I live in a small neigborhood of 30 homes. There is only one road in and it is protected by a gate and callbox and due to the terrain is isolated and  is 
1/8 mile from the nearest home.  For 7 years we have used a Sony time lapse vcr 
and one camera for surveillance. The vcr is physically located there in a small structure that also contains the callbox and sensors for the gate opener. 
After vandals destroyed the call box  and the camera didn't catch anything 
we added 3 daynight cameras.  But running 4 cameras through a quad sequencer left a lot to be desired. So, we are considering  a dvr and our needs are:  
  
4 channel  
imbedded system 
no networking 
small physical size( the cabinet is about 10 1nches deep). 
be able to survive in an inclosure that isn't air conditioned. 
budget of about $800 to $1000. 
  
Is there any unit out there that would fit these requirements? 
  
A local dealer showed us a Swann 4000 that seems to fit our needs  
but I have no experience with any dvrs so I am hoping for any suggestions  
or advice the forum can offer.   
  
thanks, 
  
Bill 
  
Burbank, CA