All that said, I’d love if you can explain SVR vs cloud? And let me know how I can best meet the four requirements above for the lowest monthly cost.
The four requirements can be met without an SVR, just using the cloud clip recording.
SVR is an additional service feature on top of cloud video service through Alarm.com, and the main difference it provides is 24/7 recording.
Event based recording with video analytics is still there if you use an SVR, the SVR is an additional recording option. Use of the Complete or Protect plan is required to add an SVR.
Here is a page detailing the SVR option:
This page describes in detail how Alarm.com cloud video storage works for clips: