FYI - Browsing through slashdot revealed this article: http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=technologyNews&storyID=1937711

To summarize the high points..
The deal would establish nationwide technical standards for cable systems, ensuring that high-definition television sets would be able to plug into nearly any cable system in the country and receive digital signals without requiring costly extra equipment.

Signing off on the deal were 14 consumer electronics manufacturers, including Japan's Sony Corp. and the Netherlands' Philips Electronics NV, as well as cable operators which have 75 percent of the U.S. market, including Comcast Corp and AOL Time Warner Inc.
So maybe there is a light in the tunnel after all.