The economics are so daunting that digital TV set manufacturers have been underwriting some transition expenses to get the technology off the ground. Broadcasters can use the 1s and 0s of digital to provide programming in the old 480-line format used today. These won't look much better than today's TV, but transmitting a larger number of channels means broadcasters stand to sell more advertising. On the cable side, current systems require expensive upgrades to provide digital service. Even after the conversion, the pipeline into your home will still be limited.
Satellite services have the same capacity issues as cable operators.
And, rounding out the groups bemoaning the digital TV conversion, the movie studios and other content owners are also disgruntled. Just as they've fought every other home recording innovation, they're trying to block availability of digital recorders. Ultimately, though, it's reasonable to assume that prices will drop and demand will grow, the two trends feeding each other until the new, higher-quality medium wins out. Color televisions displaced black and white. CDs pushed records off the shelf.