And, I notice that the big guns, the top-of-line cameras, for the most part, still do not offer video as part of their specifications.
You "notice" wrong, or at least draw incorrect conclusions. The dividing line is not "where" the cameras fall in a manufacturer's line, but "when" they were released. The Canon 1Ds III, for example, launched in August of 2007, about a year before the November 2008 apearance of the video DSLRs. Nikon D3 was another August 2007 launch, positively stale by "V day". D3X was the only thing close, just on the edge...
In fact, video is refefining top-of-the-line product planning. Canon normally launches their flagships on a 3 year cycle.
- 1D III - Feb 2007
- 1D II - Jan 2004
They pulled the 1D IV ahead a quarter (three months) to October 2009, and launched with video. 1Ds is also on a 3 year cycle: 1Ds IV would normally launch in August or September 2010, but the word on the street is either a 2 or 3 quarter pullahead and a launch with video (and a pixel count higher than Leica S2).
Canon 5D was a well documented example of a failed product launch. It sold well below expectations: Canon set the record for the entire industry for both frequency and size of price reductions and incentive packages, and still had difficulty moving that camera. 5D II took off: Canon sold more of them in the first 6 months than they sold of the original 5D in the first two years.
Nikon D4 isn't due till late 2010, so Nikon grabbed some headlines with a D3s, with video (and better low light capability) at $5200.
And the last wedding I attended, still employed a still photographer and a videographer... two separate people with two separate jobs. I couldn't imagine the still photographer trying to integrate videos with his array of stills for presentation to his clients later. I sure wouldn't want to!
Can you imagine a small company that employs 2-4 shooters training them all for both video and still, so they can book events as photographer/videographer pairs, or just photographers, or just videographes, depending on what the customer whats?
I've read a couple articles now "informing" photographers that they need to embrace shooting videos along with their still work. And now, most all of the camera manufacturers are clamoring to include movie capability on their offerings.
Do you always write with such "sensationalism"? I don't recall articles "informing" photographers of what they "need", just what "could" help them expand their businesses. And the manufacturers aren't "clamoring", they're simply "doing".