Control Panels Buyer's Guide

You're most likely to see control panels used in a professional setting or classroom, especially if a presentation is involved. But you still might want to use one to control the electronic equipment that makes up your home entertainment system.

There are two main types of control panels available:

• Push button
• Touch screen

Push button control panels are simple to operate. As their name implies, they allow you to control your components from one panel by pushing buttons. They're typically designed for installation in a wall or podium. These are the least expensive control panel options.

Touch screen control panels allow you to operate your AV components with a touch-sensitive LCD screen. They operate either wired or wirelessly. Wireless touch screen control panels give you the freedom to move about during your presentation, whereas wired touch screens are more secure. Wired touch screens are often designed to fit perfectly into a lectern or podium, or can be built into a wall for a more permanent setup.

Control Panels: Inputs and Outputs

These are important to consider when you're in the market for a control panel. There will also be an additional separate auxiliary input and output panel with ports to support sources that aren't already connected to your system. These are usually used for devices such as laptops, digital cameras and DVD players - components that might change if you're moving from location to location with a presentation. We typically see four inputs on most control panels, though the number of inputs and outputs will vary depending on the model of control panel you purchase.