I tend to agree with you.  Having been an artist in one medium or another most of my life, it was not static pictures that attracted me to 3D, but rather the animation, and how I could make things come alive.  I guess that part of the problem is getting these motion capture device's costs down to where the "starving artists" can afford them.  Then again, if this ever happens, it may be too upsetting to some people's "apple carts", and thus it would be in their best interests to keep the prices inflated for as long as possible.  Although one can find a few free BVH files here and there, I've decided that one just has to go through the laborious process of setting up their animations by hand.  But maybe in the long haul, this is still the best way to go.