I dont understand why people think prices will drop. Now you think they will add pro quality video and the price will be the same? When you say it wont be too long, does that mean 20 years from now?
There are cameras for video and cameras for photography. Each does its job much better than the other. To speculate as to how the future is going to turn out is just crazy. If you like video so much go buy a video camera. I wish there was a way to hide all video posts in this forum.
The technology DNA for motion capture escaped into the mass market from the DSLR as it turns out. The DSLR delivered inexpensive large sensors, an inexpensive platform with impressive computing power, and very high quality off-the-shelf optics. Obviously the 5DII is a good studio camera and "good enough" to shoot network television productions.
The 5DII is a kludge to be sure, but it is proof that the basic DNA is there; the creature is alive and has escaped from the laboratory. The market is exploding, and no serious camera manufacturer can afford to ignore it. That DNA, in fitter forms, will find its way into variously purposed offerings. This is a very strong driver for the market, both in volume, capability, and price.
At the same time, the MFD market is challenged to continue to justify boutique pricing in the face of strong competition from Pentax, and perhaps from other major manufacturers. A (USD) $1k sensor in a $4k camera gives you about $12k price, or the price of a 645D with a lens or two. How long before the $1k sensor slot is occupied by a video capable chip, given the level of competition. If you are a chip manufacturer, do you want to sell 10,000 chips without video capability to still camera makers, or do you want to sell 30,000+ chips to both still camera makers and multipurpose video, and video+still camera makers?
Meanwhile, the "magazine" publisher is looking around the decimated wasteland of their former market. But new portable content delivery platforms are here, eg, the iPad, selling like hotcakes. Are you going to put forth the static magazine pages on the iPad? Or are you going to create dynamic content from the killer new video DSLRs that everybody is using now? Are you going to live as a still photographer after the smoke clears, or are you (we) going to reinvent yourself? Some publications are requiring video and still skills for their staff photographers. Some photographers are even being asked to reapply for their own jobs, with video skill figuring prominently on the application.
Sure, there will still be high end cameras purposed either for stills or video only. But that won't prevent the bulge in technology at the middle. I'd like to run from this, but I can't afford to.
