Although Windows Media Player comes with a variety of visualizations grouped by specific themes, you can also download additional visualizations from the Internet.
Part 1: Top 10 Visualizations for Windows Media Player
Listed below are the top 10 visualizations in terms of name, size, short description, screenshot and the download URL:
1. Blazing colors
http://download.microsoft.com/download/winmediaplayer/install/1.0/w98/en-us/blazingcolorsviz.exe
169 KB
With awesome and state of the art appearance this visualization makes sure that the user gets the best results and also gets the visualization downloaded for sure as the appearance is stunning and it makes sure that the downloading of the file is confirmed. The changing colors while the music is being played is something that each and every user wants and this visualization makes sure that the awesome is done free of charge and the overall player appearance is also made great and stellar.
2. Color Cubes
http://download.microsoft.com/download/winmediaplayer/install/1.0/w98/en-us/colorcubesviz.exe
169 KB
Yet another powerful and heart touching visualizations that has been created to make sure that the user is lured into the business for sure and for the same reason it is also to be noted that the user should make sure that the visualization is downloaded from the official website of the Microsoft to make sure that the genuine and the best version is there to support the player and user also gets the best results when it comes to playing songs or other audio files as the best has already been provided in form of this visualization.
3. Dungeon Siege
http://download.microsoft.com/download/winmediatech40/viz/1.0/WXP/EN-US/dungeon.exe
837KB
It is also one of the visualizations that have been developed to make sure that the aggressive attitude of the user is pacified in this regard. It also makes sure that the user gets the results as the downloading and the installation is done from the official Microsoft website to make sure that the user gets the visualization without any issue and problem.
4. Energy Bliss
http://download.microsoft.com/download/3/b/7/3b7f92b8-d73e-4325-b402-b3e72ad6a39e/MP10_EnergyBlissViz.exe
521 KB
Full of energy and spirit this visualization makes sure that the best has been provided to the user and the state of the art effects are installed without any issue and problem. For the people who love skies this visualization is a boon and for the same reason it is also to be noted that the users in this regard should make sure that the best has been downloaded and installed as it is highly recommended.
5. G-Force Visualization
http://www.soundspectrum.com/g-force/?src=MSFT_windowsmedia
3.4 MB
Though paid this visualization is recommended to make sure that the user gets the best and the state of the art results within no time at all. The downloading is however done from an external link that has been mentioned above and the user is redirected to another website that is to be visit to make sure that the best has been done and provided to the user in this regard.
6. Morphyre
http://www.morphyre.com/
8.71 MB
It can be rightly called as an amalgamation of several other visualizations that have been developed by different developers and the same is also depicted by the size and the appearance of the visualization. It must be downloaded by all those users who want to add something new to the media player without any hassle and issue. It is undoubtedly the best visualization that has been created ever:
7. Soft Skies
http://www.soundspectrum.com/softskies/?src=MSFT_windowsmedia
7.2 MB
Creating a cool ambiance for the user this visualization makes sure that the user gets the best and the state of the art result without any issue and it is obviously for all those users who want to make sure that soft and slow music is played in relation to their choice and overall environment. The size of the visualization is also large which means that the resolution is awesome and it fits into the media player of any genre without any issue and problem. It should be downloaded and installed instantly as it is highly recommended.
8. White Cap
http://www.soundspectrum.com/whitecap/?src=MSFT_windowsmedia
753 KB
It is also one of those visualizations which make sure that the user gets the best and the state of the art results without any issue and problem when it comes to the music of choice. This is only for those users who want to listen rap and hip hop as the changes that have been embedded within the visualization makes sure that the user gets the visualization work at the right time and therefore it is also advised to download the right visualization the URL of which has been mentioned above to get the best results.
9. Windows Media 9 series
http://download.microsoft.com/download/b/4/c/b4c0c42c-fb60-40f3-b650-9f661c570c38/wm9viz.exe
366KB
Developed by Microsoft this visualization is for those who want to make sure that the player is kept simple and unique at the same time. It is the best visualization that has been developed by the developers of windows media player and therefore it should be added to change the appearance of the player quiet often without reverting to previous versions.
10. Trilogy II
http://download.microsoft.com/download/winmediatech40/viz/1.0/WXP/EN-US/trilogyii.exe
177 KB
This visualization has also been developed by the Microsoft itself and for the same reason it is to be noted that a user should make sure that the best has been downloaded that is not only trustworthy but it is also in line with the requirements of the player as well as the user.
In May, JT Kimbell, Senior Program Manager for Microsoft's Groove team, revealed to The TDL Show that the company was working on new visualizations, an equalizer, and other features for its music app. Now, after tinkering under Groove's hood, Rafael Rivera from Thurrott.com has managed to activate some of those features in the app, and shared details of what he found.
The new visualizations may well be the most eagerly anticipated of the new features. Sadly, there's no sign that Microsoft is planning to resurrect the much-liked visualization that featured in its long-gone Zune media player:
Zune's 'Now Playing' view (above) showed album art overlaid with text animations that included biographical data about the artists, along with a few statistics, such as how many times a song or album had been played.
Instead, Groove's visualizations will be closer in style to those that featured in Windows Media Player, with animations that react to the music being played. Rafael says that there are currently two visualization types. The first is Ribbons, which...
...creates paper-like ribbons, one for each frequency band, that stream in an implied wind synchronously with your music. And while the entire ribbon plane distorts, shifts, and floats around, the camera does its job at alternating between shots.
The second visualization style, shown in the image above, is Dots:
Dots, or Dottopia internally, fills the screen with particles that fly around a central but moving point, all while changing colors and performing choreographed moves. Sometimes along the way, the dots stop and show off by combining to form a representation of the current song’s album art and other graphics.
There are multiple variations for the Ribbons and Dots visualizations, with a range of animation styles and color palettes. Both sets are based on the Media Foundation Transform APIs, so it's likely that more visualization types will be added later.
The introduction of a new equalizer to Groove will allow users to customize playback to suit their preferences, and their audio hardware.
Other features that Rafael spotted include:
- Recommended playlists, in which two 'spotlight' playlists will be added to the Recommended page, based on your music tastes and listening history
- More playlist customization features, allowing users to add a description, choose different cover art - including taking a photo - and even add a note with Windows Ink support
- Streamlined playlist creation - by selecting a few genres, artists or even musical era, Groove will put together a custom mix with a range of songs based on your preferences.
- Direct playlist and song sharing to Facebook and Twitter
- Ability to report abusive images (for inappropriate pictures used in custom playlists)
- Metadata editing improvements
It's not yet clear when these features will be coming to Groove, but as OnMSFT recently spotted, the very latest app preview - which is now available in the Skip Ahead ring for Windows Insiders - includes a new 'Visualizers' setting. While that setting doesn't actually do anything yet, it seems likely that Groove users won't have to wait too much longer for the new features to arrive.
Source and images: Rafael Rivera / Thurrott.com