For those that were around (i was too young sorry) when we went from alpha numeric displays to DMD's, did many people have the similar sentiments to those expressed by some in this thread, that it was probably a bit 'over the top' and unnecessary and that pinball was about the game and not the display?

I reckon its a great idea and just another move forward.  While DMDs are an integral part of the pinball experience and appreciate that the technology was limited at the time of their introduction, in todays terms they are woeful.  What i mean by this is that people today (referring to recent releases) say the animations are excellent on xyz machnine.  Sure, they might be good on something with such a terrible resolution such as a DMD, but colour and higher resolutions have been around for decades, think how much more awesome things could be with the addition of those things.