Description of Visualizations in Windows Media Player

This article provides a description of the Visualization feature in Windows Media Player, including the steps that are needed to add, change, or remove visualizations from the Windows Media Player interface.

A visualization is splashes of color and geometric shapes that change with the beat of the audio (music) that is currently playing. Windows Media Player 7 includes more than 30 visualizations.

When Windows Media Player is in Full mode, visualizations are displayed in the Now Playing tool. When Windows Media Player is in Compact mode, visualizations appear only if the skin supports this mode. Note that media content must be playing if you want to observe a visualization.

To Download Visualization Collections

1. On the Tools menu, click Download visualizations. Note that this takes you to the WindowsMedia.com Web site.
2. Follow the instructions on the screen to download one or more visualizations. The collection is then added to the list of available visualizations.

To Select a Visualization

Method 1

1. On the View menu, point to Visualizations, and then point to the visualizations collection you want to use.
2. Click the visualization you want to use.

Method 2

In the Now Playing tool, locate and then click the visualization you want to use.

IMPORTANT: When you play an audio CD-ROM, you must also enable digital playback. To verify that digital playback is enabled:

1. On the Tools menu, click Options.
2. Click the CD Audio tab, and then click to select the Digital Playback check box.

NOTE: If the visualization you downloaded is not listed, you may have to add the collection:

1. On the Tools menu, click Options.
2. Click the Visualizations tab, and then click Add.
3. Open the folder that contains the collection, and then click OK.

For additional information about how to configure visualizations, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: