I get some of your point - I looked at FG and DnDBeyond and both wanted me to pay an additional $30ish for PHB content (even though I had a hard copy PHB). I know there is work in conversions, but one hopes it isn't the same cost as all of the development and creativity in the original product. If they wanted $10, I would not have blinked. As it is, they got 0$ from me because I cannot afford to commit $100 every time a new book comes up (and that's $100 US, about $130 CAD).
I've used MapTool and I had licenses for Grip iPC and another VTT I paid for (forget the name now - but I bought 4 licenses). One of the problems I've encountered is they (not sure if FG is the same) only support some games or some content of those games and the ability to add the full fledged support for new content is strictly something the original developers can provide and they are either way slow or just don't. So buying the paper books (or a PDF thereof) still means you've got content the VTTs don't support.
I write code for a living. I know several ways one could make much more open data models and interfaces/APIs to let users add content to the software almost as easily as they could to the PnP game. But none of the developers for VTTs that want hefty fees tend to bother. And I am not able to afford FG monthly subscription any more than I can justify a monthly subscription to MS Office when an 8 year old version I own works for 100% of my needs.
I have no issues with the game books including colour maps. I never use maps out of books directly because they aren't miniature sized. They should, by now, be releasing B&W and colour digital maps (and other game aids from products) when you buy the digital product. (And if you do it smart, with the right tools, you can probably easily reskin a floorplan from fancy to simple B&W)
Ideally:
- Print or POD version
- PDF version with digital versions of all reference materials (B&W or easily printable and colourful for VTTs)
- VTT packages with tokens and full VTT integration data
If WotC was smart, they'd partner with VTT vendors so that you could buy these parts individually but if you bought more than one of the three categories, a discount would be applied (the author's input has already been remunerated).
I like VTTs for distance gaming and I like B&W or easily printable for tabletop gaming. The books to me could be broken into an easily printable reference booklet and the larger 'arty' hardcover or softcover.
One driver is artists like to be arty. And module designers want to try out layout and module design experiments. Creative people want to be creative. That instinct often overwhelms the understanding that end users need to be able to use the product.