Yeah, the condescending stuff bugs me too.
I only hope they standardize on something that will down-convert cleanly for our older sets. One of the biggest problems I see today is finding a source (other than dvd) of sufficient quality to make a good picture. Cable isnt that good. Antenna here is worse. Digital cable has motion artifacts in it. Mini-dishes also do.
I might even like digital tv if the converter box will provide a clean high-quality NTSC source. It might be better than what is available now.
As for the set-top box, having to use one won't bother me too much. I have been using various converter boxes for years (most recently a vcr). I don't think my silvertone has been off channel 3 in the last 20 years.
Granny John