Panorama Video driver project for eComStation

This is the development home for the Panorama video driver project for eComStation. The Panorama project is funded by Mensys.

The Panorama driver is technically not really a hardware driver at all. It is simply a program (a DLL actually) that interfaces between the OS/2 video subsystem and your computer's video BIOS. The video BIOS in your computer really does all the work. The Panorama DLL simply translates between the OS/2 "language" and the BIOS "language". So Panorama doesn't really control the hardware like other "real" hardware drivers do. It relies totally on the system's BIOS to setup and control the hardware.

This approach has both its benefits and its drawbacks. The benefit is that Panorama will work on every system that has a standard VESA BIOS version 2.0 or higher -- which is almost every system in existence. The drawback is that it is restricted by the capabilities and limitations of that VESA BIOS.

One common limitation is video acceleration. Most VESA BIOS only support basic operations and do not support the advanced features of the video chipset such as acceleration.

Another common limitation is that a standard VESA BIOS only supports a few standard resolutions and color depths. As a work around for this BIOS limitation, the custom resolution module in Panorama patches the BIOS in order to force it to operate at higher resolutions or wider screen formats than it was designed to do. Needless to say, patching software (the BIOS) to do something it was not designed to do does not always work. In the case of custom resolutions, patching the BIOS works often enough to make doing it worthwhile.

Panorama will only work on systems with a VESA BIOS version 2.0 or higher.

Users

Please read the ​readme before installing and using this software.

If you have previously used a wide screen enabler driver it is recommended that you set your screen resolution to a standard resolution such as 800x600, 1024x768, or 1280x1024 before installing this new Panorama. After you reboot with the new Panorama you can then choose the resolution you want.

Binaries

New releases are available from the eComStation BetaZone. Log in to ​Mensys with your Mensys login id and click the Downloads link. Click the "Software Subscription Services for eComStation" Download link and the Panorama drivers should be listed.

You can access the BetaZone from your ​eComStation login, but the Panorama download may not appear

New releases are announced on the mailing list and elsewhere.

Support and Submitting Tickets

Please read the Troubleshooting page before submitting a ticket.

Reporting bugs and requesting new features is done through the ticket system. You can view existing tickets, add comments to them and create new tickets using the corresponding buttons at the top of every page. If you want to submit a new bug or request a feature, please use the Search function first to make sure there is no ticket for this task already created.

We review the tickets regularly and leave comments if we need more info. So please revisit the ​Feedback analysis as often as possible. If we leave comment and don't get feedback from the ticket creator, we will close the ticket after some weeks.

You must be logged into TRAC to create tickets. Please login with your Netlabs login id. If you do not have a login id, you can request one at ​http://www.netlabs.org/en/site/member/member.xml. Your login id is created immediately even though there is no indication that it was done. After creating your login, simply go back to the Panorama support page, click Login at the top of the page, and use your new login and password to log in. If you have trouble acquiring a Netlabs login id send an e-mail to Netlabs Community Mailing List.

Please make sure your name and e-mail address are set correctly in your Preferences. This will ensure that you get an e-mail when your ticket is updated.