They are sold in canada. It has 160gb hard drive. Anybody know if they are any good?

How "good" they are depends on the price you pay. The Sony 780 is made by Sony in cooperation with Pioneer, it is based on the 2007 Pioneer550 model and is nearly identical down to the instruction manuals. However, Sony made some minor modifications which apparently create some reliability issues not seen on the Pioneers. The Sony 780 does not have DVD-RAM burning capability, the Pioneer does. The Sony 780 uses 10-bit video encoders, the Pioneer uses 12-bit (marginally better, but no big deal). The Sony has certain circuits optimized for use with Sony Bravia flat-panel televisions, the Pioneer does not.

This last seems to be key to a lot of problems reported with the 780: its HDMI output apparently does not work right for a lot of people (component analog is fine). Also there have been more reports of overall reliability problems than for the Pioneers. So in the end, it comes down to price. When the 780 was introduced last summer it sold for $100 less than comparable Pioneers, which made it a significant bargain. However, over the last few months as sales of DVD recorders in Canada declined to even lower levels than the dismal sales in USA, Canadian retailers have panicked and begun dumping Pioneers at unheard-of clearance sales. The popular Pioneer 560 is now often seen for $299 at Future Shop, it was $449 just six months ago. The Sony 780 is normally priced at $299, and is not a bargain compared to the better Pio 560 at $299. You do sometimes see the 780 being closed out for as little as $229, and it is a good value at that price. Still, many feel the Pioneer is a better bet long-term even at $70 more.

so is the pioneer is the best recorder in the canadian market right now?

Yeah.

I know the panasonic does not have have a hard drive ,but how close are they in being a good recorder

Probably about equal otherwise.