MEDIA VISION OS/2 BETA PROGRAM ============================== April 7, 1993 Please accept Media Visin's apologies for the problem with COM 2 and the PAS 16 audio driver on the 3/93 PDK and OS/2 2.1 release. A debug switch was left on by mistake during the final compile. This release should correct that error. Media Vision is providing these OS/2 drivers for BETA testing purposes only. Use of these drivers requires advanced technical knowledge of OS/2 and its architecture. IMPORTANT: ---------- ** Media Vision's Technical Support department does not ** ** support BETA drivers. All questions and support ** ** issues must be addressed to CompuServe ID 75300,2772 ** ** in the MULTIVEN CompuServe forum. Please do not ** ** call Media Vision's Technical Support department. ** This beta release is intended for use with 3/93 PDK or 3/93 OS/2 2.1 BETA (version 6.498) only. Please do not report bugs found on prior releases of OS/2. There will not be any support provided now or in the future for previous versions of OS/2. RELEASE NOTES: If you have been using the version of MVPRODD.SYS that comes with the 3/93 PDK and are having problems with: 1) COM2 and/or a serial mouse this driver should correct the problem. A debug switch was left enabled by mistake causing strings to be written to the comm port. 2) the /T:1 switch (which stops FM synth hiss on OPTI chipset systems) this driver fixes a bug in the /T:1 switch handling routine. 3) recording this driver fixes a bug in recording New features since the 1/93 beta release: 1) FM synthesis and MIDI output are now supported. 2) Recording is supported. 3) Promix2.exe has had a UI makeover. Promix2 comes up in a reduced-size mode. Double-click in the client area between any of the controls and the window will expand to give greater hardware control. 4) MVPRODD.SYS now supports many of the same switches that MVSOUND.SYS uses. Here is a list: /S:X,XXX,X SoundBlaster { enable,base addr,IRQ } /N: allows naming of driver /N:PAS161$ /T:X T:1 = use PAS oscillator for OPL-3 (default /T:0) /D:X sets the DMA channel /Q:X sets the IRQ channel /I:X also sets the IRQ channel /B:XXX HEX Base board I/O location (DEFAULT: /B:388) /W:X If /W:1 enables warm boot reset (DEFAULT /W:0) /M:X,XXX,X MPU {enabled,base addr,IRQ} /F:X FM Synth disable switch; /F:1 enabled by default /J:X /J:1 cause Joystick to be enabled, J:0 is default 5) I/O relocation. The PAS Plus and PAS 16 have always been able to reside at addresses other than the default port addresses: 0x388-0x38b. This is useful when there are hardware conflicts with another board that wants to use the same I/O space or when the user wishes to use multiple PAS cards. If you relocate the I/O addresses, however, be forewarned that DOS applications and tools will not find the card. 6) Warm Boot Reset. The Warm Boot Reset feature is useful to clear the tones generated by an Adlib compatible game that has been aborted with CTRL-ALT-DEL. This feature has been traditionally enabled in the past. The PAS detects a warm boot reset (CTRL-ALT-DEL) by decoding writes to the DMA refresh hardware timer. Some new mother boards and reportedly QuadTel BIOS' use that same timer for something else, causing the PAS to constantly reset. It's therefore safer to have this feature default to off. Try adding the switch and if the card still produces sound, it's not a problem for your system. 7) Sound Blaster Initialization. The PAS 16 has dedicated Sound Blaster circuitry which operates independently of the high quality digital audio section. That's why the PAS 16 requires two DMA's and two IRQ's. The /S switch will enable the SoundBlaster circuitry allowing game compatibility in a DOS box and also allowing the snblst2.drv and sbwave.drv drivers to be used in WINOS2. /S:1,220,5 is the correct setting if using the factory defaults Notes on MVSOUND.SYS in OS/2 DOS sessions: The DOS device driver has three main purposes: 1) Initialize PAS 16 hardware, setting mixer volumes 2) Initialize the Sound Blaster circuitry 3) Provide volume control services to DOS apps. Since the OS/2 driver, MVPRODD.SYS, now provides items 1 and 2 above, it is not necessary to load MVSOUND.SYS in your DOS or WinOS2 session. However, if you are using a DOS application that requires MVSOUND.SYS (e.g. PLAYFILE, Trak Blaster Pro or the PAS utility) you will have to load it for now. We hope to eliminate the need for MVSOUND.SYS in the future by use of a VDD. Warning: MVSOUND.SYS interferes with the PAS SCSI hardware and after loading MVSOUND.SYS you will lose access to any devices connected to the PAS SCSI interface. We are investigating the matter and will provide a new MVSOUND.SYS as soon as it is available. 