Which 'second display' software should I use?

[rabidpuppy]

Hi.

I recently built a 4 player (franken)panel that has a 7" LCD display in it (it's a DoubleSight USB monitor), for my mame upright cabinet.

I had also replaced the PC in this cabinet (from Windows XP to Windows 7 x64) and am setting things up fresh.

Before I get too far, thought I would ask anyone else with a second display what their experiences have been with the different options out there for a second display e.g. mamehooker, mame magician, cpwizard etc.

At this point I have only tried mamehooker and gotten it working with mame. I had a few head scratching moments where it seemed to work and then didn't and then did.

I'm happy with just using the second display for static images like marquees, but as well as mame would also like an image displayed when GameEx is running, and also want to use it for other emulators. Looking at the mamehooker tutorials looked even more complex for non-mame applications than it was setting up for mame.

Please give me your thoughts on if I should stick with mamehooker or try something else.

Cheers!

[Adultery]

Well I use the Game Info plugin in conjunction with GameExtender and it's pretty cool. I developed it to do lots of things, it integrates your jukebox with Last.FM, adds Hi-Score comp functionality to MAME, can show a CP for a system or game, shows play times and game bios, manufacturer info, and can display whatever artwork you like in game if you have a folder set up in the Game Extender artwork path for the emulator. It's also fully skinnable to match your theme.

/end shameless plug

[rabidpuppy]

Well I use the Game Info plugin in conjunction with GameExtender and it's pretty cool. I developed it to do lots of things, it integrates your jukebox with Last.FM, adds Hi-Score comp functionality to MAME, can show a CP for a system or game, shows play times and game bios, manufacturer info, and can display whatever artwork you like in game if you have a folder set up in the Game Extender artwork path for the emulator. It's also fully skinnable to match your theme.

/end shameless plug

Sounds good! I will add it to my to-do list.

Unfortunately it's a bit cold out in the bungalow where this cabinet is at the moment, so my to-do list is probably going to wait until spring.