Gas and Oil Home Heating Furnaces - HELP! Many humidifier questions

Our house is very dry, especially in the winter. My house is 1.5 yrs old and ~3000ft^2. I have decided to install (or have installed) a whole-house humidifier that connects to the furnace, but my head is swimming with all of the variables, such as:

1. There appear to be at least 3 types of humidifer: drum, stationary pad with water dripping through, and spray. Which of these types are the best with respect to:
a. ease of maintenence/cleaning
b. performance
c. reliability

2. Should I get a model with an explicit humidistat control or is a "humidistat" with "less humid/more humid" settings good enough?

3. Is installation a job that I can do myself, or are there a lot details that if not done properly could result in serious problems?

4. Any recommendations on manufacturers? Can I just go to my local HomeDepot to pick one whichever model they carry or should I target a specific manufacturer?

5. Aprilaire has an automatic humidistat control. Is this feature worth paying for?

Any other advice?

Thanks a lot in advance.

Regards,
Scott

Scott, Go with the Aprilaire Model 760, you will love it, it uses an outside thermister to help regulate the amount of humidity in the house...if your handy and can read you can install it...and with the proper humidity your heating bill will drop some also..