Having to pay additional fees for her Shaw cable service didn’t sit well with Cheryl Whiting.

With Canada’s conversion to digital TV this month, Whiting had read there would be no change for cable or satellite subscribers.

Why, she wondered, was she being asked to pay an additional $2.95 monthly for extra set-top converters beyond the one free unit Shaw provides? She was told she’d need the converters to continue receiving any station above 13. There are five TVs in her household.

“I may as well sign my paycheque over to them,” Whiting said.

As it turns out, the converters have nothing to do with the digital rollout other than that they are being installed during the same time period.

One change underway is the digital conversion mandated by the CRTC, which has no effect on Kamloops viewers since cities under population 300,000 are omitted. The other change, expected to extend over the next 14 months, is Shaw’s own digital upgrade, explained Chris Kucharski, the company vice-president of operations.

“Both deal with digital and both relate to TV, so there is a bit of confusion,” Kucharski said.

Shaw is converting its cable services to digital to enable delivery of enhanced services. Customers must activate digital TV (newer sets have built-in converters) to get stations above channel 13.

“We’re repatriating the analogue tier channels and turning them digital allows us to expand the Shaw network.”

The change will allow customers to receive more high-definition channels, increased video-on-demand and faster Internet.

“It frees up a lot of bandwidth, if you will.”

The current Internet service is in the range of 7.5 to 15 bits per second. With the upgrade, customers can receive from 50 to 250 bits per second.

Shaw is providing one free set-top converter to each customer, but if they have additional TV sets, they have to either rent more converters or move them from set to set.

“Again, they’re completely separate. The over-the-air digital transition has been underway for some time. Shaw’s digital upgrade is only just beginning.”