Best Buy's “Black Friday in July” sale wrapped up Sunday, July 26, but the budget TV that drew attention during that event is still available on the other side of it. The Pioneer 70″ Class LED 4K UHD Smart Roku TV (Model PN70-R851-26U) is currently priced at $349.99 — $160 off its $509.99 comparable list price — at Best Buy, where it is sold exclusively.
Before the specs: the word “Pioneer” on this TV does not mean what it used to. The historical Pioneer Corporation — the Japanese company known for premium plasma displays and hi-fi audio equipment — exited the consumer TV business years ago. The “Pioneer” brand on this set is a licensed name; the television itself is manufactured by Compal Electronics, a Taiwan-based ODM, using TCL panels, and runs Roku's American streaming platform, as SlashGear's investigation of Pioneer TV manufacturing confirmed. Buyers who remember Pioneer's legacy in home theater should know they are evaluating a Compal-built, Roku-powered TV on its own merits, not on Pioneer's historical engineering reputation.
With that context established, the TV's actual value proposition is straightforward: 70 inches of screen, 4K resolution, and Roku's clean smart platform for $349.99. Whether that is worth it depends heavily on what you expect from direct-lit LED at this price tier — and what you do not need.
What “Direct-Lit LED” Actually Means at This Price
The spec sheet says “direct-lit LED,” which is accurate but requires some unpacking for a buyer deciding between this and edge-lit alternatives. In a direct-lit (also called full-array) panel, the LEDs are distributed across the entire back of the screen rather than concentrated only around the edges. This produces more uniform brightness and eliminates the “flashlighting” glow that edge-lit panels sometimes show at screen corners.
What direct-lit does NOT automatically deliver is meaningful local dimming. Local dimming requires independent control of LED zones — the more zones, the…