** SereneScreen Marine Aquarium 2.01 !! ** - Page 11

Coinperson · 04-08-2004, 10:52 AM

I was so happy when the dual screen support came out. I installed it and then found that they were mirrored images. I wanted the fist to swim from one screen to the other!

Jim Sachs · 04-08-2004, 11:16 AM

In order to do that, a lot more artwork would have to be created to carry the background onto another screen.

feldon34 · 04-08-2004, 11:22 AM

It can't be identical tanks that fish swim between?

Sprintmick · 04-08-2004, 12:10 PM

Hi all, I've downloaded the latest version and all seems to be running very well.But after reading most of your posts on here i have a couple of questions if anyone would like to answer for me.

1

o i need to delete my earlier version which is still running ok if i want to use it?

2:How do i find out the cpu% of use while the program is running?

3:Is it best to run with fpm on or off as i got a bit confused in the end after reading all your post's on that one.

My machine seems to be able to run the program at any setting but i just wondered which would be your advised setup.

If it helps for an answer my machine has Pentium(R) 4 CPU 3.06 Ghz ,512 mb of ram, 256mb card'160 Gbt hard disk.
I am using windows xp.

Once again thanks to Jim for a great program that i get many hours of enjoyment from.

Mike

feldon34 · 04-08-2004, 12:20 PM

2. hit Ctrl-Alt-Del and bring up task manager and go to the Performance tab. Then run the Aquarium. Then close the Aquarium and look and see how the CPU Usage bar graph responded.

3. The fps readout uses a lot of CPU. Turn it off if you don't need it.

Using the "Limit FPS" and running the Aquarium in 16-bit are the best ways to keep CPU usage at 10-15%.

Sprintmick · 04-08-2004, 01:38 PM

Thanks Morgan. Now have everthing under control and can find what i wanted to know.

Mike

Raj · 04-24-2004, 06:15 PM

Hi - First off, terrific program! I purchased a couple of weeks ago and my three year old loves to watch on my laptop.

I have a plasma that I would like to display the aquarium on, but my computer for this purpose is in the basement. I purchased a Roku (without any of their artwork, after reading the posts here) that will stream audio and video to the plasma.

Is there a way to stream the aquarium program, or convert to a looping video or something. Or, something different to be purchased? Last weekend, I saw a store that had an aquarium program on their large screen playing from a DVD. Didn't look nearly as nice as Serene Screen.

Suggestions please.

Thanks.

drfish · 04-24-2004, 08:00 PM

For less than the price of the Roku you could have built a HTPC that could run the real aquarium and dedicated it to the plasma... Personally I'd return it and try to do that...

feldon34 · 04-24-2004, 08:50 PM

You can build an HTPC for $299?

Raj · 04-25-2004, 05:08 AM

drfish ---

I thought about having a HTPC in my living room. I really didn't want a PC in my equipment cabinet and more importantly it's serving a couple of other purposes (home automation, cameras, whole house music), so it's better in the basement.

I also didn't want to chance a PC locking up and locking a static image on my plasma.......

The Roku is actually a pretty slick unit meeting all of my needs and at $299, you couldn't touch the price vs. a HTPC. The Dell I purchased for my basement was $349 with a P4.

So, does anyone have advice how to do this beyond buying the $69 aquarium program from Roku?

Thx.

drfish · 04-25-2004, 08:26 AM

$299? If you went real cheap, ebay, and refurb, then yes, no problem...

A little more and you could have a very nice HTPC...

1.6Ghz Duron - $39
MicroATX nForce2 Mobo - $53
256MB DDR Kit - $68
AIW 9000 Pro - $135
40GB HD - $66
16x DVD - $29
Stylish MicroATX case - $37
Total - $427

That's a pretty nice setup IMHO, the AIW is what makes it really great, it comes with an RF remote and nice software like EASYLOOK to make using you HTPC realy easy (as in my wife uses it and doesn't complain). And for $30 bucks more you could add the DVI -> component adapter to get HDTV out of it... If you have and old hard drive or optical drive laying around it could be even cheaper, and you don't need to get the nForce2 mobo, or the dual channel kit, that could save you a few bucks too...

