Dedicated Micros - part of AD Group - announces the launch of the new model of its popular Eco4 DVR (Digital Video Recorder). The completely redesigned four-channel unit - which is available from this month - is a powerful, yet compact, solution which is built around the company's NetVu Connected technology platform and offers instant access to all of its controls through a colour-coded menu structure and front panel buttons.

When deployed the Eco4 has the potential to deliver true global record rates of up to 100 pps (PAL) at CIF resolution. A beneficial operational feature of the entry-level Eco4 DVR is its ability to offer simultaneous live viewing, playback and recording on all models so live monitoring can take place without impacting on what is being recorded.

The small size and weight of the new Eco4 DVR at only 203x152x51 mm (8x6x2 inches) and 1.1 kg (2.51 lbs) makes it an ideal choice for applications where space is at a premium, and provides greater flexibility over positioning of the unit during the installation process.

In terms of specific users, the new Eco4 is seen as an attractive stand-alone solution for convenience stores and other small applications and, given its NetVu Connected capabilities - and competitive price point, it can also be economically integrated into more extensive surveillance infrastructures where it is wished to extend coverage of a site.

As well as the distinctive colour-coded buttons on the Eco4's front panel, which reflect the unit's on-screen menu structure, the DVR has an in-build IR sensor to support a remote control (available separately). It can also be controlled via a USB mouse or keyboard. For ease of use the GUI (Graphical User Interface) has been designed to be context sensitive so it only displays the most appropriate area of the menu to a user, allowing settings to be selected quickly and easily. When it comes to configuration, for consistency and to speed installation, a common configuration interface has been adopted whether the unit is being accessed locally or remotely via a web browser.

The new Eco4 follows the trend of Dedicated Micros' latest products to come as standard with informative on-board help videos. These step-by-step videos are designed to assist with both user and configuration features. Key topics covered include: basic live and playback control, telemetry control, alarm configuration, event reviewing and archiving.

Being built around the Netu Connected technology core means, in practical terms, that the Eco4 can be operated, seamlessly, with NetVu Connected enabled products from Dedicated Micros and other AD Group companies as part of a single unified viewing solution. As a NetVu Connected DVR the Eco4 also benefits from industry-leading capabilities such as an in-built Transcoding engine which can convert evidential quality recorded JPEG images into an MPEG4 datastream for playback. This is a particularly useful capability when playing back recordings on bandwidth-limited network connections.

Turning to storage, the Eco4 is supplied with a 500GB Hard Disk Drive (HDD). It is also available diskless so it can be used with an external USB HDD. For archiving and event copying, event and user defined sequences can be easily saved to external flash memory or hard disk drive via the Eco4's USB port. The new Eco4 has been designed to support a wide range of file formats including: JPEG, MPEG-4 and H.264.

Pauline Norstrom, Director of Worldwide Marketing at Dedicated Micros said: "The new Eco4, being NetVu Connected with colour-coded menus and on-board help videos, represents a major uplift in capability compared to its predecessor. We believe that it will prove to be an extremely attractive proposition at the CCTV entry level offering many of the features of larger, more expensive models, in a compact and user friendly package."