This is just a personal opinion but apart from data storage and backup uses, from my amateur consumer point of view, upgrading movie-watching equipment is low on my priority list. I was a late adopter of DVDs and only did so when my local video rental place stopped stocking VHS tapes. By the time I bought a DVD player, they were selling for $50. The picture was much better than that of VHS tapes, of course, but to my mind not an important improvement. In contrast, I was an early adopter of VHS equipment because being able to record TV programs to later watch at my leisure was an important improvement to my life. Along that line of thinking, the improvement of HD over SD is real and obvious to the eye, but the picture quality on my 12-year old Panasonic GAOO when watching a rented DVD is still plenty good enough for me. And the move to 16:9 from 4:3 isn't something I was clamoring for either.
I suspect that wanting/needing large screens and the newest toys may be something that is losing its allure, or maybe it's just that it is NOT that important to as many people as it used to be. I don't claim to know or to represent the views of anyone else, I merely find myself questioning the necessity of upgrading more and more. For example. my D-SLRs are 8 and 10 mpix, respectively, and I have no urge (or need) to spend money for newer bodies.
I understand the need and (or) the desire to improve technology, but I also understand the feeling of consumer resentment at being forced to adopt yet another new generation of toys that I didn't really ask for, let alone need.