Because the product called the DTV Pal works with ATSC. It's just
a name. (It originally was called the TR-50 (not TR-40, the -40 was
a CECB)).

I think ya got it backward:

The DTVPal is equivalent to TR-40; just a ATSC converter.

the DTVPal DVR -- a.k.a. TR-50 -- is a ATSC converter and DVR rolled into
one.
--
John English