Master Panel II Author: faceless105 -- Posted: 2007-12-11
With the growing number of external devices having some extra hookups is becoming a necessity. So instead of reaching to the back of the case to find all those extra connections, why not keep them all in the front where you can reach them? This is why today I'm happy to bring you the Master Panel II from Vizo.
Out of the box my first thought was "Wow, this is going to take a while to hook up". With support for so many different mediums, it isn't to surprising that this package contains so many wires.
The Master Panel II comes fully prepared for...
- 2 x USB2.0 ports.
- 1 x Fire wire
- 1 x eSata, Support hot plug and hot swappable
- 1 x AV connection
- 1 x line out
- 2 x line in
- Internal card reader supports, CF/MD, MS, MMC/SD, SM. Each slot can be used simultaneously, allowing media copied from one card to another.
- Dual fan speed control knobs (4V -12 V)
I'll start from the top and with everything going the way of USB, this is always a huge convenience to have a couple more USB ports, especially if you have a case that doesn't have built in front side USB. eSATA is something else that is becoming more and more common. While I don't believe there are too many cases with this front-side support yet, this is a huge convenience as eSATA continues to grow. I really like the idea of including the AV in the front I'm not someone who does a lot of AV work, but I do like the option of it being this convenient to. Every now and then I'll hook my TV up to my computer and this really makes thing much much easier.
The Smart Card reader is becoming a very common feature and is a huge plus for all of us with digital cameras. I know that all cameras will come with USB adapters, but honestly this direct hookup is much faster and will safe you the time of installing drivers and the crappy image viewer software that your camera might come with.
My favorite feature on this panel would have to be the two variable fan controllers. The computer modder in me loves stuff like this. These are actually really handy to have for anyone with a computer in their room. This can allow you to turn the fans up during the day and when you're ready to go to bed you can turn them down. These knobs work on a 5-12v range so you shouldn't have to worry to much about burning out your fans as these are very common operating ranges for most fans.
In the end I have to say that I'm incredibly happy with the degree of connectivity that the Master Panel II has to offer. I've seen others that have come close, but this one honestly goes the farthest.
I'd like to thank Vizo for giving me the opportunity to review their Master Panel II. This piece of hardware is very impressive and offers a ton of functionality. I definitely recommend everyone checking this out as just about everyone out there can benefit from it.
As always if anyone has any questions I'd love to hear them!
