The modules have been introduced to meet the increasing market demand for better images with less demand on network and storage resources, in combination with 'intelligence at the edge' in which video analysis is pushed to the edge of a network to save system resources.

The new encoder modules deliver high-resolution H.264 video with reduced bandwidth - resulting in storage costs that are up to 30 percent less than systems using traditional MPEG-4 encoding. The encoders deliver two freely configurable H.264 IP video streams per camera input at a full frame rate of 25 images (PAL) or 30 images (NTSC) per second at up to 4CiF resolu¬tion on every video channel. In addition, a JPEG stream can be provided for each camera.

Audio is supported on both modules and one module supports the Bilinx up-the-coax communication protocol, which enables camera PTZ control and therefore reduces cabling efforts.

Bosch's video content analysis software, IVA (Intelligent Video Analysis) Version 4.0, is embedded in the encoders, enabling them to autonomously detect suspicious behavior including loitering, idle objects (left at scene), object removal and line crossing. The module runs IVA 4.0 on a dedicated FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) hardware accelerator to process the entire video in real-time. IVA 4.0 is a licensable option and includes a new interactive 2-minute calibration tool that provides immediate feedback to the installer, and a new head detection algorithm to more reliably detect humans. In also includes FLOW 4.0, a new motion vector algorithm that detects scene activity by the absolute movement of pixels in the scene instead of movement against a 'learned' background. This means it works in busy or continuously moving scenes like escalators, rivers and coastlines, roads and crowds.

The VIP X1600 XFM4 H.264 encoder modules are compatible with Bosch's revolutionary Video Recording Management (VRM) iSCSI storage concept. At the center of this concept is the VRM software which provides complete management of iSCSI RAID storage units, including automatic re-routing of video to alternative iSCSI units in the event of failure. The VRM software is also enabled to provide forensic search functionality through metadata (text strings comprising key words describing specific scenarios) recorded along with the video..The encoder modules also support Bosch Direct-to-iSCSI recording, which completely eliminates the need to install and maintain PC-based NVR servers.

The state-of-the-art VIP X1600 XFM4 H.264 encoder module can be combined in a system with existing VIP X1600 MPEG-4 encoder modules and they share the same VIP-X1600-XFB and VIP-X1600-B base systems, allowing for easy upgrade or expansion.