Off topic: Anyone using a wide screen LCD in their MAME cabinet?

[Mark32]

I have just started putting together the "Ultimate Arcade II cabinet kit" and want to install a LCD monitor but the largest I can find that is 4:3 is around 20"or 21".

I was thinking maybe going wide screen but not sure how that would look. Has anyone installed a 16:9 LCD monitor in a MAME cabinet? If so what size, make, and model?

I have GameEx running on my PC with a wide screen and it seems to do very well, just not sure how it would work out in a MAME cabinet. I need to start shopping for a PC and monitor to put in the MAME cabinet once finished.

[iano]

I have just started putting together the "Ultimate Arcade II cabinet kit" and want to install a LCD monitor but the largest I can find that is 4:3 is around 20"or 21".

I was thinking maybe going wide screen but not sure how that would look. Has anyone installed a 16:9 LCD monitor in a MAME cabinet? If so what size, make, and model?

I have GameEx running on my PC with a wide screen and it seems to do very well, just not sure how it would work out in a MAME cabinet. I need to start shopping for a PC and monitor to put in the MAME cabinet once finished.

Hi. Check out the Cabinets section (top of page). On the 12th page of that thread - ace3093 has a 24" samsung wide screen panel in his mame cab. It looks well. I think most cabs have an interior width of ~26" so a 24" wide screen seems about right. You'll probably want games to be played at 4:3 aspect ratio as they may look a bit funny stretched - although the front end will be in 16:9 (nice !).

[bkenobi]

Keep in mind that a 24" screen in widescreen is not as tall as a 24" 4:3. As a result, you may find that the 24" 16:9 isn't worth the hastle because it gives no extra realestate. It might help darius look playable since it's so FREAKING wide though

[NizZ8]

I had a 24" Dell LCD in my MameRoom Cab. I had it in there until i picked up a one of the Xarcade XXL sticks with a trackball in it and started playing Golden Tee.. After one of my friends almost put his hand through my 600$ LCD monitor i decided to yank it and put a 75$ 27" Analog Tv in there instead. But yeah the 24" LCD fit in there ok, it just felt like a waste (for me) since there aren't really any widescreen MAME games out there.

-n8

[Mark32]

Thaks for all of the suggestions. I still have not decided what to do. I am trying to stay away from CRT.

Two main reasons:

Burn in and extra heat.

[Brian Hoffman]

Thaks for all of the suggestions. I still have not decided what to do. I am trying to stay away from CRT.

Two main reasons:

Burn in and extra heat.

LCD's burn in also... Ive seen it.

Any ways... Just keep in mind that most games... If you have keep aspect ratio selected will have black bars oneither side of the screen.

Or the images willbe stretched..... Either way your ok

[Stub]

All and all it gains you nothing as you could use the extra area on 2 mame games. Put your money toward something more useful.

[Tempest]

LCD's burn in also... Ive seen it.

Any ways... Just keep in mind that most games... If you have keep aspect ratio selected will have black bars oneither side of the screen.

Or the images willbe stretched..... Either way your ok

It would be nice (if you were going with a widescreen) if you could use the extra space on the sides to display bezels, instead of reducing the size of your play area to display them.

I read a big debate once about 4:3 (or if you will, 16:12) vs. 16:9 in home theaters. They rambled on about what formats you would be watching, and a bunch of other technical stuff. The guy actually concluded that 4:3 would be best, although I can't remember why...

I say it has to do with your available area. Let's say height is your limiting factor. If you were to put in a 4:3 screen, the width would be less than what your maximum could be, so if you watch a 4:3 format, it doesn't fill the whole wall, and neither will 16:9. If you go with a 16:9, your wall will be filled to the max at least some of the time. In the case of a Video game cabinet, it seems like you have more height than width, so you should get the tallest format available.

That's just how I see it...(no pun intended)

[headkaze]

You could probably use that extra space for some artwork related to your cab maybe even instruction cards or as Tempest said extra room for bezels perhaps. There is a program online that lets you create a Mame bezel, give it a try.

http://www.mameworld.net/maws/mame_lay.html

I went for the 20" LCD which is about the same size as my old 21" CRT (they include the glass behind the bezel when measuring CRT's). It's a little small for my liking but no smaller than what I had before. The only thing I don't like about LCD's is I used to like running GameEx in attract mode and watch the games coming up, but with an LCD the viewing angle sucks. In general I prefer the LCD because they are lighter, clearer and richer in color but the main reason I changed to LCD was because I was getting inteference from my car speakers just above the monitor.

[Dublin London]

I hooked my rig up to my 42" LCD TV through HDMI. Looks amazing!! I'm also using the X-Arcade Tankstick.

[Mark32]

I hooked my rig up to my 42" LCD TV through HDMI. Looks amazing!! I'm also using the X-Arcade Tankstick.

Could you post a few pics?