I wouldn't really waste my time with the USB dongle. The EtherDngle is the way to go. It doesn't cost all that much more, it has the ability to become a Conductor or Slave unit if needed later, and if you decide that this hobby isn't for you, it will be easy to sell and pretty much what you bought it for. Now don't get me wrong, the USB Dongle is still a good device but the development for it is finished and anything new will probably be pointed toward the EtherDongle. As for the channel count, I agree with jnealand. You can get over your head real fast with huge RGB counts which turns it from fun to hate real fast, especially in the first year.