Astro CCDs still dragging their pixel feet

Compared to consumer digital cameras, astro CCD cams
are still WAY behind when it comes to the number of
pixels. The latest one is the Meade DSI Pro, an "improvement"
on the still new DSI, that boasts "4x" the resolution
of the DSI. Here is the spec;
Specifications
CCD Sensor: High Sensitvity Sony® ExView HAD™ Monochrome CCD Sensor
Pixels: 510 x 492 pixels (250,000 pixels)

That's about 1/160th the count of the average 4 megapixel entry-level
consumer digicam. In fact, the colour HAD sensor is used in consumer
video cams because they can't process 30fps (video) if the pixel count
is much over 1 million.

Meade mentions that it's capable of exposures of over 1 hour, but
they intend it to be used to make very short exposures then combine
them for the finished result because an hour on a non-cooled digital
camera would be a disaster. They do offer an RGB filter set with it
for true colour reproduction.

But I can't help wondering when a company will offer a 4 megapixel or
larger CCD or CMOS-based astro cam with cooling for a price far below
that of the SBIG and other high priced cameras now on the market.
When they can sell a consumer camera with 4 megapixels for $200, how
expensive can the CCD/CMOS element possibly be, even in small
quantities??
-Rich