Music Visualization

[deltr]

I am trying to find out what music player can give me the best visualizations while I jam to music and smoke. Anyone have some opinions on the matter?

[Big Boss]

Music visualization? Esplain yo' sef, foo'

[pbpredator]

Music visualization? Esplain yo' sef, foo'

hrm you mean like Windows Media Player? where it does the wierd shapes and different colors and what not...

if thats what you mean im sure you can look around for addons to WMP for extra Vizualizations...

[deltr]

yeah that's what I mean. I guess ill stick with WMP D:

[Big Boss]

What comes to my mind (besides WMP) is stuff like this: http://www.pssl.com/bitemdetail.tpl?eqint_...amp;source=FROO
or heck, even this: http://www.iol.ie/~taeger/psyscope/psyscope.html
and for good measure: http://people.virginia.edu/~rlk3p/classes/...PsychIntro.html

When I hear "music visualization" I think of the crazy hippie stuff of the 60's

[resixpromo]

The best I have seen on the computer is something called Milk for Winamp. I think it comes with it already installed on the new version too.

[SmokeMojo]

Honestly, the best visualizer that is free.. and is rated by many websites as the best.. Is the Itunes Visualizer. It has more morphs and free form than any other visualizer and it has almost limitless design and color combos. It is the most crisp and least cheap looking as well. If you have an xbox 360, the visualizer for that is rated highly. With this you can get high res images and everything is crisp and clean. When you hook a computer up to a larger TV the res is sometimes too high for the computer to support and it looks kind of grainy.

I hook my itunes visualizer up to my 42 inch plasma and smoke all the time.. It is fantastic..

[ghostofdavid]

I never even know the 360 had a visualizer!

[SmokeMojo]

I never even know the 360 had a visualizer!

I just blew your mind.

[Calcartman]

When you hook a computer up to a larger TV the res is sometimes too high for the computer to support and it looks kind of grainy.

You got that the wrong way im assuming? Typically PC resolution is higher than the TV is capable of displaying.


HDTV (1080I/P) is 1,920x1,080, my desktop computer is running at 2048 x 1536.
And most people dont have HDTV, so they run at either:
720I/P - 1,280x720
or 480P (480I is standard tv) - 852x480/640x480.

I also like Itunes visualizations, though i cant say i really use any of them much.

[SmokeMojo]

When you hook a computer up to a larger TV the res is sometimes too high for the computer to support and it looks kind of grainy.

You got that the wrong way im assuming? Typically PC resolution is higher than the TV is capable of displaying.


HDTV (1080I/P) is 1,920x1,080, my desktop computer is running at 2048 x 1536.
And most people dont have HDTV, so they run at either:
720I/P - 1,280x720
or 480P (480I is standard tv) - 852x480/640x480.

I also like Itunes visualizations, though i cant say i really use any of them much.

Well, in some cases you are correct cal, but see.. The dimensions of a laptop screen are much smaller than that of a 42 inch plasma widescreen. You're dealing with the same ratios, at a different size. That is why you start to lose definition in HD at larger tv sizes. They say the biggest picture you can get with the best quality atm, is a 50" or something like that.. But they make TV's larger than that.

I'll use shadows on a wall as an example. If you have the flashlight and your hand up close to the wall (laptop screen) your shadow lines will look dark and crisp.

Now keeping the flashlight at the same distance from your hand (this would be your ratio), you take 10 steps back and keep projecting on the same wall. (42" Widescreen). Your image is the same, but it is larger, and the shadow lines become a little more faint, and a little more fuzzy. (the grainy appearance on TV's from laptop display)

Another problem is that some laptops only offer 2 ratios when you set them to display on another monitor.

My macbook pro doesn't have that problem, but a lot of the low end hardware laptops have bad ratios.

I hope that kind of explains it.

Now there are instances where people have high end graphics cards, and good hardware that support ridiculous ratios. In that case you can display your laptop or computer images with little picture quality loss. Depending on the size of your TV.

[symptom CY]

Milkdrop for Winamp is the bomb. I don't know about the X-Box 360 and iTunes visualizers, but Milkdrop is currently pushing 5,500 presets.

http://www.milkdrop.co.uk/ Edited July 10, 2007 by symptom CY

[JonDubya]

When you hook a computer up to a larger TV the res is sometimes too high for the computer to support and it looks kind of grainy.

You got that the wrong way im assuming? Typically PC resolution is higher than the TV is capable of displaying.


HDTV (1080I/P) is 1,920x1,080, my desktop computer is running at 2048 x 1536.
And most people dont have HDTV, so they run at either:
720I/P - 1,280x720
or 480P (480I is standard tv) - 852x480/640x480.

I also like Itunes visualizations, though i cant say i really use any of them much.

Well, in some cases you are correct cal, but see.. The dimensions of a laptop screen are much smaller than that of a 42 inch plasma widescreen. You're dealing with the same ratios, at a different size. That is why you start to lose definition in HD at larger tv sizes. They say the biggest picture you can get with the best quality atm, is a 50" or something like that.. But they make TV's larger than that.

I'll use shadows on a wall as an example. If you have the flashlight and your hand up close to the wall (laptop screen) your shadow lines will look dark and crisp.

Now keeping the flashlight at the same distance from your hand (this would be your ratio), you take 10 steps back and keep projecting on the same wall. (42" Widescreen). Your image is the same, but it is larger, and the shadow lines become a little more faint, and a little more fuzzy. (the grainy appearance on TV's from laptop display)

Another problem is that some laptops only offer 2 ratios when you set them to display on another monitor.

My macbook pro doesn't have that problem, but a lot of the low end hardware laptops have bad ratios.

