Using widescreen LCD in a 4:3 cocktail table

[Velvis]

I want to use a 23" widescreen monitor vertically in a cocktail mame cabinet. It is replacing a 4:3 crt, so when the LCD is installed vertically and the cocktail top and glass are in place, the top and bottom area of the monitor are not visible. Is it possible to configure the PC to only display in the view-able area?

[nexusmtz]

It's possible, if your video card allows for custom resolutions, or you're using MAME and you learn how to create your own .lay files. Laythe's Mimic is a good example of what you can do with an oversized screen.

Aside from the content positioning issue, be sure to check your viewing angles for color shifting before you commit to a particular screen.

[Velvis]

Yes I know about the viewing angles issue thank you.

Further thought about this, would it be simple to add artwork to the top and bottom of the image in mame? It wouldn't be visible because of the top and glass. Perhaps a simpler solution than the .lay files or custom resolutions?

Can mame add top and bottom artwork?

[Mike A]

Put a CRT or a 4:3 LCD in there. Problem solved.

[nexusmtz]

would it be simple to add artwork to the top and bottom of the image in mame?

That still uses the artwork system, so you'd have to make the .lay files. I haven't seen any mention of MAME using a (user-defined) default artwork, which would be nice in your case. There have been builds such as MameLayPlus that add built-in views similar to what you want, but I don't think they're current.

[phulshof]

Creating .lay is easy. Do you want to play both 4:3 as well as 3:4 games on it? You could also just rotate the MAME output in stead unless you want dual mirrored display.