On Lev Manovich's What is Digital Cinema

Lev Manovich's What is Digital Cinema presents an interesting idea, that due to advances in technology, cinema is "regressing" to its roots, the days of painted frames and loops. It's an intriguing idea, that like early films, the history of cinema is a loop. I can't help but thinking if Lev's argument isn’t a bit flawed. While yes, the manipulation of digital images by a computer is like painting, it isn't. And while digital images are distinct from analog film, they really aren't that different. The way he talks about pixels makes me wonder if that's the way early film makers would talk about grain on a film strip. It's a compelling argument but at times seems wishy-washy and not very dense, almost like he doesn't have enough to enforce his claim or that he's really stretching to make things work. I dunno. I think I need to ponder it a bit more.