Theres a pretty strong consensus that anyone who wants the (analog) TVGOS feature should stick with Panasonic models, they seem to have the most reliable implementation of that feature. Unfortunately they were pulled from the USA market two years ago, and were just recently pulled from Canada as well, leaving ZERO replacement options for anyone in North America. The last one sold in Canada was the Panasonic EH55, and the closeouts are selling like water in the desert: if you can get to a Canadian dealer, RUN, run now, do not wait because prices second hand are getting insane and people tend to keep and use these, not resell them. Just have realistic expectations in mind with regard to the DTVpal or any other supplemental ATSC box used with an IR blaster: the ATSC sideband channels wreak havoc with the IR blaster function on many recorders, making it not always accurate. You will need to do a lot of fine tuning to your setup.
Personally I wouldn't bother. After the final USA digital transition next year, TVGOS will be making a comeback in ATSC-only products. While with Panasonic this will probably take the form of (non-HDD) DVD / DVD-RAM recorders only, there is an excellent chance Phillips will update their popular 3576 DVD/HDD recorder with the new digital TVGOS. They already market similar functions in Europe and are just waiting for the analog shutdown here. Phillips has come a long way since its first batch of uninspiring DVD recorders: the 3576 may not be as slick as a Panny but it has a solid ATSC tuner, is reliable, is easily *available* in the US, and would be a hell of a lot easier to manage than an obsolete analog EH55 and DTVpal. If you can stall your purchase for 7 or 8 months, we are almost sure to get a Phillips 3576 with TVGOS next year.