The 400 Series, available in basic or advanced models, is ideally suited for residential and small business applications, which could be offices or retail premises, with up to four analogue cameras.

It is a fully integrated, stand-alone video solution that operates straight out of the box, as Dave Mulcahy, CCTV Product Manager for Bosch Security Systems explains: "With the 400 Series all you have to do is plug it in and connect the cameras and it immediately starts recording. It is hassle free, cost effective and the clever unit is also easy to operate with the built in web-server offering remote viewing, playback, control and configuration for up to four users."

The basic version provides one audio input and local archiving is via USB, whilst the advanced model has four audio inputs and also includes a DVD writer. With both models the video and audio signals are recorded whilst simultaneously providing the multi-screen viewing and playback.

Using the latest H.264 compression technology, the Bosch 400 Series reduces the file size of recording by as much as 30%, compared to standard MPEG-4, without sacrificing image quality. The unit can record up to 25 (PAL)/30 (NTSC) images per second, per channel at CIF resolution. Recoding at 2CIF and 4CIF resolution is also possible by reducing the recording image rate settings and the rate can be individually configured for channel for maximum flexibility. The recording archives are split between alarm recording (input and motion) and continuous recording, and the built in 'Smart Search' provides quick recall and viewing of recorded video.