My question on the cable boxes is: What exactly are they doing that generates so much damn heat? It must be the processor, correct? So, why cant' they make the thing hibernate when not it use (like a PC)?

A discrete On / Off won't cure the problem, because as stated above, the unit actually stays on, and generates the same (or very similar) levels of heat.

However, the discrete On/Off would at least allow integrators to ensure the box is ON when needed.... and give us a way to turn "off" the box so that everyone reading the OT article will be able to sleep at night.

I with Alan on the conservation thing. At the same time I understand how environmentalists have often done more to hurt their own movement than help it.

And Alan, who amongst us is going to criticize our clients for taking a beautiful chunk of pristine wilderness, razing it to the ground, and building a 20,000 sq ft monster, with 200000 watts of audio, etc etc. ? :-)