FYI, while your reasoning and rationale are 100% correct and I'm in absolute agreement, you're incorrect about the numbers.

The real price for the iPhone is as follows (for the device only, no contract, at all, period, direct from apple's store website 30 seconds ago on a non-upgrade eligible AT&T account)

$499.00 - 8GB iPhone 3Gb
$599.00 - 16GB iPhone 3G S
$699.00 - 32GB iPhone 3G S

That said, the real numbers prove your point better anyways. Just thought I'd point that out.

Exactly -- I worked this out with my fiancee. She was about to buy a new iPhone anyways so we signed her up for a new plan and I paid for the phone. She gets my 16GB iPhone 3G when the new one comes in and I get the shiny new 32GB iPhone 3G S and only paid $299 for it.

On a side note, all you clowns complaining about $499 for an upgrade price, for some reason my account didn't even qualify for that upgrade -- they wanted $699 from me, claiming I wasn't eligible for upgrade pricing until Dec 2009. $322 and change later and I've got a shiny new iPhone 3G S. It's not impossible. One of my co-workers got AT&T to provide him the $299 upgrade pricing just by calling, complaining, and threatening to cancel and pay the ETF. They sent him over to 'customer retention', who asked why he was cancelling and when he told them they offered him the upgrade at the $299 price...

Of course, he started at $499 -- not $699. I figured since my account was already screwed for some reason, I'd leave it be. Plus, if in December they reset my contract entirely for some reason (as the site shows it will), I'll have a free upgrade just in time for the next upgrade next year :P.

I don't know about that -- telecines are done from the film itself, in the back room or projector room. The audio in those cases is either a direct pull from the soundtrack CDs that are loaded into the projector or are direct rips from the projector's output ports -- there is no reason to use a microphone to pick up the audio for a telecine if you already have access to the film itself, as it's likely you'd have access to a pure digital or at least direct analog copy of the audio.

This looks like they're trying to get cammers, but like the GGGGGGGP or whoever posted, after the fact is too late ...

You're using the minority and claiming it's the majority. Over the air signals comprise approximately 25-30 channels in low signal areas and 45 to 50 channels in areas where you have good signal reception. Those are the "free" entertainment you're referencing.

Out of a group of 400 or 500 channels, 25-30 or 45-50 doesn't represent the majority. The remaining 375 or 475 are channels that I have paid money to be watching -- and they're jamming 10 to 13 minutes of advertising into every 30 minute show these days.

Lastly, your "free" TV will be substantially LESS free come February 2009 when you'll need a converter box (e.g., need to purchase one, as in spend money, not free) to ensure your antenna's over-the-air reception translates into a format that is readable by your TV. While some newer sets will deal with this automatically, the people in general who rely on free, over-the-air television are likely the same people who will not have a brand new, HD set in their living room.

That said, I hate almost all commercials. Some of the more recent ones have at least been bearable, but frankly, if I'm spending >$100/mo on cable (Thanks, Comcast), I shouldn't be forced to spend 25 minutes of every hour watching craptacular advertisements for penis enlargement pills and viagra.