End of Live Pit Orchestras?

It is an article Kai blogged about the program which might replace the live pit orchestra. The issue of reducing a live pit orchestra is not news any more ever since 9/11. I know it's all about budget, but because of being a musician, and more important of all, a listener, I can never tolerate the idea of not having live players in a show. The MIDI teacher in my undergrad college always believes that MIDI can replace musicians. I just can't agree with it. You can always tell if it's MIDI or live players no matter how real the MIDI sounds. At least I haven't heard any really real MIDI so far. There is the value and the importance of having live performers in a show. That's why people still go to live concerts from time to time instead of just listening to the recordings. Like what Kai said, I think it should be a more assistant way to make use of those new technologies. To help or to create the sound a musician can't make, is the best way I think to utilize any new technology. Just don't use it to reduce the live performances. Our lives will be more colorful if we have all kinds of sounds around us, not just the sounds from the same machine faking it.