Pioneer DVR-650H-S DVD Recorder and Hard Drive - Designed for PAL SECAM Use

The DVR660HS is a great unit it makes editing out commercials a breeze. The menu system can be trying but be patient and explore all the possibilities, I had a hard time finding the combine titles command at first. This unit does not have a digital tuner so you will need a converter box for off air antenna or have cable / Satellite. The RF connectors are foreign you will need adapters for US use. This unit works great for US use. It comes default setting with PAL but it is easily switched to NTSC (page 119 of manual) on the unit press "input select" & "stop" buttons together to switch between the two formats. I have been using it for 10 days now and am very comfortable with it's editing operation. It automatically detects commercials and inserts markers for you so you can go right to that point to delete out commercials no searching necessary. This feature really saves hunting time for the start/end points. Then when you need to put in a title you can use the remote like a phone key pad but all you need to do it connect a pc keyboard to the USB and it automatically brings up another window for typing in the title. The unit automatically detects the power you need foreign or US just plug it in the wall using the ac adapter for the cord that comes in the box. Quality of the picture is very good. The 250 GB hard drive gives you plenty of room for collecting movies etc. for editing later. It has digital audio,also printer capable. It is supposed to be able to connect with your PC but I as yet can't get that to work with either of my pc's. If you have any technical questions about this unit you can call Pioneer at 1-800-421-1404 . They cannot answer any questions about the 660 but you can ask about the DVR550HS they do support that one in US and it's operation is very similar but keep in mind it is not the same . I have owned three DVR's now 1SONY 2 Panasonic's and the Pioneer is by far the best unit I have used. It's editing ability makes it fun to use, I really enjoy it. I highly recommend it. Remember for US use when you first turn it on you will see video that is out of sync, don't let that bother you just switch it over to NTSC as explained above.If you call tech support # above they can verify for you this unit will operate in the US even though it was designed for Canada. I'm using mine with Directv so I'm not concerned about the tuner or EPG (tv guide). Its the same as th DVR650hs