BTW, I'm not critizing your purchase, if it works for you that's great, I'm just saying that if you want the aquarium to run on your plasma, this is what I would do... Well, have done I guess... Except for the plasma part... I've had the aquarium running on a very similar setup to the one above for months now, and I've never had one lockup...

Lastly, you might want to try FRAPS to capture video of the MA... I'm not sure about looping, but if you have a couple hour long video it probably won't be a big deal if it resets every 120 minutes...

wetmonkey · 05-02-2004, 10:11 AM

With the duron 1.6 you can convert it pretty easily to and athlonXP and increase it to a 2.0ghz athlonxp as well as open the cache. Half the price of a 2400xp!! There are a couple methods to do this and some mobo's that offer easy unlocking from within the bios, though youll need to do a little more work for the cache. Also for $66 bones you can easily pick up an 80 gig HD. Check out pricewatch.com for pricing. You can easily pick up brand name 256meg pc2700 for $48 or even cheaper generics. Check you area for suppliers so you can save on freight. check out
http://forums.pcper.com/ for methods

Xylem · 05-04-2004, 11:46 PM

Well, I guess I've been away longer than I thought. Would someone be kind enough to bring me up to date on this v2.01?

I bought MA2 in the box at CompUSA about a year ago (I think). At that time everyone here was talking about new fish and new 3d backgrounds, etc. Is that what is featured in v2.01?

Is this an addendum to v2.0? A replacement? Is it available for everyone? Do I need to search through my study for the MA2 disc? Is it required for this updare? Is there a charge for this, or is it a 'demo' ?

And also; what does "MD" stand for?

Anything else an illiterate might need to know?

Thanks folks

feldon34 · 05-05-2004, 07:43 AM

Jim re-did the 5 new fish in MA2 so that all 26 fish are by Jim Sachs in MA2.0.1. MA2.0.1 also has dual monitor and widescreen support.

New background, fish, etc. are still off in the future.

Generally, with software versions X.Y.Z, X is major features, Y is minor features, Z is bug fixes.

Tiny Turtle · 05-05-2004, 10:49 AM

...and "MD" would be "Multi Display".

Xylem · 05-07-2004, 10:54 AM

Thanks, guys.

cincy-gal · 05-20-2004, 04:16 PM

I have a question (that's probably in the many pages of this thread but......), I purchased MA 2.0 on the website a few days ago. Am I right in that the 2.01 is different that what I just purchased and I need to buy another upgrade?

Thanks guys, cool forum!
CG

Jim Sachs · 05-20-2004, 09:04 PM

You are right that it is different, but wrong about needing to buy it. It's a free upgrade.

aj58 · 05-23-2004, 05:59 AM

Feature request:

It'd be wonderful to have an option to feed the fish [d: dinner]. Of course, there'd have to be some way to stop us over-feeding them too

.

Yeah, I know, a whole new rule set for fish movements at feeding time, so I suspect it'd be very low priority - but thought I'd ask anyway.

Jim Sachs · 05-23-2004, 11:35 AM

It's been on the to-do list since Day1.

04-08-2004, 10:52 AM	#201
Coinperson Registered Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: CO Posts: 1	Dual Screen I was so happy when the dual screen support came out. I installed it and then found that they were mirrored images. I wanted the fist to swim from one screen to the other!

04-08-2004, 11:16 AM	#202
Jim Sachs Developer Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Southern Oregon Posts: 9,791	In order to do that, a lot more artwork would have to be created to carry the background onto another screen. Jim Sachs Creator of SereneScreen Aquarium

04-08-2004, 11:22 AM	#203
feldon34 Forum Administrator Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Rock Hill, SC Posts: 10,939	It can't be identical tanks that fish swim between? "Journalism is printing what someone else does not want printed. Everything else is public relations." - George Orwell "If voting changed anything, they'd make it illegal." - Emma Goldman

