| Useful links A selection of relevant sites for more information: NASA - Jet Propulsion laboratory China National Space Administration The International Space Station The James Webb Space Telescope
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Frequently asked questions
How do I install the screensavers ?
Right-click on the ".scr" file and choose "install". Windows will automtically install the screensaver and display the "display properties" panel where you can select basic options such as the delay time before the screensaver will activate. There are no other adjustable parameters. If you just want to view the screensaver without installing it, double left-click the ".scr" file.
What's the difference between the "widescreen" and "traditional" versions ?
The "Widescreen" versions are for the cinema-style displays, just like wide-screen TVs, in 16:9 or 16:10 ratios. The "traditional" screensaver format is for the older "squarer" looking screens, usually 1024 x 768 or 1280 x 1024.
Do the screensavers "adjust to fill" the entire screen ?
Our screensavers will not distort their dimensions. That means a circle will not suddenly stretch out to an oval shape to fill the screen. What they will do is automatically adjust to display the entire screensaver as large as possible, but without distorting the dimensions. So, if you display the 1920x1200 screensaver on a screen with a resolution of 1024 x 768, the screensaver will display to the full width, but with top and bottom 'black 'bands'. A 1280 x 1024 screensaver displayed on a widescreen 1920 x 1200 screen will expand to the maximum depth (1200), but will keep it's "square" shape and so display black bars on the left and right edges.
Is my computer good enough to run them ?
There's a lot of factors which may affect the display: CPU, video card, RAM, background processes etc. Playback should be extremely smooth - there are no jerking movements or shudders. If you're getting these then your computer is struggling. At a minimum we suggest a 3GHz Pentium 4. Anything better, such as a dual or quadcore machine should have no problems.
Are the screensavers exactly the same as the online shows ?
The screensavers use the same images, but at much higher resolutions. We also slow-down the show so that the screensavers run from two to four times as long. We think this is in fact the best way to view the images as you can really appreciate the detail and beauty. Once you get used to the screensavers it's common to think that the webshows feel very rushed !
What about image quality ?
We start with the best possible image quality, usually .tiff files anywhere up to 200Mb each in size. We then optimize them for either 1280 or 1920 pixel-wide displays. As always there's a trade-off between image quality and file size. Sometimes the original image may be slightly fuzzy or the image sequence may start out slightly zoomed. Be assured we've agonized over the picture quality of every image and experimented with hundreds of different image size and quality settings to ensure maximum clarity and minimum system requirements.
Are they based on Flash ?
No. Although Flash-based screensavers are common, they are also very processor intensive. They suffer from "shake" at slow pan and zoom speeds. Our screensavers are much less CPU intensive and are very smooth.
Do you support Macs ?
Sadly, no. Only PC.
More questions ?
If you're having problems or need more information, please don't hestitate to contact us. We love hearing from people and value your suggestions and feedback. Finally, if you're not happy then we will cheerfully refund the purchase price via PayPal.
Our currently available screensavers
Dark Cosmos screensaver (widescreen)
"Widescreen" screensaver to fit larger cinema-style PC screens up to 1920 pixels wide by 1200 pixels deep. Based on the Dark Cosmos webshow
A 28Mb download in ".scr" format for $2
