Pioneer TV 4K Review 2023
This is the Pioneer TV review for the iteration 2023. One of our first articles was the review of the iconic Pioneer Kuro. In 2021, the brand Pioneer appeared again in the TV market with the 4K device we will review here. There is a second iteration in March 2022 and that is the one we are lucky to study here in July 2023.
Pioneer TV 4K 2021 reviews consider their 43-inch model as the best television in the 0-500 dollar range with a retail price of a nationwide average of $343.
They have released, after more than a decade a Pioneer TV, 43-inch, rebranded by Amazon and Best Buy in a joint venture.
The Pioneer TV models are 4K Ultra HD devices and are available in 43 and 50-inch and 55-inch versions. Furthermore, they are supporting HDR10, Dolby Vision HDR formats as well as DTS Virtual X audio.
In the United States, it retails for only $330 on average. And it might be probably one of the best bargain televisions on the market right now.
Who Makes Pioneer TVs?
TCL manufactures the Pioneer TV as it does with other products through licenses.
The business goal was to have an Amazon Fire TV, fully-fledged where Amazon Fire can run natively after a brief setup.
Previous Fire TVs have been made by Toshiba and Insignia, while Amazon has also its own Amazon Fire TVs.
Pioneer TV Price List
This is currently the Pioneer TV price list, a US average price you are expected to pay for the 2023 iteration of this 2021 4K TV
| PIONEER TV 4K PRICE LIST | |
|---|---|
| Pioneer TV 2023 4K 43-inch | $ 285 |
| Pioneer TV 2023 4K 50-inch | $ 351 |
Ergonomics And Workmanship
The first thing I noticed is that the TV is very lightweight, and it is because they’re using plastic components and not metal, but with this price point, what do you really expect?
This like any television, you will obtain a remote control, a setup guide the screw for the feet as well as a power cord.
There is also a diagram showing that you should use two people when moving the television from the box.
One of the benefits of this television is that it has a large cabinet. The audio system usually has more bass on these types of televisions.
There’s a speaker system that you can see on the left of the device and plus, there are some screw holes to mount it.
Now the one thing I was impressed with is that the mounts for the feet are made out of metal instead of cheap plastic.
Now when setting it up, it was fairly easy if you have any type of device go and plug it in, and then you just will go through a tutorial and wizard, including plugging in some type of internet connection like your Wi-Fi or Ethernet connection in a step-by-step basis.
So overall the Pioneer TV is black in color but when it comes to the bezels they are a little bit thicker than most new televisions on the market so it does not have that picture frame look as other devices have. However, it is very functional and this should not worry anyone.
Looking at this TV from the side view it is a little bit thin on top but then at its bottom, it protrudes out and that has a power/input button that you can press to get through some of the settings.
The feet have a rubber cushion on the bottom to keep them from slipping from your table. And there is an indicator that shows you when you press the remote control and a Pioneer logo in the center on the bottom.
The remote control is easy to take the back cover off and insert the batteries on the front of it. You will find things like your power button, a microphone as well as a button to trigger your voice command.
Does Pioneer Still Make TVs?
Yes, Pioneer still makes TVs as the Pioneer TV 4K Amazon Fire launched in 2021 and updated in 2023. It is manufactured by TCL under the Pioneer brand. It is their first market success after the 2008 Pioneer Kuro.
Settings And Configuration
Once you get through the wizard, you can log into your Amazon account if you want to use all the premium features, and then we are ready to start using the Pioneer TV.
Pioneer TV 4K Specifications
We have defined the Pioneer TV specs in detail here too.
It is a 4k 60 hertz which is 60 frames per second. In addition to that, it does have HDR 10 Dolby Vision and it has it does have DTS X virtual output for the audio system. And when it comes to the back panel, there is a headphone output so you can run it over to some basic powered speakers.
There is a USB 2.0 connection. Three HDMI 2.0 ports are also going to find composite videos for people who have those older VCRs or DVD players. There is an Ethernet input and the TV tuner is an NTSC 2.0.