04-08-2004, 12:10 PM	#204
Sprintmick Registered Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: On the Enterprise Posts: 5	Hi all, I've downloaded the latest version and all seems to be running very well.But after reading most of your posts on here i have a couple of questions if anyone would like to answer for me. 1o i need to delete my earlier version which is still running ok if i want to use it? 2:How do i find out the cpu% of use while the program is running? 3:Is it best to run with fpm on or off as i got a bit confused in the end after reading all your post's on that one. My machine seems to be able to run the program at any setting but i just wondered which would be your advised setup. If it helps for an answer my machine has Pentium(R) 4 CPU 3.06 Ghz ,512 mb of ram, 256mb card'160 Gbt hard disk. I am using windows xp. Once again thanks to Jim for a great program that i get many hours of enjoyment from. Mike You only live once so make the most of it

04-08-2004, 12:20 PM	#205
feldon34 Forum Administrator Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Rock Hill, SC Posts: 10,939	2. hit Ctrl-Alt-Del and bring up task manager and go to the Performance tab. Then run the Aquarium. Then close the Aquarium and look and see how the CPU Usage bar graph responded. 3. The fps readout uses a lot of CPU. Turn it off if you don't need it. Using the "Limit FPS" and running the Aquarium in 16-bit are the best ways to keep CPU usage at 10-15%. "Journalism is printing what someone else does not want printed. Everything else is public relations." - George Orwell "If voting changed anything, they'd make it illegal." - Emma Goldman

04-08-2004, 01:38 PM	#206
Sprintmick Registered Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: On the Enterprise Posts: 5	Thanks Morgan. Now have everthing under control and can find what i wanted to know. Mike You only live once so make the most of it

04-24-2004, 06:15 PM	#207
Raj Registered Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 2	Using with Roku? Hi - First off, terrific program! I purchased a couple of weeks ago and my three year old loves to watch on my laptop. I have a plasma that I would like to display the aquarium on, but my computer for this purpose is in the basement. I purchased a Roku (without any of their artwork, after reading the posts here) that will stream audio and video to the plasma. Is there a way to stream the aquarium program, or convert to a looping video or something. Or, something different to be purchased? Last weekend, I saw a store that had an aquarium program on their large screen playing from a DVD. Didn't look nearly as nice as Serene Screen. Suggestions please. Thanks.

04-24-2004, 08:00 PM	#208
drfish the Doc Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Zeeland, MI Posts: 5,357	For less than the price of the Roku you could have built a HTPC that could run the real aquarium and dedicated it to the plasma... Personally I'd return it and try to do that... I don't watch commercials.

04-24-2004, 08:50 PM	#209
feldon34 Forum Administrator Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Rock Hill, SC Posts: 10,939	You can build an HTPC for $299? "Journalism is printing what someone else does not want printed. Everything else is public relations." - George Orwell "If voting changed anything, they'd make it illegal." - Emma Goldman

04-25-2004, 05:08 AM	#210
Raj Registered Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 2	drfish --- I thought about having a HTPC in my living room. I really didn't want a PC in my equipment cabinet and more importantly it's serving a couple of other purposes (home automation, cameras, whole house music), so it's better in the basement. I also didn't want to chance a PC locking up and locking a static image on my plasma....... The Roku is actually a pretty slick unit meeting all of my needs and at $299, you couldn't touch the price vs. a HTPC. The Dell I purchased for my basement was $349 with a P4. So, does anyone have advice how to do this beyond buying the $69 aquarium program from Roku? Thx.

04-25-2004, 08:26 AM	#211
drfish the Doc Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Zeeland, MI Posts: 5,357	$299? If you went real cheap, ebay, and refurb, then yes, no problem... A little more and you could have a very nice HTPC... 1.6Ghz Duron - $39 MicroATX nForce2 Mobo - $53 256MB DDR Kit - $68 AIW 9000 Pro - $135 40GB HD - $66 16x DVD - $29 Stylish MicroATX case - $37 Total - $427 That's a pretty nice setup IMHO, the AIW is what makes it really great, it comes with an RF remote and nice software like EASYLOOK to make using you HTPC realy easy (as in my wife uses it and doesn't complain). And for $30 bucks more you could add the DVI -> component adapter to get HDTV out of it... If you have and old hard drive or optical drive laying around it could be even cheaper, and you don't need to get the nForce2 mobo, or the dual channel kit, that could save you a few bucks too... BTW, I'm not critizing your purchase, if it works for you that's great, I'm just saying that if you want the aquarium to run on your plasma, this is what I would do... Well, have done I guess... Except for the plasma part... I've had the aquarium running on a very similar setup to the one above for months now, and I've never had one lockup... Lastly, you might want to try FRAPS to capture video of the MA... I'm not sure about looping, but if you have a couple hour long video it probably won't be a big deal if it resets every 120 minutes... I don't watch commercials.

