The basic installation we are going to describe here is a really useful rear-view video system that takes the guesswork out of reversing 4WDs, vans, trucks and buses, etc. We’ll even show you how to extend it to cover caravans, large trailers and even semi-trailers, B-doubles and road trains!

Mounted in the dash, the video display doesn't stand out as anything special...

But press the button (left top) and it pops out, ready to be...

...tilted vertical and twisted left or right for the right viewing angle.

Where you take it from there depends entirely on your requirements: keeping the kids entertained on long trips with games or a mobile DVD player, finding your way around Australia (or a strange city!) with GPS sat nav... it really is an open-ended equation.

But back to the basic system: a dash-mounted video screen and a rear-of-vehicle mounted colour video camera which gives you a much better view behind your vehicle than you can achieve with mirrors.

The camera is designed for exactly this purpose, producing a reversed output so that picture you see on the screen is just like the one you see in an ordinary rear-view mirror – ie, reversed. However, if you already have a standard camera (ie, right-reading), it’s possible to use that as well. We’ll explain how shortly.