At the bottom you’re going to find a mute button a setup button as well and some hotkeys for Amazon Prime.
| PIONEER TV 2021 4K SPECS | |
|---|---|
| DISPLAY TYPE | LED |
| SCREEN RESOLUTION | 4K (2160p) |
| SCREEN SIZE | 43 inches and 50 inches models |
| REFRESH RATE | 60 Hz |
| HIGH DYNAMIC RANGE (HDR) | Yes |
| HIGH DYNAMIC RANGE | Dolby Vision |
| LED PANEL TYPE | Standard LED |
| BACKLIGHT TYPE | Direct |
| SMART PLATFORM | Fire TV |
| STREAMING SERVICES | Require basic setup and log in: HBO Max, Hulu, YouTube, Amazon Prime Video, Netflix. Some additional services in the European Union also natively supported. |
| VOICE ASSISTANT | Amazon Alexa built-in (In the European Union it has to be installed by the user) |
| HDMI Inputs | Three inputs for HDMI |
Dirty Screen Effect In The Pioneer TV
The Pioneer TV 4K has really good black levels but if I crank up the ISO we can notice what we call the dirty screen effect.
it is not that noticeable to the average person looking at the television. It can be seen only around the edges. You will retrieve dirty screen effect but I have seen a lot worse in TVs that are more expensive.
However, it is actually picking up some really good gray levels. If you look at this demonstration you can see that the white to the black levels are really good. On top of that, it has like another color in between the white levels where most TVs just go white all across the bottom for it so that Dolby Vision is really kicking in.
Motion Tests For The Pioneer TV
But the most impressive thing is a motion test so straight out the box done natively by the Pioneer TV. It is very smooth while this is frequently quite jaggedy on a lot of televisions, but it is smooth on this one and I am led to believe that this is a VA panel because if you look at the TV from the side view, not only that is good, but I do not see that ghosting that you would find all IPS panels.
A favourable impression considering the price point of about $330.
After doing these tests. I will say if you only had $350 It is not a bad TV. To consider, especially if you are a fan of Amazon and all the different functionality that has offered. It is all built in ready to go.
Best Pioneer TV
The best Pioneer TV is the 2023 version of the Pioneer TV 4K Amazon Fire manufactured in a joint venture formed by several companies, due to its connectivity, handling of colors and lower dirty screen effect.
Pioneer TV Connectivity
All the mainstream applications are working fine, so connectivity works very well. I have not tested thoroughly all these services, just the connection and a basic activity like a request to Alexa, check my current orders in Amazon, and streaming a game with not more than 60 FPS. Apple Airplay and HomeKit have to be downloaded, but that can be done without difficulties.
If you have a Playstation or XBox you can stream games. But you should know that with this Pioneer TV 4K, Amazon has a service called Luna that also allows you to stream games.
All you need to do is get like a ps4 controller. You can Bluetooth it to the Pioneer TV and then you can play streaming games on television but you want to have probably about 10 to 25 megabits per second to be able to get the best response out especially on a 4k game.
The maximum FPS you can get on this television is 4k 60 frames per second.
Furthermore, it is possible to utilize also Alexa on this TV. All you need to do is pick up the remote control. You press the button and say something.
The application is not installed on the television. It took me over to the application page where I can just press on it and download it.
If you have an Amazon account you can look up your orders.
And if you have any type of smart home setup with your Amazon system, the remote control coming with the Pioneer TV can control that entire system.
If you have any Amazon product, you might be familiar with the browser, which recently has been converted over to Microsoft Bing.
And if you have pictures of memories, you can use the cloud but if you go into the TV settings, there is a media player where you can plug this USB drive into the television and be able to see all your movies and pictures right from here.
The Pioneer TV has screen mirroring in addition to that it supports Apple airplay and Apple HomeKit. Therefore, you can utilize Siri to control your home automation just in case you are not utilizing Alexa for that.
For the successor of the iconic Pioneer Kuro we have a complete Pioneer TV review, including the review for the Pioneer 55-inch model. We have a complete review of its latest iteration, now manufactured by another company, and its specifications analysis. We have also compared Pioneer vs Insignia TV to see which of these trendy brands have the latest top 4K models.
I am Bob. I work as an audio engineer and audio technician. I work in mastering and arranging bridges in existing songs and the arrangement and orchestration of the chorus. In Planet HiFi I test gear for a couple of days and write a review. I also write about AV topics, amplifiers, speakers, and headphones.