05-02-2004, 10:11 AM	#212
wetmonkey Registered Join Date: Mar 2003 Posts: 24	With the duron 1.6 you can convert it pretty easily to and athlonXP and increase it to a 2.0ghz athlonxp as well as open the cache. Half the price of a 2400xp!! There are a couple methods to do this and some mobo's that offer easy unlocking from within the bios, though youll need to do a little more work for the cache. Also for $66 bones you can easily pick up an 80 gig HD. Check out pricewatch.com for pricing. You can easily pick up brand name 256meg pc2700 for $48 or even cheaper generics. Check you area for suppliers so you can save on freight. check out http://forums.pcper.com/ for methods

05-04-2004, 11:46 PM	#213
Xylem Registered Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Belleville, Michigan Posts: 68	Well, I guess I've been away longer than I thought. Would someone be kind enough to bring me up to date on this v2.01? I bought MA2 in the box at CompUSA about a year ago (I think). At that time everyone here was talking about new fish and new 3d backgrounds, etc. Is that what is featured in v2.01? Is this an addendum to v2.0? A replacement? Is it available for everyone? Do I need to search through my study for the MA2 disc? Is it required for this updare? Is there a charge for this, or is it a 'demo' ? And also; what does "MD" stand for? Anything else an illiterate might need to know? Thanks folks

05-05-2004, 07:43 AM	#214
feldon34 Forum Administrator Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Rock Hill, SC Posts: 10,939	Jim re-did the 5 new fish in MA2 so that all 26 fish are by Jim Sachs in MA2.0.1. MA2.0.1 also has dual monitor and widescreen support. New background, fish, etc. are still off in the future. Generally, with software versions X.Y.Z, X is major features, Y is minor features, Z is bug fixes. "Journalism is printing what someone else does not want printed. Everything else is public relations." - George Orwell "If voting changed anything, they'd make it illegal." - Emma Goldman

05-05-2004, 10:49 AM	#215
Tiny Turtle is pleased Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Stockholm, Sweden Posts: 7,365	...and "MD" would be "Multi Display". Thanks to Morgan, Tiny Snapshots is up and running again with "Tiny Järvafält" as the latest addition – Go have a look and tell me what you think. "We knew the world would not be the same. A few people laughed, a few people cried, most people were silent. I remembered the line from the Hindu scripture, the Bhagavad-Gita. Vishnu is trying to persuade the Prince that he should do his duty and to impress him takes on his multi-armed form and says, 'Now, I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.' I suppose we all thought that, one way or another." /Robert Oppenheimer on witnessing the first thermonuclear detonation in history.

05-07-2004, 10:54 AM	#216
Xylem Registered Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Belleville, Michigan Posts: 68	Thanks, guys.

05-20-2004, 04:16 PM	#217
cincy-gal Registered Join Date: May 2004 Location: Cincinnati Posts: 4	I have a question (that's probably in the many pages of this thread but......), I purchased MA 2.0 on the website a few days ago. Am I right in that the 2.01 is different that what I just purchased and I need to buy another upgrade? Thanks guys, cool forum! CG

05-20-2004, 09:04 PM	#218
Jim Sachs Developer Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Southern Oregon Posts: 9,791	You are right that it is different, but wrong about needing to buy it. It's a free upgrade. Jim Sachs Creator of SereneScreen Aquarium

05-23-2004, 05:59 AM	#219
aj58 Registered Join Date: May 2004 Posts: 3	Feature request: It'd be wonderful to have an option to feed the fish [d: dinner]. Of course, there'd have to be some way to stop us over-feeding them too . Yeah, I know, a whole new rule set for fish movements at feeding time, so I suspect it'd be very low priority - but thought I'd ask anyway.

05-23-2004, 11:35 AM	#220
Jim Sachs Developer Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Southern Oregon Posts: 9,791	It's been on the to-do list since Day1. Jim Sachs Creator of SereneScreen Aquarium