Totally clueless - help!

[Asleep at the Wheel]

I am brand new here and basically clueless. I have a Dish network satellite dish and 2 receivers. I have no idea what numbers they are.
I am planning on getting an HD tv probably this summer, and I am trying to learn what I need to do to get HD reception through my Dish setup. I would also like to know about digital video recording, not necessarily in HD.

Where do I look to find out what model Dish and receivers I have. How do I find out if I own them? I have been on for years and I think I own them. I pay $49/month for the basic service with local channels($5) and one extra receiver($5). I once had an antenna on a rotor (B4 dish) but the reception was not good. Over the air probably not an option.

What all is involved in the upgrade? I read several of the posts so I think I may need a new dish, new receiver for the HD TV. Or is it possible to buy a TV with a "cable card" slot in it and avoid the new receiver from Dish?

I called the Dish 800 number - after a long wait they were worthless. She told me to just buy the tv and plug it in to what I have.

 

[mike1973]

Your receivers should have a sticker on the back that denotes the model. It'll be like 2900, 3900, 301, etc. You would probably know if they were leased or not but Dish should be able to let you know for sure. If you just have the original dish, you'll need a replacement. Depending on where you live you'll either have one big one or 2 smaller ones. Cable card isn't an option for satellite( and not real good for cable from what I hear!).
That should be enough to get you started, look around here, there are alot of informative posts by a lot of smart people! Expect to need a little while to digest all the info!
And to satelliteguys!

 

[BobaBird]

Your receivers' Sys Info screens will show you the model number. Some will also show the LNB/switch configuration - if not, go to Menu, 6, Point Dish, Check Switch. You likely have a Dish 500 which gets 110 and 119. To add HDTV you will need to add reception of 129 or 61.5 depending on your location.

More information on receivers, channels and dishes at http://ekb.dbstalk.com/hdtv.htm