What if you were to contribute the additional cost of HD programming and an HD cable box yourself?
Back in the mid-1990s, our cable company introduced its first cable box with an on-screen programming guide. I wanted one, but my parents didn't want to pay the extra cost of having one in my bedroom, so I paid the extra amount myself. Later on, when DVRs came in cable boxes, I paid the extra cost of having one in my bedroom.