Wallpaper transition issue in Windows 7

[_visormiqo]

Hey all,

I've bought this software just now, after seeing one of my friends use it. Though, I seem to be experiencing an issue none of my friends have. For the record, I am the only one running Windows 7. I figured this is relevant.
I've created a playlist of non-audio wallpapers. Upon playing them, it works fine. But at every transition--albeit forced or conventional--the screen switches to my 'old' wallpaper, for only a brief second.

So far, I have tried:
• Running it as administrator
• Disabling my old wallpaper rotation
• Running the Windows 32-bit variant
• Disabling audio video in the options menu
• Tried every preset in the options menu
• Choosing different wallpapers

I really hate to refund over this, considering I'm a huge fan of the software. If anyone else is experiencing this issue, or knows how to fix it, hit me up.

[Mystix]

I recall reading some Users that had similar issues, and I think the resolution was like:

If you have "Fences" installed, then set the background for that to a solid black color.

If you are have Windows slideshow or screensaver set to run, then disable that before using Wallpaper Engine.

Though I could be wrong or someone else may have other suggestions you could try.

[Biohazard]

Does it help at all if you enable the transition effect in the playlist options?

[_visormiqo]

I have tried that too, actually. Same issue persists.
I've been scanning the discussion board for an answer for a while now. But all the solutions people came up with seemed not to work. Nothing else should be interfering with the application, to my knowledge. Yet it feels like it takes a minute to load the wallpapers, at every transition. To solve this, I've tried to load all wallpapers into memory from the start. (Using the advanced settings.) Again, no result.
From what it looks like, it seems to be adjusting its size to fit my screen, at every transition. I think this is normal, but it shouldn't be visible to me. This is the moment when it briefly shows my old wallpaper.

Oh, and I've also tried switching to a different Direct X version.

Thanks for the quick reply, I hope this new information helps.
Cheers.

[Biohazard]

I think using in-memory will make it worse if anything, because it doesn't precache the entire playlist.

The core issue is that a certain video setting from Windows doesn't work right on Windows 7 (MFVideoRenderPrefs_DoNotRepaintOnStop). This is supposed to just keep the last rendered frame visible when the video is stopped (or swapped for another video etc). But it was never implemented properly by Microsoft for that platform.

Removing that setting prevents the old wallpaper from showing, and I can take a snapshot of the desktop right before that and keep drawing that until the next video starts. That's a little bit less irritating but I don't think I can do better unless I come across some weird work-around for this issue.

[_visormiqo]

Well, that does sound like it solves the issue to a certain degree, least for me. Would be a lot less distracting to look at. I'd greatly appreciate it if it became an available option.

[Biohazard]

It's in the new patch, but I couldn't fully test it with multiple monitors (I only have Windows 7 in a VM).

[_visormiqo]

Doesn't seem to make a difference on my end. Assuming build 1.0.602 is the final version. Any other possible suggestions?

[Biohazard]

Which wallpapers are you switching between exactly? Are they both .mp4?

[_visormiqo]

It seems to only occur when switching from video to video. When I used the default wallpapers that come with the application, the black wallpaper doesn't show.

Here's some of the data I've gathered:

Scene to Scene - Old wallpaper doesn't show
Scene to Video (mp4) - Old wallpaper shows for a brief moment
Video (mp4) to Video (mp4) - Old wallpaper shows for a brief moment
Video (mp4) to Scene - Old wallpaper shows for a brief moment

[Biohazard]

Okay but something has changed, if I understand correctly? It shows a black screen now instead of the static Windows wallpaper, or did you use black as your wallpaper before? How long does it show the black screen?

[_visormiqo]

Alright. I'll go into more detail. Yes, the black screen is indeed my wallpaper now, apologies for not being clear enough earlier. The issue remains like before.
If I switch from a scene to a scene, nothing happens weird happens. Smooth transition. If a video is involved, however, in the space between videos it shows my old wallpaper for a brief moment. About.. half a second, I think? I didn't time it.
After this small window of showing my old wallpaper, it shows the new wallpaper correctly.
If it helps, I'd like to add that I'm experiencing no issues outside of the transitions.

So, from what it looks like; The issue persists like before, no differences. In the transitions it seems to be drawing nothing. This does not occur when switching from a scene type wallpaper to another scene.

I hope this provides enough context. If not, I'll be happy to elaborate.

[Biohazard]

Yeah, thanks, I guess that is a coincidence then.

Could you set up a picture as Windows wallpaper and checking if the transition shows this picture or a black screen? I think that will give me some info about what's going wrong then.

[_visormiqo]

Certainly.

After switching my wallpaper to a picture on my hard disc, I can conclusively say that it shows the wallpaper, and not a static black screen. However, there is still a single tick of black screen before the new video wallpaper loads in. I assume this is when the wallpaper adjusts itself to the correct resolution and settings.

[my dog jax]

NEED FIX PLEASE

[Biohazard]

You could try installing LAV now and changing it to use DirectShow in the settings: http://steamcommunity.com/app/431960/discussions/2/1484358860951576217/

Perhaps this player does not show a black screen like the default one in Win7 when it is being paused/stopped.