I used a panel only because I couldn’t get the smaller boards for a cost-efficient price or get them cut the size I wanted. But I would not advise it if you have a good alternative for individual boards. A panel was a lot of work to get into place and I needed someone to help me. It wasn’t something I could easily do on my own.
VJ= vertical joint. It can be either panels or T&G boards. The panels are easier unless you have very high ceilings as you don’t want to have a join in them.