When we tried to use Video Wallpaper in a 32-bit version of Windows 7 Home Premium, however, the preview played but the video froze. We tried downloading and installing the codec pack mentioned in the documentation, but it had no effect. We also tried it in two different Windows 7 64-bit installations--Home Premium and Ultimate--and in each case the videos would play but the desktop items were hidden. Also, Windows experienced a variety of unhandled exceptions (in plain English, the program crashed) when we ran Video Wallpaper, despite several attempted workarounds and reinstallations. The program's documentation notes that the program is buggy and sometimes won't work even in compatible installations. While we think it's a great idea, it's also a work in progress, and we can only recommend Video Wallpaper with reservations.