Intelligent DVR questions

["Tom Gardner" <tom(nospam)@ohiobrush.com>]

Well, I don't really have any INTELLIGENT questions but I have some dumb
ones.  First, here is my situation:

I have old 15k' light mfg building in the Cleveland inner city.  I have been
broken into 15 times this year alone.  We have an ADT system with 3 PIRs, 1
Dualtech, door switches and fire system connections.  We have an armed guard
service that tours the building every few hours and has almost caught the
thieves a couple of times.  The thieves can hear the main gate opening and
they run.  The Cleveland Police has staked-out the building on numerous
occasions without joy.  I have researched many security solutions and
upgrades and am most inclined to use a video system.  One of the limiting
factors is that we have cats on duty in the building thus limiting our dumb
sensors.  The other BIG advantage other than security is monitoring and
recording workcenter activity with the intention of improving efficiencies,
supplement training, reduce shrinkage, record injury circumstances and see
just what those silly cats do at night.

The end product I want is:
    1.  Selectable, robust motion detection areas that will be cat-immune
but record face identifiable footage of criminal activity and trigger my ADT
system.
    2.  Constant recording of selectable work activities.
    3.  An easy to use, robust, low-maintenance, non-twitchy, good-feeling
system that does not have too many capabilities that I will never use but
has most of the capabilities I DO want, at a reasonable cost.
    4.  Administration of system through our tcp/ip computer network.

We can internally handle installation and computer related issues with no
problem.  I have been looking at various websites of DVR cards and related
equipment and will pull the trigger as soon as I am sure of what I want and
need and find a vendor that I have confidence in. I see the full spectrum of
ebay vendors to stuff that is WAY out of my range with capabilities I will
never need.  I believe that eight cameras would more than cover the internal
views I need but I don't know if I might like to expand to accommodate
external views and coverage of some areas with different angles or
magnification.

I haven't submitted a budget range yet as I am unsure what I will use.  The
prices vary so much, I know some of the stuff is crap and some is just WAY
over-priced...I haven't figured out the sweet spot yet.  A few local
companies I have called knew nothing about DVR systems.  Most of the on-line
vendors I have e-mailed with questions haven't responded...they're out of
the running, they must not want my money.

Just what is the difference between a Geovision 800 for $700 and a off-brand
with similar specs for $210?  Does every DVR card demand an Intel or can I
use an AMD?  What cameras can I be happy with?  What's a reasonable budget
number for everything excluding labor?  What stuff should I avoid like the
plague?  What features are necessary, too cool not to have, or just plain
cheesecake?  Are there any recommendations for vendors?

Thanks, next time I might have intelligent questions!