I understand and appreciate that a better picture is nicer, but for the content that is broadcast on TV, frankly, who cares. I know it's nice to be able to rent good quality movies, with good imaging, but I was perfectly happy with DVDs on analogue TVs. But I watch TV in a smallish room, so I can understand that it matters more to others. I know it makes sense to migrate to digital, not arguing against it, but I am not completely happy about it either. Canada goes digital broadcast next August, and when that happens I will lose the ability to tape some programs that I normally watch. They are mostly news and documentaries, interview shows, things for which image detail is entirely irrelevant to me. Taping programs off-air and watching at a more convenient time is important to me, the image resolution is not. I do not buy cable or satellite, there's not enough on that I care about, and am perfectly happy with reception off my antenna. But there seems to be no easy cheap consumer way to record digital programs off-air, no equivalent of the VHS tape recorder. I will NOT pay monthly fees (to Tivo or others) for the privilege of recording shows so I can watch them later. Rather than pay more money for that privilege, the more attractive option for me is to throw my TV out in the trash and never watch again.
I enjoy the irony that because programming is increasingly available online, more and more people are watching programming on their computers. But why do you need HD on a small screen? It's similar to all the millions of multi-megapixel cameras sold whose output only ever gets viewed on peoples' web sites, for which a 3-4 mpix camera was more than adequate.
I am not a curmudgeon, I don't hate modern tech, but I am being forced to upgrade to something I don't need, all for a non-obvious benefit. I understand that as the advertizing model goes away, free broadcast and reception off-air is less attractive to the producers of content. Being forced to receive signals through near-monopoly suppliers makes it easy to charge us money for it. Well, bully for them. But the broadcast spectrum was never meant to be used just to sell soap, it was supposed to host public information content, and that's actually the more important function, imo. Football and sitcoms are not the point of it all.