Project Update: CRT Integration for My Stream

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CONTEXT:

I’ve been working on improving a fun part of my stream setup: a JVC TM-A14PN CRT monitor that I’ve been running off a Raspberry Pi. Up to now it showed looping images for ambience, and I even had a webcam pointed directly at the screen because I have a channel point redeem called “zoom tele,” which displays whatever is on the CRT full-screen during the stream.

I’m now attempting a proper upgrade: connecting the CRT directly to my streaming PC using a chain of DP → HDMI → AV adapters. After manually assigning the CRT its own resolution (NTSC 720×480 @ 60Hz), it actually displays the signal correctly (it has less quality than before, but it won't be noticed on stream).

My goal by connecting the TV to the streaming PC is to be able to change from an "idle mode", similar to what i had before, to diffferent things based on stream events like follows, raids, and channel point redeems.
It will also allow me (i think) to remove the extra webcam entirely and instead show directly the same content I’m sending to the CRT whenever the “zoom tele” redeem is triggered.

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THE STRUGGLE:

My first attempt was to create a dedicated scene in OBS for the CRT and send it to the monitor using Fullscreen Projector. That’s where I hit a couple of problems.

Issue 1: OBS doesn’t allow separate scene resolutions. My main canvas is 1920×1080, and changing it would break my entire stream layout. I tried simulating a 4:3 area inside a 1080p canvas using aspect ratio and scaling filters, but it never aligns correctly on the CRT output.

Issue 2: For the standby content, I tested OBS’s slideshow source, but it always scales images by height. Because of that, some images appear with bars, others look tiny, and none of them fill the CRT like they did when running from the Raspberry Pi. What I’d really need is a “crop to fill” or “fit to width” behavior so every image fills the 4:3 screen consistently, even if it means cropping a bit.

After digging into OBS, it doesn’t seem like it currently offers that type of scaling for slideshows or media.

At this point I’m exploring alternatives:
• Whether there’s a clean method to output proper 4:3 content to the CRT without altering the main 1080p canvas.
• Whether any plugins or techniques exist to force images/videos to always fill the CRT output area.
• Or whether the right answer is to use an external tool (video player, browser source, or similar) that supports crop-to-fill scaling and can be triggered by twitch events.

Still experimenting — not sure yet if I’m close to solving it or just chasing something that isn't possible.