Well, guys, I'm afraid you're looking at a digital TV convert here. A couple of weeks ago, I signed up with my cable company not just for digital, but for high definition TV service. What's funny is that my TV isn't even LCD or plasma: it's a flat screen CRT, an early generation high def-capable unit. It's merely 27" but still, the clarity of high def (1080i) is stunning to my eyes even on such a relatively small screen.
So far I've rarely come across stations turning into a pixelated mess. Maybe that's because a cable connection is more reliable than an antenna? I don't know. When there is a problem, the picture recovers quickly enough. I'm currently following Wimbledon in high def. Also been catching a lot of nature programs - if anything was meant for high def viewing, it's the natural world. But really, everything looks ravishingly good in high def. My HD terminal is also a PVR, so I can record high def programs, too. It has a 160 GB hard drive, which is good for 25 hours of HD programming, according to the manual.
One aspect of my upgraded service I enjoy has nothing to do with picture, but with sound: 24/7 music channels, which is part of the digital TV package, which my HDTV subscription includes. It's like radio but without the annoying disc jockey!  It's nice to come home after work and flip on a music channel. I don't listen to it through my TV, but through my stereo system via optical digital link.
So, maybe I've sold my soul to digital/high definition TV. But I don't feel like my soul's been damned by the price: the total cost is just $25 more than what I was paying for my old analog TV/internet bundle. I was either going to cut off all cable TV and only use my HDTV monitor for Blu-ray viewing, or I was going to go all the way and get HDTV service and "maximize" my TV experience. All in all, I'm happy I chose the latter. (Yes, I know, I sound like a cheesy commercial.)
I don't know about the wider social implications of analog TV being phased out. It would be a shame if people who rely on basic off-the-air analog TV for news and such become completely shut out. I have no answer to that. I can only speak for myself: I'm a technology nut, and I like to be able to use my money to enjoy the fruits of technology.
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But since I hardly ever watch TV, I don't think it's gonna impact my life all that much.
I think he would've just bought her an HDTV and been done with it. Maybe he could've even persuaded her to get rid of the dead Magnavox console set that the working TV has been sitting on top of for the last 30 years.