8) MPU-401 emulation. This requires a PAS 16 with a Rev D chip. To check your PAS 16 chip version number, run DEBUG and type 'i FF88' (this assumes your card has not been relocated) If the value is 4, you have a Rev D chip and you can enjoy MPU-401 (UART mode) emulation in DOS session. If you have an older Rev chip, we hope to emulate MPU-401 hardware with a VDD in the future. For most systems the following settings will work: /M:1,330,15 Note on SCSI driver: The SCSI driver, TMV1SCSI.ADD, has been updated. It fixes some bugs and is slightly faster (501Kb/sec). We are developing an improved SCSI driver which will support IRQ-driven transfers but it's not yet available. This will allow your system to reclaim CPU time between when a data request is made and when the data becomes available, boosting overall performance especially with CD-ROM drives. Note on proprietary CD-ROM interface drivers: As of this writing, Media Vision is pursuing development and/or licensing of OS/2 drivers for the Sony 535, Sony 31A aka SLCD, and the Philips LMSI drive. We do not yet have beta drivers to offer for PAS 16's with non-SCSI interfaces. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- QUICK INSTALLATION SCSI DRIVER: [1] If the 3/93 beta release of OS/2 2.1 is already installed, you can add support for the PAS SCSI interface by (a) copying tmv1scsi.add to c:\os2 Example: xcopy tmv1scsi.add c:\os2 (b) adding the following line to \CONFIG.SYS BASEDEV=TMV1SCSI.ADD (c) SHUTDOWN AND RESTART This assumes that the CD-ROM support files have been installed. (eg. CDROM.IFS) [2] If installing from CD for the 1st time, here are the basic steps necessary: (a) Access the CD-ROM from DOS and run install.bat. This will create two floppies: the "Boot Disk" and "Installation Disk #1." (b) Edit the config.sys file on Installation Disk #1 (the second disk). Add the line "BASEDEV=TMV1SCSI.ADD". (c) Copy the TMV1SCSI.ADD file provided with this beta release onto Installation Disk #1. If the file won't fit, you can delete fd*.add, assuming you don't also have a Future Domain SCSI adaptor. If you do, delete aha*.add. (d) You will now be able to boot the "Boot Disk" and install OS/2 2.1 from CD. However the installation has finished, you will not have access to your CD-ROM drive. When OS/2 comes up, edit \CONFIG.SYS and make sure the line BASEDEV=TMV1SCSI.ADD has not been removed or REM'd out. If it has, restore the line, shutdown and restart. QUICK INSTALLATION AUDIO DRIVER: MediaVision's ProAudioSpectrum16 Device Driver *************************** ****** BETA ****** *************************** April release for MMPM/2 1.1 To install: [1] Install MMPM/2 with OS/2 2.1 March Beta with PAS16 support selected. If this is already done, skip to next step. [2] Copy new driver (mvprodd.sys) from this zipped file image to \MMOS2. This will overlay the previous driver. Example: xcopy mvprodd.sys c:\mmos2 [3] Copy the mixer application (PROMIX2.EXE) to \MMOS2 and the multimedia mixer library (OS2MIXER.DLL) to \MMOS2\DLL. Example: xcopy os2mixer.dll c:\mmos2\dll xcopy promix2.exe c:\mmos2 [4] Shut down and reboot system. [5] Add Promix2.exe to desktop. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- BETA RELEASE FILES: TMV1 DDP 355 1-12-93 4:46p SCSI driver installation file TMV1SCSI ADD 25541 3-25-93 5:09p OS/2 SCSI device driver TMV1SCSI DDP 362 12-16-92 11:12a SCSI driver installation file MVPRODD SYS 47232 4-07-93 12:16a PAS audio driver README TXT 18559 4-07-93 4:04a This file OS2MIXER DLL 49412 3-18-93 3:20p Multimedia Mixer Library PROMIX2 EXE 151158 4-07-93 2:47a 32-bit, multi-threaded mixer -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: What Media Vision Products are supported? A: SCSI support Audio support -------------- -------------- Pro AudioSpectrum (***) Pro AudioSpectrum Plus (SCSI versions)(@) Pro AudioSpectrum Plus Pro AudioSpectrum 16 (SCSI versions)(@) Pro AudioSpectrum 16 Pro AudioStudio 16 (SCSI versions)(@) Pro AudioStudio 16 (++) Pro 16 Multimedia Upgrade Kit Pro 16 Multimedia Upgrade Kit Fusion CD Fusion CD (*) Fusion CD 16 Fusion CD 16E Fusion CD 16E (**) CDPC CDPC XL CDPC XL (*) CDPC has a Sony 535 drive. OS/2 support for the 535 interface is still in development. (**) Fusion CD 16 has a Sony 31A drive. OS/2 support for the 31A interface is still in development. (***) Audio support for the original Pro AudioSpectrum (8-bit ISA bus slot interface) has not been tested for this beta release. OS/2 support will be available in a future release. (@) Media Vision compatible hardware is available from CompuAdd, Sony, Compaq and other companies. Some of these companies sell versions of the PAS 16 with non-SCSI interfaces. These so-called proprietary interfaces are one of three types: LMSI (Philips), Sony 31A, or Sony 535. At present OS/2 drivers are not available for these proprietary interfaces. Media Vision is endeavoring to make these drivers available. Please aid us by informing these companies that you are using OS/2 and require CD-ROM support. (++) Pro AudioStudio 16's selectable input gainfeature is not supported on this release. Q: Can I play CD audio? A: The SCSI driver will support CD (Redbook) audio playback when used in conjunction with IBM's