I hope that kind of explains it.

Now there are instances where people have high end graphics cards, and good hardware that support ridiculous ratios. In that case you can display your laptop or computer images with little picture quality loss. Depending on the size of your TV.

He never mentioned a single ratio.  Screen resolution is screen resolution, period.  Now, if you take a CRT TV, which has a preset # of lines and you increase the size of that TV those lines get bigger; i.e. the pixels themselves get larger.  Your "ratio" (whatever that refers to) isn't changing, it's the physical enlargment of the pixels.

I guess the same can be said for LCD/Plasma TVs, but I don't know enough about how their pixel sizes change as they increase in overall size (42" -> 60"+) to give a definite answer.

If you can have a visualization run clean at over 1920x1080 resolution (pixels x pixles) on a PC monitor, surely you can pump that out to a TV through an HD input and have a fantastic looking image.

If anything, the cause of the 'non-sharp' image is from trying to squeeze too much information into too few pixels.  That's what happens when you pump 1024x768 into a standard TV (320x240 or 640x480, depending).  Quality is lost not through enlargment, but rather a lack of display area for the source 'image.'

[SmokeMojo]

When you hook a computer up to a larger TV the res is sometimes too high for the computer to support and it looks kind of grainy.

You got that the wrong way im assuming? Typically PC resolution is higher than the TV is capable of displaying.


HDTV (1080I/P) is 1,920x1,080, my desktop computer is running at 2048 x 1536.
And most people dont have HDTV, so they run at either:
720I/P - 1,280x720
or 480P (480I is standard tv) - 852x480/640x480.

I also like Itunes visualizations, though i cant say i really use any of them much.

Well, in some cases you are correct cal, but see.. The dimensions of a laptop screen are much smaller than that of a 42 inch plasma widescreen. You're dealing with the same ratios, at a different size. That is why you start to lose definition in HD at larger tv sizes. They say the biggest picture you can get with the best quality atm, is a 50" or something like that.. But they make TV's larger than that.

I'll use shadows on a wall as an example. If you have the flashlight and your hand up close to the wall (laptop screen) your shadow lines will look dark and crisp.

Now keeping the flashlight at the same distance from your hand (this would be your ratio), you take 10 steps back and keep projecting on the same wall. (42" Widescreen). Your image is the same, but it is larger, and the shadow lines become a little more faint, and a little more fuzzy. (the grainy appearance on TV's from laptop display)

Another problem is that some laptops only offer 2 ratios when you set them to display on another monitor.

My macbook pro doesn't have that problem, but a lot of the low end hardware laptops have bad ratios.

I hope that kind of explains it.

Now there are instances where people have high end graphics cards, and good hardware that support ridiculous ratios. In that case you can display your laptop or computer images with little picture quality loss. Depending on the size of your TV.

He never mentioned a single ratio. Screen resolution is screen resolution, period. Now, if you take a CRT TV, which has a preset # of lines and you increase the size of that TV those lines get bigger; i.e. the pixels themselves get larger. Your "ratio" (whatever that refers to) isn't changing, it's the physical enlargment of the pixels.

I guess the same can be said for LCD/Plasma TVs, but I don't know enough about how their pixel sizes change as they increase in overall size (42" -> 60"+) to give a definite answer.

If you can have a visualization run clean at over 1920x1080 resolution (pixels x pixles) on a PC monitor, surely you can pump that out to a TV through an HD input and have a fantastic looking image.

If anything, the cause of the 'non-sharp' image is from trying to squeeze too much information into too few pixels. That's what happens when you pump 1024x768 into a standard TV (320x240 or 640x480, depending). Quality is lost not through enlargment, but rather a lack of display area for the source 'image.'

I meant ratio as in resolution.. Sorry. The pixel size increases on larger Plasma and LCD's.. That is why your image is fuzzier. Usually it isn't noticable, but as I said with laptops and pcs with lower end video hardware, it becomes a lot more apparent.

[ghostofdavid]

I just tried the Xbox360 visualization on my 42". Very nice! *Thumbs UP*

[JonDubya]

I meant ratio as in resolution.. Sorry. The pixel size increases on larger Plasma and LCD's.. That is why your image is fuzzier. Usually it isn't noticable, but as I said with laptops and pcs with lower end video hardware, it becomes a lot more apparent.

Fair enough.  That's why rear projos (DLP) are the best for large screens

[SmokeMojo]

So I downloaded the newest milkdrop and its latest presets... It's pretty damn good. I'll have to say it is pretty intense, not quite as relaxing as the Itunes or Xbox visualizer, but definitely cool.

If I had to guess what a drug like LSD was like.. I'd assume it was something like the MilkDrop visualizer, only you were just totally immersed in the madness.

[MandirnOrange]

the best part of the 360 visualizer is that if you use the controller, you can control where you go inside the visualization. The left stick determines how fast you go and left and right... while the right joystick controls where youre looking. its pretty awesome.

The itunes one is really good too except for the fact that the apple icon comes up once in a while which really blows. its like theyre advertising even when youre visualizing.

lastly, if you do like visualizing go get some heliosequence. its some awesome music and perfect for it!!!! hope you guys enjoy!!!

[john_smith]

I spent a good 30 minutes staring at the crazy Playstation 3 visualizations last night after a few good sessions. It was great, I could have watched it for hours if the music were better (it was a mates playsation, he listens to horrible stuff).

[ezie]

Dance of the freaky circle - WMP 11

[Allia22]

R4 Sucks up a good deal of the ROM on my friend's new compy... but it's absolutely amazing. I had some old Manson playing (Get Your Gunn) and all of a sudden this flaming skull pops up and starts lip-synching. It was crazy, I laughed.