MMPM/2 system software. It will also support most SCSI hard disks. Q: What CD-ROM drives are supported? A: CD-ROM Drive Support List ------------------------- Hitachi CDR-1650S, CDR-1750S, CDR-3650, CDR-3750 IBM CD-ROM I, CD-ROM II NEC CDR-25J,CDR-36, CDR-37, CDR-72, CDR-73, CDR-74, CDR-82, CDR-83, CDR-84 Panasonic CR-501, LK-MC501S Sony CDU-541, CDU-561, CDU-6111, CDU-6211, CDU-7211 Texel DM-3021, DM-3024, DM-5021, DM-5024 Toshiba XM-3201, XM-3301, XM-3401 Support is provided for both data and audio on all models. If you have a "CDPC", "Fusion CD 16" or "Media Vision Multimedia Upgrade Kit " you should have a CD-ROM drive with a Sony interface. The Sony interface is not yet supported. See the release notes above. Q: Is Kodak Photo CD supported? A: Single session, Kodak Photo-CD support is provided for those drives which support this standard. Q: Can I use these drivers with my version of OS/2? A: You must have a 3/93 release of OS/2 2.1 (version 6.498) or later to use this driver release. Q: How fast is the SCSI interface under OS/2 A: We have measured hard file (hard disk) reads at 504 Kb/sec and CD-ROM (NEC 83j) reads at 238 Kb/sec. Q: If I have trouble, what should I do? A: Media Vision's tech support department will not be able to assist in any OS/2 installation or operation issues at this time. Support for these drivers can be obtained by sending mail to CompuServe ID 75300,2772 or leaving a message in the Media Vision section of the MULTIVEN forum addressed to the same user ID. At the CompuServe prompt you can type GO MEDIAVISION to be sent to the Media Vision (MULTIVEN) forum. Q: How can I install OS/2 2.1 BETA from CD-ROM if my CD-ROM drivers aren't loaded? A: Use the DOS install.bat file found in the root directory of the OS/2 2.1 BETA CD to create two installation disks. Add tmv1scsi.add to the second disk and add this line to the config.sys file: BASEDEV=TMV1SCSI.ADD Then boot the 1st floppy. The CD-ROM drive will be recognized allowing you to begin OS/2 installation. Q: How can I get OS/2 2.1 PDK BETA on CD-ROM? A: To inquire about the OS/2 2.1 BETA program, contact IBM at 1-800-3IBMOS2. Q: What sound support is enabled? A: This table show functions that are currently enabled and disabled: ENABLED FUNCTIONS DISABLED FUNCTIONS ------------------ ------------------ PCM Playback MIDI recording Volume control Mixer control PCM Recording MIDI playback Q: Which .WAV files can I play. A: You should be able to play any PCM (uncompressed) .WAV file with sampling rates between 4 and 48 KHz, mono or stereo, and 8 or 16 bits. Q: How can I change my card's DMA and IRQ settings? A: The PAS Plus, PAS 16 and CDPC all have software configuration settings. The 'device=' line in config.sys can be used to specify different IRQ and DMA settings. DEVICE=c:\os2\mvprodd.sys /I:7 /D:3 The /I parameter is used to set the IRQ. The /D parameter is used to set the DMA. Valid IRQ settings are: 2,3,4,5,6,7,10,11,12,14,15 Valid DMA settings are: 1,2,3,5,6,7 DMA channels 5,6,7 use 16-bit data transfers and are preferable choices. Q: Will I be able to run my DOS games and applications? A: YES! The IBM team has done a superlative job at providing support for sound hardware using auto-init DMA. You can actually run TrakBlaster Pro in a DOS session! You will need to load MVSOUND.SYS for the DOS session. Make sure that your DOS IRQ and DMA settings match those used by the OS/2 device driver. If you have trouble with Sound Blaster compatible games, make sure you add the /S switch (details above). Also, some games (Wolfenstein 3D, for example) check a DOS enviroment variable for IRQ and port address information. Add the line set blaster=a220 d1 i5 T2 to your autoexec.bat file. This assumes you are using the factory default Sound Blaster IRQ setting of 5. Q: Will I be able to run the Media Vision Windows drivers in WIN/OS2? A: Yes. Consider using the Sound Blaster section of the card for your WinOS2 multimedia audio driver. With such a configuration, you will be able to use Windows Multimedia utilities and OS/2 multimedia utilities at the same time. When using the FM, MIDI or PAS digital audio features in WinOS2, you will not be able to use these features in OS/2 (unless you have multiple PAS cards.) Q: Can I run the Sound Blaster OS/2 drivers that came with OS/2 on the PAS 16? A: No. The Sound Blaster drivers, which were written by Creative Labs check for Media Vision hardware and fail if they detect a PAS 16, ThunderBoard or Thunder and Lightning card. We hope to provide an alternate SB driver in the future. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Known Problems: Pro Mixer's circular sliders don't update when other applications modify a volume setting. It is not possible to play MIDI and WAVE files simultaneously on the 3/93 release of MMPM. There is no means of mixer communication between OS/2, Windows and DOS session. The CDPC and CDPC-XL front panel volume and mute controls are not yet supported.